Understanding Power Surges and Blinks
Have you ever noticed your lights blink during a thunderstorm or a blinking microwave clock when you arrive home? These occurrences are often the result of a brief disruption in your electric service, caused by either a power surge or a power blink. Although they may appear similar, the underlying causes can be quite different.
What’s a Power Surge?
Power surges are brief overvoltage spikes or disturbances in the power waveform that can damage, degrade, or destroy electronic equipment in your home or business. While most electronics are designed to handle slight voltage variations, power surges can reach amplitudes of tens of thousands of volts, causing significant damage. Surges can originate from internal sources, such as HVAC systems with variable frequency drives, or from external sources, such as lightning strikes or damage to power lines and transformers.
Jones-Onslow EMC encourages all members to install surge protective devices, such as surge protector power strips, to safeguard your sensitive electronics. If you experience frequent surges and believe the cause is internal, contact a qualified electrician to inspect your electrical system.
What’s a Power Blink?
Power blinks are brief service interruptions typically caused by a fault (short circuit) on a power line or a protective device responding to the fault. Faults can occur due to various reasons, such as squirrels, birds, or other small animals contacting an energized power line, tree branches touching a power line, or lightning strikes. In fact, in 2023, JOEMC had 542 outages that were attributed to birds and squirrels.
These events can cause your power to blink, but you may also experience a brief interruption when protective devices, similar to circuit breakers, are working to detect the fault. These brief power blinks are actually beneficial, as they indicate that the protective equipment is functioning correctly to prevent a prolonged outage.
Regardless of the cause, Jones-Onslow EMC crews are always ready to inspect the damage and make necessary repairs after a power outage. You can help too! If you experience repeated disruptions to your electric service, please let us know by calling 910-353-1940 or visiting www.joemc.com.
By understanding the differences between power surges and blinks, you can take appropriate measures to protect your electronic equipment and minimize disruptions to your electric service.
