Essential Benefits of Whole-Home Surge Protection During Florida's Hurricane Season

Essential Benefits of Whole-Home Surge Protection During Florida's Hurricane Season

Florida hurricane preparation usually focuses on shutters, generators, roof inspections, water and emergency supplies.

However, homeowners should also consider what storms, lightning, outages and power restoration can do to their electrical equipment.

Power disturbances can damage:

• Air-conditioning systems

• Refrigerators

• Pool pumps

• Well pumps

• Televisions

• Computers

• Smart appliances

• Garage-door openers

• Security systems

• EV charging equipment

  
  

Whole-home surge protection helps defend your electrical system from brief voltage

spikes. Voltage monitoring provides a different type of protection by responding to

sustained overvoltage, undervoltage and rapid power cycling.

For many Southwest Florida homes, the strongest strategy is layered protection rather

than relying on one device.

What Is a Power Surge?

A power surge is a sudden, brief increase in voltage. Surges may be associated with:

• Nearby lightning

• Utility switching

• Power restoration following an outage

• Downed power lines

• Transformers

• Motors and large appliances switching on or off

• HVAC and pool equipment cycling

Surges do not always destroy equipment immediately. Repeated smaller disturbances

may gradually damage sensitive electronic components and shorten equipment life.

What Does FPL Home’s SurgeShield Provide?

FPL Home offers an optional SurgeShield program that installs a surge-protection

device at the electric meter. According to FPL Home, it is intended to help protect

certain home appliances from surges traveling through the electric meter. The program

also includes a limited manufacturer’s warranty subject to its terms and conditions.

FPL clearly states that the program is offered and administered by FPL Home, an

unregulated subsidiary, rather than by the regulated utility itself. Meter-based protection can be a useful first layer, particularly for surges entering through the utility service. However, homeowners should understand that no single surge protector can guarantee protection from every power event or direct lightning strike.

How Is a DITEK DTK-120/240HD Different?

The DITEK DTK-120/240HD is a Type 1 whole-home surge protective device installed

at or near a home’s 120/240-volt electrical panel.

According to DITEK, the DTK-120/240HD provides:

• A 50,000-amp-per-phase surge current rating

• Type 1, UL 1449-listed protection

• A diagnostic LED

• Compact mounting near the panel

• A five-year connected-equipment warranty with stated limitations and requirements

  
  

Close placement to the electrical panel helps keep the connecting conductors short,

which is important to surge-protection performance.

Unlike an optional monthly utility-related program, the DITEK product is purchased and

professionally installed as part of the home’s electrical system. The homeowner owns

the installed device, although it should be inspected periodically and replaced if its

indicator shows it is no longer providing protection.

Is Panel-Mounted Protection Better Than Meter Protection?

The better question is not necessarily which device is “better.” They are installed in

different locations and may provide different layers of protection.

• A layered approach can include:

• A surge protective device at the meter or service entrance

• A properly installed surge protective device at the electrical panel

• Point-of-use protection for sensitive electronics

• Dedicated protection for communication, cable or data lines where appropriate

• Voltage monitoring for HVAC equipment and other sensitive loads

Surges can also originate inside a home when HVAC systems, refrigerators, pumps and other motors switch on and off. DITEK recommends service-entrance protection as a first layer, followed by additional protection at downstream panels or equipment where appropriate. The right configuration depends on the home’s electrical system, equipment and exposure.

Surge Protection Does Not Correct Low or High Voltage

This distinction is extremely important. A surge protector is designed primarily to respond to very brief transient voltage spikes. It is not necessarily designed to disconnect equipment during a sustained brownout, prolonged overvoltage or rapid off-and-on power cycling.

After a hurricane or major storm, power may be restored unevenly. Homeowners may

experience:

• Low voltage

• High voltage

• Repeated interruptions

• Lights dimming or becoming unusually bright

• Power returning and dropping out again

• Rapid cycling of HVAC equipment

  
  

These conditions can be harmful to motors and compressors even when a whole-home surge protector is installed.

What Is the DITEK KoolGuard2?

The DITEK DTK-KG2 KoolGuard2 is a voltage-monitoring device designed to protect

equipment against under-voltage and over-voltage conditions on compatible 120/240-

volt or 120/208-volt circuits.

When the voltage moves outside the acceptable range, the device can interrupt power

to the protected equipment. Once acceptable voltage returns, it uses a short-cycle delay before reconnecting the load.

DITEK’s installation information identifies the short-cycle delay as three minutes

following an under-voltage or over-voltage event.

Why Is the Three-Minute Delay Important?

Air-conditioning compressors should not repeatedly turn off and immediately restart.

Pressure inside the refrigeration system needs time to equalize.

Rapid restarting, sometimes called short cycling, can place additional stress on:

• Compressors

• Motors

• Contactors

• Capacitors

• Electrical components

  
  

The KoolGuard2’s three-minute delay allows time before power is restored to the

protected equipment. This can be especially valuable after a storm when electricity is

flickering or cycling on and off.

Surge Protection and Voltage Monitoring Do Different Jobs

Think of the two devices as providing different forms of protection:

DTK-120/240HD whole-home surge protector: Responds to fast, transient voltage spikes entering or occurring within the electrical system.

DTK-KG2 KoolGuard2 voltage monitor: Responds to sustained overvoltage or undervoltage and delays reconnection following a voltage disturbance.

One does not replace the other. Installing both can provide broader protection for a

home and its expensive electrical and HVAC equipment.

Prepare Before the Next Storm

Surge protection should be installed before a hurricane warning is issued. Once a storm is approaching, electrician schedules fill quickly, permit offices may be limited and product availability can change.

Before hurricane season, homeowners should consider:

• Having the electrical panel inspected

• Verifying proper grounding and bonding

• Adding whole-home surge protection

• Adding HVAC voltage monitoring

• Testing generator and transfer equipment

• Checking outdoor electrical covers

• Identifying the electrical main disconnect

• Photographing important electrical equipment for insurance records

No product can promise complete protection from every lightning strike, storm or utility event. However, professionally installed layered protection can reduce your home’s exposure and may help prevent avoidable equipment damage.

Whole-Home Surge Protection in Southwest Florida

Speedy Electric installs whole-home surge protectors and voltage-monitoring equipment throughout Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Estero, Naples and surrounding communities.

We can inspect your panel and explain whether a DITEK DTK-120/240HD, KoolGuard2

or another protection strategy is appropriate for your home.

Do not wait until a hurricane is already on its way. Contact Speedy Electric to discuss

whole-home surge protection and voltage monitoring for your Southwest Florida home.

Prepare your home with whole-home surge protection and voltage monitoring in Bonita Springs, FL or Fort Meyers, FL, contact us at Speedy Electric!

Published, June 2026, Speedy Electric, Barbara Cusimano