Whole-House Surge Protection in Triangle, VA

Why do surges matter for Triangle homes?

Electrical distribution lines run throughout Triangle, per the county's Triangle Small Area Plan. When a pole is hit or a line falls, the power drops and then comes back, and that return is when a spike can reach your home. On April 27, 2015, more than 1,900 Dominion customers in the Graham Park area lost power after a vehicle accident, and crews replaced two downed poles at Olde Port Lane and Graham Park Road, per Potomac Local.

The county's power outage page gives the same advice we do. Turn off or unplug sensitive electronics and the appliances you were using when the power goes out. Keep them off until the power is stable. The page also suggests surge protectors.

A plug-in strip protects one outlet. A whole-house device at the panel takes the first hit for every circuit, including ones you cannot unplug, like the furnace board, a sump pump, the garage door opener and a heat pump. About 30% of Triangle homes heat with electricity, per the Census ACS, so the heating system itself is often on the line.

Does a surge protector need a permit in Triangle?

We do not know for sure, and we will not guess. Prince William County issues electrical permits in Triangle, but none of its pages name surge devices. The state code's permit rules do not list them as exempt either. Under the state code, new equipment needs a permit unless the building official treats it as minor work.

So before the job, call the county Building Development Division at 703-792-6930. If a permit is needed, it is filed in the county ePortal and inspected like other electrical work.

Generators, outages and who to call

If Triangle loses power for long, some owners think about a generator. The county says a standby generator needs an electrical permit, and one fed by natural gas or propane also needs a separate gas permit, per its generator handout. The county outage page also warns never to plug a portable generator into the house wiring.

When the whole street is dark, report it to Dominion at 1-866-366-4357 or on the Dominion outage center. When only your house has trouble after the power returns, or lights stay dim, that points inside the house. Call us for electrical troubleshooting.