Presented by Sievert Electrical Contractors
In the Lowcountry, storm preparation usually starts with the familiar things.
Bring in the patio furniture. Charge the phones. Check the flashlights. Fill the gas tank. Make sure there is water in the house.
But there is another part of storm prep that is easy to overlook until the lights flicker or the power goes out.
Your electrical system.
You do not need a hurricane headed directly toward Summerville for electrical preparation to matter. Strong thunderstorms, lightning, falling trees, saturated ground and utility interruptions can all lead to outages, surges or unstable power.
And once the weather turns bad, that is not the time to discover the generator has not been tested since last year, nobody knows which breaker controls the refrigerator, or the backup batteries are all sitting in a drawer at 20 percent.
A little preparation ahead of time can make an outage much easier to manage.
Charge More Than Your Phone
Your phone is probably the first thing you think about charging before severe weather.
That is a good start.
But take a quick look around the house for everything else you may depend on if the power goes out:
- Portable battery banks
- Rechargeable flashlights
- Weather radios
- Tablets and laptops
- Rechargeable fans
- Portable lanterns
- Medical equipment with backup batteries
- Battery-powered security equipment
If you own several portable chargers but have not touched them in months, check them before the weather arrives.
Storm prep is a good time to make sure the things meant to serve as backups are actually ready to do the job.
Protect Electronics From Power Surges
An outage does not always happen cleanly.
During severe weather, the lights may flicker several times. Power may disappear for a few seconds and return. You may experience several interruptions before a longer outage begins.
Sensitive electronics can take a beating during that process.
Computers, televisions, gaming systems, networking equipment and other electronics that are not needed during the storm can be unplugged ahead of time.
This is also a good opportunity to look at the surge protection already in your home.
This one is worth knowing before storm season.
A basic power strip gives you more places to plug things in. That does not necessarily mean it is providing meaningful surge protection.
And protecting one television or computer does not protect the rest of the house.
Modern homes contain sensitive electronics almost everywhere, including inside refrigerators, ovens, HVAC equipment, washing machines and smart-home devices.
A whole-home surge protective device can add protection at the electrical panel, while point-of-use surge protectors can provide another layer for individual electronics.
If you are not sure what kind of protection your house has, that is an easy question to ask during your next electrical inspection.
Get Your Generator Ready
A generator that worked last season is not automatically ready for the next outage.
Before severe weather arrives, check it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Depending on the generator, that may include:
- Starting and exercising the unit
- Checking fuel
- Checking oil
- Inspecting cords and connections
- Testing the battery on a standby unit
- Confirming transfer equipment operates properly
- Making sure someone besides you knows how to use it
And if you have a portable generator, decide where it will run before the storm starts.
Choose a Safe Generator Location
Portable generators should always operate outdoors and well away from the home, with exhaust directed away from doors, windows and other openings.
Do not wait until the house is dark and the rain is coming sideways to figure out where the generator should go.
There is a big difference between safely supplying selected circuits with generator power and improvising a connection after the electricity goes out.
If a generator connects to the home’s electrical system, proper transfer equipment is critical.
It prevents generator power from feeding back into utility lines, which protects both your home’s electrical system and utility workers repairing power nearby.
If your current storm plan involves running several extension cords through a cracked door, it may be worth talking with an electrician about a safer long-term setup.
For a closer look at backup power options, read Before the Lights Go Out: A Lowcountry Homeowner’s Guide to Backup Generators.
Decide What Needs Power First
Even with backup power, you may not be able to run everything in the house at once.
Before an outage, decide what matters most.
For many households, that could include:
Highest priority
- Refrigerator or freezer
- Medical equipment
- Phone charging
- Internet equipment
- Well pump
- Sump pump
Next priority
- Selected lights
- Fans
- Television or weather information
- Small kitchen appliances
Lower priority
- Laundry equipment
- Entertainment systems
- Other nonessential loads
Every household is different.
A family with refrigerated medication may prioritize the refrigerator above almost everything else. A home with a private well has different needs than one connected to municipal water. Someone working from home may consider internet access essential.
The important part is deciding before the power goes out.
Know Your Electrical Panel
This sounds obvious until you ask everyone in the house where the electrical panel is.
At least one other adult in the household should know:
- Where the panel is located
- Which breaker is the main disconnect
- Which breakers control important equipment
- Where generator transfer equipment is located, if applicable
Clear labeling can make a big difference when something goes wrong.
If your panel still has labels such as “old room,” “maybe kitchen,” or “lights?” this might be a good time to clean that up.
Leave Internal Electrical Work to a Professional
Just remember that identifying and labeling breakers is very different from opening or working inside an electrical panel. Internal electrical work should be left to a qualified electrician.
Check Outdoor Equipment and Panel Access
Lowcountry homes often have a surprising amount of electrical equipment outside.
That may include:
- Pool pumps
- Hot tubs
- Landscape lighting
- Outdoor kitchens
- Dock equipment
- Boat lifts
- Irrigation controls
- Detached garages
- Workshops
- Exterior outlets
Before severe weather, take a quick look around.
Loose extension cords should not be left outside. Temporary equipment should be brought in when practical. Outdoor outlet covers should be secure, and damaged equipment should be addressed before it is exposed to heavy rain.
Homes with pools, docks or other electrical systems near water deserve extra attention.
Water and electricity are not a combination to take lightly.
If your panel is in a garage, utility room or storage area, make sure storm supplies do not block access to it.
You do not want to move cases of bottled water, storage totes and patio furniture just to reach the breaker panel during an emergency.
If that area is vulnerable to water intrusion, pay attention to that too.
When Water Reaches Electrical Equipment
And if water ever reaches electrical equipment, do not assume everything is safe simply because the water eventually goes away.
That is where our Lowcountry Ready: After the Storm guide becomes especially important.
Address Electrical Warning Signs
Storm prep is not the time to convince yourself that an electrical problem you have been noticing for months is probably fine.
Pay attention to things like:
- Repeated breaker trips
- Flickering or dimming lights
- Buzzing from the panel
- Warm outlets or breakers
- Burning smells
- Rust or corrosion
- Discolored outlets or switches
- Damaged exterior electrical equipment
- Problems when large appliances start
Those symptoms do not automatically mean you need a new electrical panel.
But repeated or unusual electrical behavior deserves attention.
As we covered in our electrical panel guide, having an empty breaker space also does not automatically mean the electrical system has enough capacity for everything you want to add.
Plan for the Garage, Refrigerator and Freezer
Here is one that is easy to miss.
If your garage door opener loses power, do you know how to open the door manually?
If the vehicle is inside and you need to leave during an extended outage, figuring that out in the dark is not ideal.
Check the instructions for your particular opener and make sure the emergency release is accessible.
If the garage door is unusually heavy or difficult to move manually, that may be something worth addressing before an emergency.
Before expected severe weather, avoid repeatedly opening the refrigerator and freezer.
If the power does go out, keeping the doors closed helps them stay cold longer.
A refrigerator and freezer thermometer can also make it much easier to determine whether food stayed at a safe temperature.
If you have extra room ahead of a storm, freezing containers of water can help add cold mass to the freezer and provide additional water as they thaw.
Do a Five-Minute Outage Walkthrough
You do not need a complicated emergency drill.
Just walk through the house and imagine the electricity disappears right now.
Ask yourself:
- Where are the flashlights?
- Are the battery banks charged?
- Can we open the garage?
- Do we know where the breaker panel is?
- Is the generator ready?
- Where will it operate safely?
- What needs power first?
- Does anyone rely on electrical medical equipment?
- What happens to the well pump?
- What about pets if the air conditioning is out for an extended period?
Five minutes of walking through those questions can reveal gaps you would rather discover now than during an outage.
Preparation Helps Beyond Hurricane Season
One of the ideas behind Lowcountry Ready is that preparation does not mean assuming every storm is going to become a disaster.
Most thunderstorms pass.
Not every tropical system affects Summerville.
Some outages last only a few minutes.
But the steps that help during a major storm also help during the everyday outages caused by fallen trees, vehicle accidents, equipment failures and severe afternoon thunderstorms.
That is why electrical preparation belongs on the storm checklist right alongside bottled water, batteries and flashlights.
When to Schedule an Electrical Evaluation
You do not need to call an electrician every time rain appears in the forecast.
But it may be worth scheduling an evaluation if you are:
- Unsure whether your panel can support generator equipment
- Considering a generator inlet or transfer switch
- Considering a standby generator
- Interested in whole-home surge protection
- Experiencing repeated breaker trips
- Seeing signs of heat, corrosion or damage
- Adding an EV charger, pool or hot tub
- Unsure whether an older electrical system can handle modern demand
Those are easier issues to address before severe weather is approaching and emergency service calls begin piling up.
Featured Local Resource
Sievert Electrical Contractors provides residential and commercial electrical services in the Summerville area. If your home or business may have experienced storm, surge, or water-related electrical damage, a licensed electrician can inspect the affected system and help determine what can safely be restored, repaired, or replaced.
Lowcountry Ready Series
Practical information to help Summerville and Lowcountry residents prepare for severe weather, power outages, flooding, and other emergencies.
