Hazardous Surge Protection

Hazardous surge protectors??? Could it be that the very device we use to protect our home and electronics could be a potential cause of fires in the home? Well, in most cases, the surge protectors in your home are doing what they should do – protecting your belongings. However, to no fault of HVAC or electrical contractors, some surge protection units that were connected to the home were found to later be fire hazards. And while these protectors previously had UL certification, it quietly came to our attention recently that these devices had lost their UL certification.

How Do You Know If You Have a Hazardous Unit?

This is clearly the next important question that comes up when you consider whether or not you had one installed in your home. First things first, look up the specs of the problematic surge protectors to prepare to compare them with your home surge protector. You can find the specific units at: https://www.ul.com/node/176981 What then? Well, next, you need to find the location of your surge protector. They are usually found at the cut off for the air conditioning unit or at the panel itself. The surge protector would be a separate box but attached at these locations. Don’t delay to check your surge protection unit. It’s always better to check these things when you find out about them rather then waiting until there is a big problem.

Call a Qualified Electrician

What happens when you discover that you, unfortunately, have a hazardous surge protection unit? The best thing to do, of course, is call your local electrician to see about changing out the surge protector. Then you can rest easy knowing that you don’t have a unit that could cause you serious problems in the future. Some are even offering surge protector buy-back programs to lower the cost of fixing the issue.

Surge Protectors Are Still Important

In the big picture, surge protectors are still important and an essential part of your electrical system to prevent damage from electrical surges or fires. If you don’t already have one, getting one installed would be a great idea. A little safety can go a long way!