Surge Protection
Surge Protection Services in Pittsburgh, PA
Our appliances, electrical devices, and mechanical devices add up to a major investment and require electricity as their source of energy. Electrical surges are responsible for damage to many of these devices in thousands of households each year across the U.S, with inclement weather often the main culprit. However, surge protection can be an asset to your home, protecting your devices from these unpredictable electrical surges.
Types of Surge Protection
- Primary Surge Protection – Offers a point of plug attachment for equipment, primary surge protectors are installed where the power lines enter the building. Primary surge protectors serve as a source of protection for the devices being plugged into them.
- Secondary Surge Protection – These are more complex surge protection systems that are installed at the main panel, and can protect an entire building from electrical surges caused by bad weather, power outages, internal surge, or other occurrences. Secondary surge protection can be integrated, or consist of external mounting.
Hufnagel Electric has extensive experience with surge protection and has been featured in an article on creators.com. The following is an excerpt from the article featuring Jason Hufnagel:
"Whole-house surge protection is generally a layered system that helps protect against transient voltage that typically comes from the electrical grid outside the home," Caddell said. "Transient is electrical voltage that's not supposed to be in the electrical system. You could have lightning strikes miles away that cause transient voltage in an electrical system. Sometimes power company transformers go bad or blow up. If any of the transient voltage is able to make it past (the whole-house suppression), usually the surge strip will catch the remaining (voltage). This layered approach is required by all manufacturers of whole-home surge suppressors."
Whole-house surge suppression systems can be tied directly into the electrical panel or attached to the panel externally. The cost is typically between $300 and $400 for most systems, though they can go up to $1,200, depending on the size of the home, how many electronics the system must protect and the number of joules — the amount of electrical energy — the system can handle.
Jason Hufnagel with Hufnagel Electric in the Pittsburgh area said his company only installs systems that can handle high joules, typically between 1,800 and 2,400. "You want to make sure it has a high joules value," Hufnagel said. "We don't install low-grade ones. That's wasting your money. It's best to spend more money on surge protection than less. You're buying it to protect your electronics.” Source: Advice from Angie's List by Angie Hicks, creators.com, 2013.
When it comes to surge protection, there is no company better prepared to meet your needs than Hufnagel Electric. For expert installation of surge protection services in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, contact the electrical professionals at Hufnagel Electric. With a staff of licensed, professional electricians, Hufnagel Electric can ensure that your home or business is protected, as well as the electrical devices and appliances inside. Contact us today for more information on surge protection or on any of our commercial or residential electrical services.
Our Service Areas
We provide commercial & residential electrical services in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas including:
Bellvue
Bethel Park
Carnegie
Coraopolis
Franklin Park
Greentree
Imperial
Ingram
Kennedy Township
McCandless
McKees Rocks
Moon Township
Mt. Lebanon
Neville Township
Oakdale
Robinson Township
Rosslyn Farms
Ross Township
Sewickley
Stowe Township
Thornburg
West View
Wexford