Central Florida's storm season stresses home electrical systems from two directions at once: surges on the way in, and outages on the way out. Homes that ride out the season without damage almost always did their preparation in the calm months.
This is the pre-season checklist we recommend to Polk County homeowners — roughly in order of value per dollar.
What storm prep actually covers
Surge defense: storm-season grid events — nearby strikes, switching transients, transformer faults — send spikes through your service. A panel-mounted surge protective device clamps the big hits; point-of-use protectors trim the rest. In America's most lightning-active region, this is the single highest-value line item on the list.
Outage readiness: know your main breaker, keep flashlights staged, and decide your backup-power tier (standby, portable + transfer switch, or none) before the first named storm. If you have a generator, verify it actually runs in May — exercising logs, fuel, battery.
Physical inspection: exterior fixtures, GFCI coverage on outdoor circuits, tree limbs near the service drop, and the condition of your weatherhead and meter can. Water intrusion into service equipment is the slow-motion storm damage nobody sees until the corrosion is severe.
Your pre-season checklist (run it every May)
- 01 Test every GFCI in the house — 30 seconds per device; replace any that won't trip.
- 02 Look up at your service drop and weatherhead: limbs within reach of the line need the utility's attention now, not in August.
- 03 Verify surge protection: panel SPD indicator healthy, quality strips on electronics; if you have no panel SPD, this is the year.
- 04 If you own a generator: run it under load, check fuel and battery, and confirm the transfer switch works. If you don't: decide your tier while installers have availability.
- 05 Photograph your panel and major appliances — five minutes now makes any insurance conversation later dramatically easier.
- 06 Save a licensed electrician's number in your phone before you need it at 11 PM in a storm.
The failures we see every season
- Generators that won't start in September because nobody ran them since last September.
- Backfed portables — plugged into dryer outlets — endangering line crews working to restore the neighborhood.
- Post-outage surge damage: the restoration spike, not the outage, kills appliance boards; unprotected homes take the hit twice.
- Flooded exterior outlets and corroded boxes that trip GFCIs all season because water found a path in June.
- Waiting until a storm is named to book electrical work — availability evaporates fleet-wide in those weeks.
Why trust this guidance?
- Top Flight Electric has run Polk County storm seasons since 2017 — surge installs, generator hookups, and post-storm troubleshooting are our busiest seasonal work.
- Reviewed under Florida electrical-contractor license EC13005699; phones are answered 24/7, including during weather.
- The free home safety inspection covers most of this checklist in one visit, with a plain-English report and flat-rate quotes on anything found.
What should you do next?
Run the checklist this month. Anything you can't verify yourself — panel condition, SPD health, generator readiness — bundle into one inspection visit before the season starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I turn off my main breaker during a hurricane? +
If flooding threatens or you evacuate, shutting the main off protects the home from short circuits and restoration surges. If you're sheltering in place with no flood risk, leaving power on is normal — but know where the main is and keep the path to it clear.
What should I unplug before a storm? +
Sensitive electronics that aren't on quality surge protection: TVs, computers, game consoles. If you have a panel SPD plus point-of-use protection, unplugging becomes optional insurance rather than necessity.
My power is back but half the house is dead — what happened? +
You may have lost one leg of your 240-volt service — a utility-side fault that presents as 'half the house works.' Report it to the utility, and if they clear their side, the meter-to-panel connection needs a licensed electrician promptly.