Surge protectors are crucial for protecting electronic devices, but improper use can lead to significant dangers, including electrical fires. Essential safety tips include purchasing UL or ETL-certified surge protectors, avoiding daisy chaining, conducting regular inspections for signs of wear, and ensuring proper grounding. Overloading surge protectors can cause electrical failures and fires, so it’s important to prioritize safety when using these devices.

1. Surge Protector Safety Tips
by Blake Wiltshire | Mar 25, 2019 | Residential Services, Residential Electrical | 0 Comments
Surge protectors are essential electrical safety features in just about every home. Living in a world
powered by electronics, most households have at least one surge protector for their computers,
entertainment centers, mobile devices or kitchen appliances.
While surge protectors can supercharge productivity, they can also cause devastating damage if used
improperly.
Surge Protector Safety: Important Things
to Know
According to Electrical Safety Foundation International, “Home electrical fires account for an estimated
51,000 fires each year, nearly 500 deaths, more than 1,400 injuries and $1.3 billion in property damage.”
Of those 51,000 fires, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that electrical
receptacles are involved in 5,300 fires every year, causing 40 deaths and more than 100 consumer
injuries.”
To make sure your surge protectors are keeping your devices safe, without potentially causing devastating
damage to your home, we’ve compiled a list of essential safety tips.
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2. Only Purchase UL or ETL-Certified Surge
Protectors
The Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and Intertek ETL certifications help you ensure you’re buying a surge
protector that’s been tested and inspected by professional safety organizations. These certifications
demonstrate that the surge protector meets electrical safety standards in the U.S. You can identify UL and
ETL-certified surge protectors by looking for the logo on the device, checking the owner’s manual or
inspecting the device’s packaging. Not only should you see the logo, but you should be able to identify the
code for the lab the product was tested in.
Surge Protectors Are Not a Substitute for
Additional Wiring
Have you been using a surge protector because there aren’t enough outlets in the room? If so, you may be
setting yourself up for an expensive disaster.
A surge protector’s job is to protect the devices plugged into it from an electrical surge, not necessarily
give you 10 extra outlets to plug devices into. When you overload a surge protector, you can trip the circuit
breaker or blow a fuse. Repeatedly overloading your surge protector can cause greater, more expensive
damage to your home’s electrical system or even spark a fire.
To take it a step further, never plug one surge protector into another. This is known as daisy chaining or
piggy backing. Interpower quotes a U.S. government white paper on daisy chaining stating, “Most power
strips or surge protectors are approved for providing power to a maximum of four or six individual items.
When multiple power strips are interconnected, the one directly connected to the building wall outlet is
often supplying power to far more outlets than the approved number. This electrical current overload can
result in a fire or can cause a circuit breaker to trip, de-energizing computers and other equipment
throughout the area that are connected to a surge protector.”
It’s also important to note, never use a 2-to-3-prong adapter to plug in a surge protector. To operate safely,
surge protectors must be grounded properly.
Give Your Surge Protector a Check Up
When is the last time you inspected your surge protectors? It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and
forget about the surge protector that’s been hiding behind your entertainment center since you bought
your television years ago. It’s important to check the surge protector for signs of wear, including worn
outlets, frayed wires, chewed wires, or loose wire insulation. You should also hold the surge protector to
see if it feels hot. An overheating surge protector is a surefire warning that it’s either overloaded or worn
out.
When conducting your inspection, make sure your surge protectors have room to breathe. Blankets, rugs
and pillows prevent surge protectors from expelling heat generated by electrical energy. In case of an
electrical malfunction, you want to keep flammable materials as far from surge protectors as possible.
Concerned About Your Home’s Electrical
Health?
Contact the experts at Althoff Industries. Our knowledgeable technicians can help you tackle any electrical
issue, including safety checks, circuit breaker inspections, electrical panel upgrades, wiring upgrades,

3. whole home surge protectors and more. Give us a call today at (815) 455-7000.
This information is provided as a general guideline. Althoff Industries does not assume any liability resulting from
the provided information.
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