What is a power surge?

Power Surge

Power surges  (referred to as transients in industry jargon) are abnormally high voltage spikes on the AC power. There are a number of conditions that affect the quality of the power you receive from the utility, such as sags, swells, brownouts, momentary outages and sustained over voltages.  Power surges are by far the most common of these conditions.  Every piece of electrical equipment in your home is designed to operate at a specified nominal voltage such as 120 Volts AC. Most equipment is designed to handle minor variations in their standard nominal operating voltage; however, even the smallest power surges can be very damaging to nearly all equipment.

To learn more check out these surge protection FAQ's.