FYI whole house surge protector

[crab bait]

i just installed one in my house an thought i'd share..<br /><br />i got it at home depot ..it's made by INTERMATIC.. its 40 bucs an is very very easy to install.. <br /><br />it's a one-shot.. if'n it takes a line spike,, it's no good an have to throw away an replace.. <br /><br />but for 40 bucs,, pretty good insurance..

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

I install SqaureD whole home surge protectors for around $400. They will take a lot of abuse and warn of end-of-life so they can be replaced. They protect your phone and cable networks also.

 

[roscoe]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

I thought about installing one, but.....<br />Last year a co-worker's house was hit by a huge spike and the whole house surge protector that was installed in his 2 year old house gave him no protection. Don't know what brand it was, but cost was around $500.<br /><br />He lost everything electronic. <br />3 insanely expensive computers, a server, all the data, printer, fax machine, 2 tv's, x-box, dvd player, microwave, 2 steroes, alarm clocks, along with curcuit boards in his furnace.<br /><br />He had to battle the home warranty co, builder, electrician, and his home owners insurance co to get a settlement. Experts came in to inspect everything. Everything was correctly installed. Finally got his home ins company to pay, kindof, they don't cover data loss.<br /><br />So.... are these things really any good? Will they protect in the event of a really huge surge? How do you know they will work?

 

[rwise]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

A local power co. offers one for it customers that goes in the meter box (about $300 at the time) I was going to get one but then moved and where I am now they don't offer it. there was one displayed that had "eaten" a bolt of lightning. Its a one time shot for large hits. If/when I move back into that area I may try one. But, lightning does what lightning is going to do! If it reaches from sky to ground, (how many volts, amps is that) is that little device going to contain it?

 

[crab bait]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

yeah, it's a leap-o-faith.. but for 40 bucs,, whatdaheck.. it's a rather large apporatise.. an weighty ,too.. about 5 lbs.. an intermatic makes good stuff.. <br /><br />hope i never havta find out..

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

Just got a promo from my elec. utility today for surge protection. I quote "No product on the market will prevent lightning from striking a home, nor will any product protect against lightning damage. however, surge protection can provide protection from lightning-induced surges that enter the home through the electric service, satellite/cable, or telephone lines."

 

[dhammann]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

You are better off if you put the surge protectors as close to the equipment as possible. There are no grantees that these devices will work in every situation. Surge suppressors are just MOVs (metal oxide varistors) that will conduct (short out) at a threshold voltage slightly higher than your line voltage. When this occurs they will self destruct and offer no protection for the next spike. In most cases there will be multiple spikes associated with an outage. The best protection is the use of a UPS but this is the most costly option

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

Just how sensative is it??? It could get costly at $40 a wack.

 

[rwise]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

I would think it would eat small surges on a regular basis, however a large surge ( greater than the capacity of the MOV's etc.) will take them out. But then it just did what you bought it for. What kind of equipment warranty does it give? The UPS I use gives $25,000 equipment replacement, but its just on the newest computer, not the whole house!

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

Whatever it is, take a close look at the fine print. The ones I've seen all say something about the insurance only being vaild if the equipt damaged saw a spike within the design parameters of the suppressor. That only makes sense afterall. So if the supressor sees a spike say over 500 Joules (not much) from a nearby lightning strike, the insurance doesn't apply. So basically the insurance will only kick in if the product was defective.<br /><br />Personally, I have so many electronic devices that include MOVs and 'Surge Protector' powerbars plugged in, there's no way a small surge is going to knock them all out. Is this surge protector a lightning arrestor too?

 

[chuckz]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

These things are surge protectors NOT lightning arrestors. Surge protection works if there is a strike some distance away and energy is carried down the power line. There are international and IEEE standards that describe the event. No surge protector is going to protect you from a direct strike on your house. There are two modes of coupling, radiated and conducted. The conducted stuff comes through the wires, the radiated over the airwaves. With a direct strike, if one doesn't get you, the other will.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

I figured as much - thanks! When I said 'nearby lightning strike' above, I ment one that hit the ground not the wires. That is to say a induced spike not lightning conducted down the wire.<br />Interesting stuff.

 

[crab bait]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

many spikes happen from human error from the power companies... <br /><br />that's more why's i bought it.. happens quite-a-bit..

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: FYI whole house surge protector

Aha, I see your point.