Iowa Storm Season: Surge Protection and Backup Power

August 12, 2026

Iowa weather is hard on electrical systems. A single storm can bring a lightning-induced surge, a voltage sag as the grid switches, and an outage that lasts long enough to matter — sometimes all in one evening.

There are two separate problems there, and they have two separate solutions.

Problem 1: surges damage what is plugged in

A surge protector power strip protects the things plugged into that strip. It does nothing for the equipment that is hardwired or on its own circuit — and that list has grown:

  • Furnace and A/C control boards
  • Range, dishwasher, washer and dryer electronics
  • Garage door openers
  • LED fixtures and dimmers
  • Well pumps and sump pumps

A whole-home surge protective device mounts at the panel and clamps the spikes before they reach any of it. It is a modest device that installs in under an hour, and it is close to free to add while a panel is already open for other work.

Worth knowing: most damaging transients are not lightning. They are generated inside your own house every time a large motor or compressor cycles. Whole-home protection handles both.

Problem 2: outages take out the circuits that matter

In February an outage is a heating problem. In July it is a sump pump problem. Backup power comes in two forms:

Portable generator with a transfer switch. The lower-cost option. A manual transfer switch and an exterior inlet let you power selected circuits — furnace, fridge, sump, a few outlets — safely from a portable unit. You start it yourself and refuel it.

Standby generator. Permanently installed, fueled by natural gas or propane, starts itself within seconds of an outage through an automatic transfer switch, and runs whether or not you are home.

The part that is not optional

Never backfeed a generator through a dryer outlet or any other receptacle. It energizes your service conductors backwards, which can kill a lineworker restoring power and can destroy the generator when utility power returns. A transfer switch exists specifically to make that impossible. It is not an upsell — it is the whole point.

Want to be ready before the next round of storms? Request an estimate or call (515) 423-8612.