Storms can severely impact your home or business’s electrical system, leading to various hazards. From power surges damaging sensitive electronics to water seeping into your wiring, electrical storm damage can pose serious risks.
Here are the common electrical damages storms can cause that require professional help:
Power Surges
When lightning strikes near power lines or utility equipment, it can cause a sudden, intense surge of electricity to flow through your home or business.
The result? Fried circuits and damaged electronics. Devices like televisions, computers, and appliances can suffer immediate or slow damage over time.
Circuit Breaker Trips
Storm-induced power fluctuations, water exposure, or faulty wiring often cause circuit breakers to trip repeatedly. Repeated breaker trips indicate a larger problem in your electrical system, such as overloaded circuits or water damage.
This disruption can leave parts of your home without power and put the electrical system at risk of more.
Water Damage to Electrical Systems
Storms can cause flooding, and even small leaks can lead to water seeping into electrical outlets, appliances, or wiring systems. Water in electrical systems can cause short circuits, which may lead to electrical fires.
Even if a fire doesn’t occur, water damage can lead to corrosion, reducing the lifespan of your system and necessitating costly repairs or replacements.
Damage to Electrical Panels
The electrical panel is the core of your home’s electrical system. It distributes power to all parts of your property. It can be severely compromised during storms, particularly from water damage or power surges.
Damage to the electrical panel can stop the flow of electricity entirely or create dangerous conditions, such as sparking or overheating, which can lead to electrical fires. Repairing or replacing an electrical panel can be expensive but is crucial for the safety of your home.
Short Circuits
A short circuit occurs when electricity takes an unintended path, often because wires are exposed or damaged. This can happen due to water ingress or power surges during a storm.
Short circuits can lead to sparking and, in severe cases, start electrical fires. They can also damage electrical devices, blowing fuses or tripping breakers, which require immediate professional attention to prevent further damage.
Burnt Out or Damaged Appliances
Storm-related electrical power surges can fry the internal circuits of your appliances, rendering them useless. This can affect everything from your refrigerator to your home entertainment systems.
Burnt-out electronic appliances are costly to replace and can leave you without essential functions like refrigeration or heating. Even if an appliance continues to work, a power surge could reduce its lifespan, leading to unexpected failures.
Power Pole Damages
Severe storms can uproot and topple power poles, which serve as vital infrastructure for the electrical grid. When these poles are damaged, it can lead to widespread power outages, affecting homes and businesses alike.
Downed power poles can disrupt communication lines and emergency services, hampering response efforts during critical situations. This highlights the importance of quick and professional intervention to restore power safely and effectively.
Malfunctioning Backup Generators
Many homes and businesses rely on backup generators to provide power during an outage, but these systems can also suffer from storm damage.
A malfunctioning generator could fail to kick in during an outage, leaving you without electricity when you need it most. Regular maintenance and storm-proofing of backup systems are essential to ensure they work when the grid goes down.