What to do if your TV, fridge or appliances keep getting damaged by power

A TV that "got spoiled" after a power surge. A fridge that died young. A microwave or decoder that stopped working after the lights flickered. If your appliances keep getting damaged by power, it isn't bad luck, and there's a clear way to stop it.

Why it keeps happening

Appliances are built to run on a steady 230 V. The Kenyan grid often doesn't deliver that. Around Nairobi the voltage commonly swings between 200 V and 260 V; upcountry it can spike higher or sag toward 170 V. Two things do the damage:

• Spikes and surges, sudden jumps in voltage (often when power is restored after an outage, or when a big load nearby switches off). These can destroy a TV, decoder or fridge board in an instant.
• Sustained high or low voltage, the slower killer. Over-voltage cooks electronics and bulbs; under-voltage makes fridge and AC motors overheat and fail early.

Electronics with sensitive circuit boards, TVs, decoders, computers, fridges with inverter compressors, are the most vulnerable.

What to do the moment you notice power problems

• If the lights flicker, brighten or dim, or you hear appliances clicking, switch off and unplug sensitive electronics until the supply settles, especially during storms or right after an outage.
• Don't rely on switching things off at the socket alone, a surge can still arrive the moment power returns.
• If appliances have failed more than once, treat it as a supply problem and fix it at the source rather than replacing devices again.

The proper fix

• A voltage stabilizer (AVR) is the real solution. It corrects the voltage before it reaches your appliances and holds it steady (a servo unit stays within ±1% of correct), so spikes, sags and swings never reach your equipment. One unit sized to your home or shop protects everything plugged in.
• A surge protector / extension guards against sudden spikes only. It's cheap and worth having, but it does not fix sustained over- or under-voltage, which is why appliances still fail with one alone.

The maths is simple: one ruined fridge, TV or batch of electronics usually costs more than a correctly sized stabilizer, which then keeps protecting everything for years with no running cost.

What to do next

1. List what's been damaged and roughly how much power your home or shop runs.
2. Use our sizing tool for a quick size (kVA) estimate.
3. Or contact us and we'll recommend the right unit for your setup.

Related reading: why do I need a voltage stabilizer? and what to do if your bulbs keep blowing.