Whenever there is thunder and lightning it can be both exciting and exhilarating, but for many it is very scary too. It’s scary because it can be very dangerous.
Bolts of lightning contain large amounts of electrical energy which are released in just a fraction of a second. When lightning strikes all the electricity has to go somewhere. One place it could go is through the electrical wiring system in the home. If this happens it can cause damage and could even destroy any electrical item that is plugged in at the time.
It is almost impossible to stop lightning from damaging electrical items in the home. Anyone who is worried about this should unplug whatever they can until the storm has passed. In truth not many people will unplug everything and sit in the dark. The next best thing to do is invest in some surge protectors. They are quite cheap and will reduce greatly the chances of damage to expensive electronic equipment. They could also protect a property owner from having to claim on their landlord insurance policy.
Electricity will come into the home from a wiring system. Different electric appliances in the home will need different amounts of electric power. Things that get hot such as electric showers and toasters will need large currents that supply a lot of power at once, whereas electronic equipment such as CD players and televisions will need much smaller currents and use less power.
All of the appliances mentioned assume that the electricity coming into the property has a reasonably constant voltage. All the appliances used will draw the power from sockets in the wall, the power from the socket feeding straight into the appliance down a length of cable. In a surge protector, the main power line has an extra connection linked to it that feeds to the ground. If a larger than normal voltage appears, which produces too much electric current, the excess will be safely diverted by the surge protector. This means no more current than is normal will flow into any appliance, making the system better protected from damage.
The surge protector knows when to divert the current because of a device called a varistor which is made from a substance called a metal-oxide semiconductor. When an excessive voltage appears, the semiconductor in the varistor will become a good conductor and will start to carry the electricity normally. For as long as the surge voltage lasts, the semiconductor will channel any harmful current to ground. Once things return to normal, the semiconductor switches back again until it is next needed. All of this means that all appliances are not only protected during a power surge, they should all keep on working normally.