Tallahassee-area residents dodged a major storm bullet in late September, as powerful hurricane Helene swept by the area with only a glancing blow. As noted by one local news source headline, “Ten miles may have saved Tallahassee from Hurricane Helene, utter ruin.” Our area did sustain some damage and power outages, but it pales compared to locations that came under the storm’s direct path. Ditto with October’s Hurricane Milton, which hardly affected the Tallahassee area at all.
That said, the skilled electricians of Meeks Electrical Services did experience a significant uptick in service calls after Hurricane Helene due to storm-induced impacts on residential and commercial electronics. Some of our service calls responded to homeowners whose appliances were damaged by power surges, with some damage occurring despite the use of surge protectors.
This begs the question of how homeowners and businesses should best protect their major appliances in advance of a hurricane or other major storm. The electricians at Meeks will tell you that surge protection—whether single circuit or whole-house—is a fantastic first-tier defense against major appliance electrical damage but is not fail-safe. Thus, Meeks recommends that homeowners and businesses unplug all major appliances when a hurricane or significant storm approaches. Let’s take a closer look at the issue.
The Value of Your Major Appliances
A typical Tallahassee-area home contains an air conditioning system, water heater, refrigerator/freezer, range, washer/dryer, at least one TV, and other smaller appliances. The total value of these appliances can top $10,000, and no homeowner wants to worry about ponying up the replacement cost due to storm damage. So, should you fully protect your appliances from storm-induced electrical damage by unplugging them? Absolutely, even if they have surge protection.
Surge Protector Limitations
Surge protectors are a fantastic first-line defense for your home’s major appliances and other electronics. In fact, Meeks strongly encourages homeowners and businesses to ensure that their electronics have surge protection, preferably the dual coverage of single-circuit and whole-home protection.
As previously noted, though, surge protection is not fail-safe. Single-circuit surge protectors vary in their ability to block surges effectively, and their capability can deteriorate over time with repeated absorption of minor surges. Another problem Meeks electricians periodically encounter is that some people mistaken believe that their appliance or other electronic gear is plugged into a surge protector rather than a power strip. A power strip is merely an extension cord with multiple outlets and perhaps an on/off switch, but it offers no surge protection.
Whole-house surge protectors provide the best protection for all home and business electronics. However, even they can be overwhelmed by the voltage produced by a significant power surge, such as caused by a nearby lightning strike, significant power grid issues, internal electrical faults, or other massive voltage surge.
Bottom Line: Unplug Major Appliances in Advance of Storms
If your appliances and other electronics are not plugged in, they will not suffer any electrical damage from surges—period. So, for complete peace of mind, unplug them in advance of approaching storms.
Consult Meeks for All of Your Tallahassee-Area Electrical Needs
Meeks Electrical Services has been providing post-storm electrical repairs and services to Tallahassee-area homeowners and businesses for over 45 years. We’re the go-to electricians for all your electrical service needs, as expressed by our motto: “If it’s Meeks, It’s Electrical. If It’s Electrical, It’s Meeks!” To schedule new construction electrical installation, repairs, electrical upgrades, or other electrical services, contact us online or call (850) 575-5241.
