With the recent power surge damaging many of our units, questions have arisen as to what a home owner can do to protect themselves from brownouts and surges. While generators can address complete power outages, they do not address power surges directly. A whole home surge protector can be installed for a relatively small cost. A simple surge protector like the one below from Schneider Electric is about $170 with tax and snaps into the breaker box typically in the basement of your home within a few minutes with the help of an electrician:
In theory, it takes the hit from a power spike and saves the rest of the equipment in your house from damage. When the green light is on, it’s protecting your home. When the green light is out, it took a hit, protected your electronics and appliances and then needs to be replaced. One owner in the neighborhood just had that particular surge protector installed and will let us know how it works during the next power surge.
For now, any whole home surge protector that fits in to your breaker box should do the trick. If anyone has experience, good or bad, with one of these devices, please feel free to comment below, thanks!
Hillside Condos at Thousand Oaks 