COMMON CAUSES OF
POWER SURGES.
Florida sits at the top of the US list for lightning strikes per square mile. Combine that with cycling AC compressors and utility switching events, and the average Florida home takes a lot more surge punishment than homeowners realize.
1. Lightning — direct and indirect
Florida averages around 1.2 million cloud-to-ground strikes per year. You do not need a direct hit to get damaged: a strike on a nearby pole, tree, or service line sends a fast, high-voltage transient down the wires and into your house. That transient is what cooks TVs, refrigerator control boards, HVAC capacitors, and garage-door openers.
2. Utility switching and brownouts
When the utility reconfigures load on the grid — especially during summer demand or after a storm — the voltage arriving at your panel can spike or sag briefly. Brownouts (low voltage) are arguably harder on motors than surges, because motors draw more current to keep spinning at lower voltage and can overheat.
3. Large motors cycling inside the house
Your AC, pool pump, and well pump all produce brief voltage spikes when they start and stop. Refrigerators do too. Over years, those repeated low-amplitude surges degrade sensitive electronics — especially anything with a switching power supply like a smart TV or computer.
4. Damaged or loose wiring
A loose neutral, a failing splice, or a corroded service entrance lug can produce localized voltage fluctuations that mimic surges. If you see flicker that comes and goes with heavy-current appliances, suspect a connection — not a surge.
What actually stops surges
Point-of-use surge strips help, but they handle a tiny fraction of the energy a real surge carries. For a Florida home, the right answer is layered:
- Type 1 or Type 2 whole-home surge protector installed at the service panel. This is the big one. It clamps voltage at the entry point.
- Grounding and bonding brought up to current Florida code. A whole-home protector is only as good as the ground it discharges into.
- Point-of-use protection on expensive electronics — TVs, PCs, home theater, HVAC control boards.
- Lightning protection system (a separate conductor network with ground rods) for exposed or waterfront homes.
Need a licensed electrician?
Forty years of Florida electrical work. Licensed Master Electrician. Free estimates. Same-day response. 24/7 for emergencies.
When to call us
If you have already lost electronics to a surge, if you see repeated flicker, or if you live in a lightning-prone area (most of Florida does), a whole-home surge install and a grounding inspection are worth the call. Related services: residential electrical · 24/7 emergency.