HPM , a leading Australian supplier to the electrical industry, has advised Australians to use surge protection equipment this summer to help protect electrical appliances from damage.
HPM spokesman and electrical engineer, Paul Barron said homeowners should get an electrician to add surge diverters to their switchboards so that in the event of a power surge most excess energy would be dissipated before it could reach electrical appliances.
Barron said people should also use surge protected power points and power boards instead of standard equipment, to further protect expensive electrical items, such as TVs and computers.
“If you think about the amount of energy in a lightning strike, protection devices are not 100 per cent failsafe.
“By using the surge diverters in conjunction with surge protected power points and power boards, it sets up what is known as cascaded protection, when each device helps to dissipate excess energy,” he said.
Power surges are often caused by lightning strikes and high energy demand, which can also lead to blackouts. Both storms and high electricity consumption is more common in summer due to storms and the high use of air conditioners.
There are some 14 HPM power boards with surge protection features, including general household, computer and communications products with four to 12 outlets, and from the Electresafe RCD Protection range, the eight-outlet Plug Boss with RCD power board.
