Power outages can do more than just stop you from temporarily using an appliance. In some cases, these outages can also cause damage to the appliances themselves, and specifically to a few of their more sensitive parts. Here’s what you need to know about protecting appliances, so you can keep them as safe as possible the next time there’s a power outage in your neighborhood.
It’s Not Really the Outage That Causes Harm
Technically, it’s not the actual power outage that causes harm to the appliance or any of its parts. Just being without power isn’t the issue. It’s what happens when the power comes back on that’s the culprit. In some cases, it’s also what happens right before the power goes out. That’s because these periods of time can result in a power “surge” where the voltage is higher than normal.
Too high of a voltage can damage delicate circuits and electronic parts that aren’t designed for that much power flowing through them. This could mean a temporary issue with the appliance, a shortened life span for its circuitry, or even enough damage that the appliance doesn’t work at all anymore.
In some cases, the voltage can also be lower than expected, which might not seem harmful but can still be a problem. If the voltage is too low before the power goes out or when it comes back on, your appliances can overwork themselves trying to operate. In many cases that’s just as damaging to them as too much power, and could cause permanent harm.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Appliances
Fortunately, you can generally protect your appliances and their parts from the issues that can come with power outages. There are a couple of different ways to do that. First, if you’re at risk for a power outage from something you can identify, such as a storm coming your way, you can unplug the appliances you’re not using. That way, if there’s a surge in the power, you won’t have to worry about any appliance damage.
To protect against unexpected power outages, and to add to the safety of any appliances you can’t unplug, you can use surge protection. Most of the time this involves the power strips that you plug into an outlet, and then plug your appliances into. You can’t do that with bigger appliances like refrigerators, though, so you’ll need to look into whole-house surge protection to add to their safety.
Protecting your appliances from power outages and their resulting problems is important because appliances can be expensive. You might also lose more than just the appliance. For example, a damaged freezer or refrigerator puts all the food in it at risk, too. With the right surge protection and an understanding of how to reduce your risks, though, you can protect all your appliances from a power outage the vast majority of the time. That’s great for saving money, and also for peace of mind.
