Power surges can occur when the flow of electricity is interrupted, then started again. HazTek Safety Professional Gary Greener shared these photos from his terrifying experience with a power surge this past summer. After losing power to his home back in August, Gary explained that there was a power surge when the power came back on. “The surge from the power being re-energized can fry not only your appliances, but your HVAC system as well.” Gary’s lucky that he was near the unit when it caught fire — he smelled the smoke and was able to turn the AC disconnect off to stop the fire. He admits that he could have easily lost his home.

To help prevent damage from a power surge, it’s important to turn equipment off during a power outage. While many of us are familiar with using surge protectors for our expensive electronic equipment, whole house surge protectors and HVAC surge protectors are also available.

Gary has since added a surge protector to his new system, but says that if he had just turned off the AC when the power went out he may not have lost his AC unit. Luckily no one was injured in this incident and Gary didn’t lose his house.

Thank you for sharing this important electrical safety story with us, Gary.