Thunderstorms don’t just bring rain and noise. They also test every part of your home’s electrical setup. From lightning strikes to power surges, it takes just one thunderstorm to damage appliances or your breaker panel. At Potts Electric, in St. Louis and Fenton, MO, we help homeowners prepare for a storm so you’re not left scrambling after the lights go out. Let’s review how to protect your wiring when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
What Lightning Does to Your Home’s Wiring
When lightning strikes nearby, it doesn’t need to hit your house directly to cause problems. The energy from a strike can travel through the ground, your service lines, or nearby structures and still find its way into your home. Once that energy enters your electrical system, it moves fast and looks for any path to release itself. That path often runs through your outlets, appliances, or breaker box.
The problem is that your home’s wiring isn’t built to handle a massive voltage surge. When it hits, the current overwhelms the circuits and can burn through insulation or damage the connections behind your walls. You might not notice the full damage right away. Some electronics may stop working altogether, while others appear to be fine but experience issues shortly after. If you’ve ever had a computer or TV fail after a storm without warning, a power surge may have been the cause.
Why Power Surges Are More Than Just a Flicker
Not every power surge turns off your lights or trips a breaker. Many are smaller, but they still hit your wiring with a substantial impact. These quick jolts can happen several times during a thunderstorm, especially if lightning is active in your area. They can cause minor damage each time they hit, gradually weakening the devices connected to your outlets.
You might notice a surge when the lights dim briefly or when a plugged-in device resets itself. In some cases, the surge passes through so quickly that you don’t see any sign of the damage that has been done. One event might not cause a problem, but multiple hits in the same weak spot eventually cause failure. Your home’s wiring takes the brunt of this, but anything plugged in, such as refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines, can suffer as well.
How Your Breaker Panel Handles Storm Stress
Your breaker panel is your home’s first real defense against electrical problems. It’s designed to shut off circuits when they draw too much power, which helps stop wires from overheating and starting fires. During a storm, especially when lightning strikes close by, the panel can get overloaded.
If your breakers trip frequently during storms, that’s a signal that your system isn’t handling the impact very well. The breakers are trying to do their job, but they can’t always respond fast enough. Older panels, especially those with outdated technology, struggle with fast, high-energy hits because their technology wasn’t designed for modern demands or storm patterns.
You might open the panel after a storm and see scorch marks or smell a faint burnt scent. If breakers feel loose, they might have been damaged by a surge. That kind of wear can cause future problems even when the weather is calm. Keeping the panel in good shape, updated, and professionally inspected means fewer surprises during the next round of thunder and lightning.
Why Unplugging Still Matters
Unplugging devices before a storm can be beneficial. When you disconnect a device from its outlet, you remove the path a surge would follow. That break in the process is the simplest way to protect high-value electronics, such as computers, TVs, game consoles, or sound systems.
Not every device is easy to unplug, though. Refrigerators, microwaves, and larger appliances aren’t built for quick disconnection. That’s why it helps to prioritize the items that matter most to you or seem the most sensitive. If a storm is approaching and you know lightning is in the forecast, taking five minutes to unplug a few things can save you a lot of frustration later.
Backup Power and What It Does
A backup system can make a big difference when the power cuts out during a storm. Generators keep refrigerators, air conditioners, or heaters running and lights on. They also protect your home’s wiring from power fluctuations during grid restoration when the transfer switch is engaged. When the utility company starts working to restore power, the lines can send inconsistent current that stresses your circuits. A backup system gives your home a controlled power source until the grid stabilizes.
Some homes use portable generators. They can help with short-term outages, but they must be used carefully. They can create a dangerous feedback loop if they’re connected directly to your home’s system without a transfer switch. That current can harm line workers or damage your appliances. We can install whole-home generators with automatic transfer switches to solve this by switching cleanly between utility and backup power.
Storm-Proofing with Whole-Home Surge Protection
Power strips with built-in surge protectors give you some defense, but don’t stop everything. The best way to protect against surges is to stop them before they reach your outlets. That’s where a whole-home surge protector comes in, acting like a shield at the electrical panel to block dangerous voltage spikes at the entry point.
A whole-home surge protector offers a dependable way to guard your electrical system during storms by connecting to your main panel and redirecting excess voltage away from your home’s wiring. It doesn’t stop the lightning, but stops that energy from destroying your appliances.
Unlike plug-in surge protectors, a whole-home unit covers everything. That includes hardwired items, such as your air conditioner, furnace, or oven. If a surge hits your system, the protector catches it before it spreads.
These systems don’t require constant maintenance, but they do need professional installation. They must be rated for your panel’s size and your home’s load. Our licensed electricians can install them at the panel and test their function. Once they’re in place, you get consistent protection without having to do anything during each storm.
GFCIs Are Important
Ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs, protect against electrical shocks in damp areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor outlets. During storms, when moisture levels rise or rain sneaks into places it shouldn’t, GFCIs can prevent serious injury or damage. These outlets shut off power immediately if they detect an imbalance.
If lightning strikes or water reaches an outlet, a GFCI can stop the current from traveling where it shouldn’t. That keeps people safer, especially if they’re handling outdoor tools or using equipment during a passing storm.
Protect Your Home From Storm Damage
Storms can’t be avoided, but their impact on your home’s electrical system can be reduced with a few steps. Expert support makes all the difference if you need a system check, surge protection, or help after a storm. Protect your peace of mind before the next thunderclap with the assistance of our team at Potts Electric.
We offer generator installation, panel upgrades, and whole-home surge protection to keep your electrical system safe and storm-ready. Contact Potts Electric in Fenton or throughout the greater St. Louis area for support today.
