CONSUMERS : Getting Zapped! : Sudden Power Surges May Ruin Computers and Other Costly Equipment, but an Inexpensive Device Can Prevent Damage
Consumers beware: That jolt of electricity that makes your lights momentarily brighter can wreck some of your expensive electronic equipment, especially home computers. Equally damaging can be a sudden drop in power.
Consider what happened recently to one Westwood resident: He returned from work one night to find that a power surge in his apartment building had wiped out his $350 portable CD player and a $70 clock and seriously damaged his VCR, aquarium light, plant light and microwave. The CD player and clock were beyond repair; the rest would cost $280 to fix. Total damage: $700.
Power surges have various causes--a downed line, faulty transformer, lightning, a Mylar balloon hitting a power line. Often the utility company does not know there has been a surge until customers complain about damage.
While surges always have occurred, they now cause more grief than before because so many consumers now own highly sophisticated, sensitive electronic equipment, said Robert McMillen of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who added: “Twenty years ago, you would see the lights flicker and that would be the only effect. But (then) we didn’t have VCRs and microwave ovens that have digital clocks that start blinking when there’s a voltage problem. The new equipment . . . like computers, VCRs, microwave ovens, even some of the burglar alarms, now are very sensitive” to surges or interruptions.
Generally, electrical problems occur more frequently in hot weather when the systems can become overloaded due to extra consumer use, but winter months often have storms that can cause power outages.
“We have more lightning that people here think we do,” said Gary Davis of Southern California Edison, which supplies electricity to customers throughout 50,000 square miles in Southern California. “In wintertime we usually have a couple storms come through the metropolitan area, and this year we had lightning in May and July. I’ve lived here all my life and we’ve been getting more lightning in the last few years and more humidity.”
Utility companies are required by the state Public Utility Commission to maintain residential electrical voltage between 114 and 120 volts, unless a 240-volt line is used for special needs, such as an electrically heated hot tub.
Unlike a blackout, in which a total loss of power occurs, a surge--or what experts call a transient condition or voltage spike--can cause a sudden, large jolt of electricity to enter a house; it also can result in a brief period of lower than normal voltage.
It is possible for a surge to damage electronic equipment, even though it lasts milliseconds, or, in some cases, nanoseconds (one billionth of a second). Frequent power fluctuations, experts warn, can cause early burnout of appliance motors.
There are devices called surge or spike suppressors to protect home computers and expensive entertainment systems. The bar-like devices, priced from $10 to $80, have outlets for plugging in equipment; they, in turn, connect to standard wall outlets. The suppressors use variable resistors and arresters to short out excess voltage and absorb that current before it reaches equipment.
Some electronic manufacturers, in writing, recommend that consumers use surge suppressors with their products. And “every computer store tells you to get one,” said Michael Shames, executive director of Utility Consumer Action Network (UCAN), a nonprofit utility watchdog group with 56,743 members in the San Diego area. “Not having one for a computer is like having unsafe sex. You shouldn’t take a chance. Really, you should have a surge suppressor for anything valuable.”
If buying a suppressor, be sure to read the package to check its listed “clamping level.” That is the maximum voltage the device is supposed to let through. The levels can differ. Some list a 200-volt clamping level; others up to 400. The lower the clamping level, the better the protection.
If you don’t have a suppressor and your lights start flickering, Shames said, unplug your equipment. “When the lights go back on, it’s even more dangerous,” he explained.
If you’re not home when a surge occurs, document the damage and call your utility company. Depending on its policy, the utility may pay for repairs or replacements. (The Westwood resident with the damaged items is waiting to settle his $700 claim with DWP.)
When submitting a claim to any utility, specify the date, time and place of the power problem. Include copies--never send originals--of receipts from repair bills. Some utilities have claim forms to fill out.
“If it’s an act of God--a wind storm, lightning, a pole down--or something we have no control over, we wouldn’t settle the claim,” said a representative of Pasadena Water and Power. “If it is a mistake by a maintenance crew, something we did, we’re responsible for that.”
DWP gets “in excess of 500 claims a year,” but they are not categorized “by type of occurence,” said Harvey Lutske, the utility’s chief claims agent. We encourage people to call us and then we send field people out to investigate.”
DWP will either pay claims, deny them or offer partial payment. “We negotiate an agreement,” Lutske said. “There’s a little horse trading on both sides. If you have a 4-year-old TV that was ruined, then we owe you a 4-year-old set, not a new one.”
Residents in apartments should check with their building manager to see if the building’s insurance covers surge damage.
For repeated problems with a utility, UCAN’s Shames advises homeowners to “put on a voltage meter to check it. If they can establish a voltage fluctuation, the utility is responsible for it. If the utility won’t pay, we just send the consumers to small claims court, and they never lose.”
