whole house surge protector.

[yeldogt]

Is there such a thing as a good one?

The electrical started on my project yesterday and it was mentioned ...

Frankly, I had not thought about it. The last panels I did just have those double breaker Square D numbers in them. Don't think they do very much.

Anytime I have had an issue with things blowing out they have been said to come trough the ground .. IE lightning. Not through wires

 

[SethB]

I put one on my panel when I built my house, it's been lit up green ever since. Not sure if it's done anything, no way to tell except that no electronics have ever been fried in 15 years. Not sure if it's coincidence or due to the surge protector.

It's a pretty inexpensive add in the total scope of work on that I would definitely do.

 

[sberry]

My neighbors got hit. Good for them the adjuster knows even less than they do. It took out the well. The power to the well was the only working ground in the whole p[lace, rods rotted off at the service and it hit an ungrounded circuit in a tin shack they had bootlegged to, traveled thru the circuit in the place, thru the main and downhole.
extra equipment wouldnt have helped.
First thing is good stakes in a good location or uffer. Even better would have been the steel well casing had it been wired to it and may have been prevented with a rod at the outbuilding. Was all a bunch of junk anyway.

 

[vavet]

When the electrician was there to wire my new construction garage about 3 years ago, I asked him to also install a whole house surge protector in the house panel.
Up until then, it seemed we discovered something not working shortly after we lost utility power (which averaged about once a month). I remember the baby monitor and a wireless printer getting zapped. There are probably other things, but those jump out at me. I decided it was worth it to get a whole house protector before it took out something really expensive like the control boards for the washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc. I don't recall the cost because it was rolled in with the garage electrical.

I can get details as far as brand later. I can only tell you that we haven't had any more fried devices since we had the surge protector installed.

 

[mike93lx]

I put one on my panel when I built my house, it's been lit up green ever since. Not sure if it's done anything, no way to tell except that no electronics have ever been fried in 15 years. Not sure if it's coincidence or due to the surge protector.

It's a pretty inexpensive add in the total scope of work on that I would definitely do.

Same here.

I bought mine at HD, was well reviewed at the time. Can't remember cost, but i think it was under $200 plus a Basic two-pole breaker

 

[dcg9381]

I don't have a good/bad opinion either.
I can tell you that a nearby lightening strike lit up my CAT5 cables (induction) and fried a few things - so an AC surge protector would not have helped there.

 

[TuxThePenguin]

I don't have a good/bad opinion either.
I can tell you that a nearby lightening strike lit up my CAT5 cables (induction) and fried a few things - so an AC surge protector would not have helped there.

You can get surge protection with ethernet (some are 100Mbps only; some are gigabit; not sure about 2.5/5/10Gbps ethernet).

Try to run fiberoptic outside when you can. Ethernet isn't a really good solution for outdoor stuff. Fiber is often very barely more expensive than ethernet. Switches with SFP slots are cheap (especially used). Some SFP/SFP+ NICs are cheap if you were to want to direct wire any machines to fiber. The actual SFP modules tend to be cheap too. The cable is barely more expensive than CAT-5e/6, though the tools to self-terminate cost more, so the main downside is that most people are pulling the entire connector which is similar in size to a couple of RJ-45s side-by-side.

Switch > SFP module <---> fiber cable <---> SFP module < Switch

 

[dcg9381]

I get it. The CAT5 that lit up was inside the house, strike was across the street. Cable itself was fine, but many of the RJ-45 jacks were burnt where they had wires plugged in.. Blew up the gate controls (DC)...

 

[cybrdyke]

Intermatic has real surge protection devices and lightning arrestors. Here's a catalog and some general information about surges. https://www.intermatic.com/-/media/inriver/11835-72032.ashx/Surge%20Family%20Brochure
Good luck,
CD

 

[TuxThePenguin]

The CAT5 that lit up was inside the house, strike was across the street.

Oh damn that's crazy

 

[rcktpwrd]

we have a whole house surge protector rented from the power company, it is between the meter and the meter box. it's about 6 bucks a month, don't recall if they provide any coverage incase things do get zapped...

my understanding of a whole house surge protector is that it should dampen large spikes or surges but may not fully protect everything. you still need or should use point of use surge protection on things like computers, refrigerators, tv's and other electronic equipment.

 

[csp]

It's my understanding that these are one use and if they do take a zap, they have to be replaced. Sacrificial lamb, if you will.

That's how it was explained to me when I was researching them and installed one in 2007.

 

[mrVanagon]

I have a 2-pole breaker in my panel (for the dryer)that is supposed to be a surge protector for that circuit. It's also supposed to provide surge protection for all circuits on the panel. I bought it at Lowe's a few years ago. Panel is an Eaton/Cutler-Hammer BR model.

 

[bimmer1980]

I work with equipment that is installed out doors and has exposure to lightning....

This is the item that we use.

Advanced Protection GA120V2P120CF

It has LED lights that show if a phase has taken a hit. If the light is out, then the suppressor needs to be replaced.

APTSurge.com

They are based in Florida--lightening capital......

 

[rshadd]

I had my service panel update last year and the electrician installed an Eaton whole house surge protector (CHSPT2ULTRA) at the breaker panel. It was about $90.

 

[larry4406]

I had my service panel update last year and the electrician installed an Eaton whole house surge protector (CHSPT2ULTRA) at the breaker panel. It was about $90.

This is the one I am planning on installing.

I found this article to be informative. Granted it is 4 years old now.
https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/10/whats-the-best-whole-house-surge-protection/

 

[jbwilkins]

It's my understanding that these are one use and if they do take a zap, they have to be replaced. Sacrificial lamb, if you will.

That's how it was explained to me when I was researching them and installed one in 2007.

They aren't truely 'single-use', they have a rating (E.G. 50,000 Amp/phase maximum), it gets 'used' as small surges come through or all at once with a large surge. Eventually, they provide no protection, so you should check their status regularly.

Most manufacturers provide a warranty for $XXk, but they are typically time limited to 5 years or so.