Kelly's Korner - In the Dark

Hey, All,

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We here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest just experienced our first storm of the fall season.  Thunder, lightning, wind, rain - we had it all.  And with all that, there were also power outages.  Luckily, I wasn't one of the powerless ones, but there were quite a few without for most of Saturday and into Sunday.


Now what does this have to do with appliances?  Well, let me enlighten you.  With all the electronics in today's appliances, power surges and outages can blow those boards faster than heck.  You may have your computer and TV on a power strip/surge protector, but is your microwave, refrigerator, stove, washer/dryer and dishwasher surge protected?

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For appliances that run on 110 volts (everything but your stove and dryer)  it is easy enough to plug these into a regular power strip/surge protector.  It gets a bit stickier with the 220 volt appliances - stove/oven and dryer.  For these I would recommend contacting a qualified electrician and seeing what he would recommend - do not try doing this yourself.  It could be a whole house surge protector, new breakers in your breaker box or something else.  The age and situation of your wiring will dictate what can be used, hence the certified licensed electrician.  When you compare the cost of the electrician and equipment installed versus the cost of repairing or replacing your appliances and other electronics, you will find that it is a very inexpensive investment.

Of course, there is the common sense way of shutting down electronics when there is a storm blowing through, but not very convenient for everyday life.  So add to your Fall to-do list a call into your favorite electrical company to come and have your home checked out.  You will definately save some bucks in the long run.

Have a great week!

PS:  Thanks to all the electricians that worked overtime and in rough conditions to get power restored to everyone!