How to keep your home appliances safe from electrical faults

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Far beyond mere bricks and mortar, your home is the foundation of your lifestyle, equipped with the appliances and devices necessary for everything from starting your day to unwinding at night. But here’s something you might not often think about: how protected are you and these appliances from potential electrical faults?

In our previous blogs, we’ve explored various types of electrical faults, but the common ones, like surges, over voltage, and under voltage, pose a frequent threat to home safety. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2022, 3,375 fire incidents were reported in India due to electrical short circuits.

This is why understanding the nature of these electrical risks and how they can cause damage can help mitigate risks and protect your valuable electronics.

3 common electrical faults: Power surge, under voltage, and over voltage

Power surges are sudden and significant increases in voltage that substantially exceed the standard electricity flow in your home electrical system. This excessive voltage can temporarily boost the current going to wall outlets and, as a result, to the appliances and electronics plugged into them.

Under voltage occurs when the supplied voltage drops below the level necessary for a device to function properly. This drop can cause appliances to work harder to maintain performance, leading to inefficiency, increased mechanical wear and tear, and shortened lifespans.

Over voltage happens when the voltage supplied exceeds the device’s designed capacity. This can lead to malfunction of appliances or damage electronic circuit boards due to heat and stress.

How do they occur and damage your appliances?

These surges can result from several scenarios, including:

1. Lightning strikes: When lightning strikes, it can directly hit a building’s electrical system, or, more often, the electrical surges caused by nearby lightning can travel through power or communication lines and damage the electrical system and devices connected to it.
2. Power outages or utility switching: During electrical grid operation, the utility sometimes switches the power supply to another source or temporarily stops the flow of power to customers to clear a fault from the system. These interruptions in power flow can cause surges when the power is disconnected and then reconnected to devices and appliances.
3. Large appliances cycling on and off: Devices with high power requirements, like air conditioners and refrigerators, can create surges in power that disrupt the steady flow of voltage.
4. With faulty wiring or overloaded circuits: Old or poorly installed wiring can fail to handle the demands of modern appliances, leading to under voltage, over voltage, or surges.

Importance of surge protection and voltage regulation

The use of surge protectors and voltage regulators cannot be overstated. They provide a necessary buffer against the irregularities and instabilities of the power grid or internal home wiring issues. By installing these devices, you not only protect your valuable electronics from immediate harm but also enhance their operational lifespan and reliability.

Product range from Schneider Electric

We understand the need for robust and reliable power management solutions. Our comprehensive range of products are designed to provide better safety, efficiency, and longevity of your electrical devices. It can help avoid any electrical risks or danger to your home, belongings, and family.

• Surge Protection Devices (SPDs): Our SPDs are built to withstand the impact caused by surges, effectively protecting your household or commercial appliances from damage due to electrical spikes. It acts as a filter that allows safe electrical currents and diverts irregular currents from entering the electrical network, extending the lifespan of your appliances.
• Regulators for over voltage and under voltage: We offer a variety of voltage regulators that ensure your appliances always receive the optimal voltage level. These are particularly beneficial in areas with unstable power supply conditions.

Measures to keep your appliances safe

1. Identify what needs protection: A single spark can cause a lot of damage to your home. Start with routine checkups of your home’s electrical setup and appliances. It is always better to hire professionals to evaluate the safety of your home’s electrical systems.
2. Select quality protection: Surge protectors and voltage regulators are designed to limit voltage fluctuations and divert surge current from entering the electrical network. It’s important to choose a product that specifically meets the energy needs and safety standards of your home and appliances.
3. Check your wiring system: Old or faulty electrical wiring is a major cause of fires. If you have any concerns about the condition of your wiring, it’s wise to have a licensed electrician check it to ensure it’s safe.
4. Replace damaged parts: Inspect all the light switches and outlets in your home for safety. Cracked or broken electrical plates can cause electrocution, while buzzing or discoloration may signal dangerous wiring issues.

Our commitment to your safety

We at Schneider Electric prioritize cultivating a safety-first mindset and providing technology that is dependable and secure. It is our top priority to provide our customers with complete peace of mind when using our products. To achieve this, we focus on enhancing safety education and offering high-quality, hassle-free products that give safe access to electricity.

Stay safe and power up responsibly!