What Causes Power Surges in Texas?
Surges are not just caused by lightning. In fact, 80% of surges originate inside your home. Here is what creates voltage spikes across Dallas–Fort Worth:
- Utility grid switching — Oncor and TNMP switch power lines during maintenance and peak demand, causing brief spikes
- Lightning strikes — direct strikes and nearby strikes induce voltage in power lines and phone/cable wiring
- HVAC compressor cycling — the largest motor in your home creates a surge every time it starts
- Pool pumps and well pumps — large inductive motors generate internal surges
- Generator transfer — switching from grid to generator power can create voltage transients
Types of Surge Protection Available
Effective surge protection requires a layered strategy. Clements Electric installs all three levels of protection:
- Level 1 — Panel-mounted SPD (whole-home): Installed at your main electrical panel, this device protects all circuits. Surges are clamped at the service entrance before entering your branch circuits. Units rated for 80kA–120kA surge current capacity with LED status indicators.
- Level 2 — Sub-panel SPDs: For homes with sub-panels (garages, pools, guest houses), secondary SPDs at each sub-panel catch surges that propagate through the main panel.
- Level 3 — Point-of-use protectors: Individual surge protector power strips and outlet protectors for sensitive electronics like computers, entertainment systems, and medical devices. These catch residual surges that make it past the panel device.
- Surge protection for low-voltage systems: We protect coax cable, ethernet, and phone lines with inline surge protectors. Lightning surges travel on all conductors, not just power lines.
- Generator surge protection: Automatic transfer switches include surge suppression to protect against voltage spikes during generator startup and grid reconnection.
What a Whole-Home Surge Protector Actually Does
A panel-mounted surge protective device (SPD) sits between your utility service and your home's circuits. When a voltage spike occurs — whether from lightning, grid switching, or internal loads — the SPD detects the overvoltage in nanoseconds and redirects the excess energy to ground through your home's grounding system. The result: your outlets, appliances, and electronics see normal voltage while the surge harmlessly dissipates. Modern SPDs are self-restoring, meaning they can absorb multiple surges over their lifetime without needing replacement after every event.
Why Plug-In Power Strips Are Not Enough
Power strips from the hardware store offer minimal protection. Most cheap surge protectors use metal oxide varistors (MOVs) that degrade after absorbing a few small surges. After the MOVs fail, the power strip continues functioning as a normal outlet — providing zero protection while giving you a false sense of security. A panel-mounted SPD from a reputable manufacturer (Square D, Siemens, Eaton, or Leviton) uses industrial-grade components with visible status indicators, warranty coverage for connected equipment, and 5–10 year lifespans. Layered with point-of-use protectors, this is the only approach that genuinely protects your home.
Protect Your Home Today
A whole-home surge protector protects everything in your home at once. In the time it takes to read this paragraph, another voltage spike could be traveling through your wiring. Do not wait for a lightning storm or appliance failure to think about surge protection. Our licensed electricians can install a panel-mounted SPD in under two hours, and you will sleep better knowing your home is protected. Call now for same-day installation availability.
Call 817-803-4444