2020 surge protector requirement

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BackCountry

BackCountry

Electrician
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Licensed Electrician and General Contractor
One of our AHJ’s just started enforcing surge protectors in replacement main service panels. Not much lighting in California where I’m at, so new territory.

I’ve already discovered that no one stocks them, they’re hard to find, and that they won’t give us a final anymore unless we have them in.

Since we don’t have meter mains with a panel in the basement like much of America, our panels are mostly all flush mount in stucco or siding, so the only option is a breaker style SPD. I love it when they want something that no one can get.

Kind of like installing heat detectors for ESS in a garage, where the listing says that heat detectors should not go in unconditioned spaces.
 
What brand is the issue and then there's also the kind that use a short section of conduit that will work with a stucco install for semi flush. Bend a couple of sets in 1/2 inch rigid and you're good to go.
 
BackCountry said:
One of our AHJ’s just started enforcing surge protectors in replacement main service panels. Not much lighting in California where I’m at, so new territory.

I’ve already discovered that no one stocks them, they’re hard to find, and that they won’t give us a final anymore unless we have them in.

Since we don’t have meter mains with a panel in the basement like much of America, our panels are mostly all flush mount in stucco or siding, so the only option is a breaker style SPD. I love it when they want something that no one can get.

Kind of like installing heat detectors for ESS in a garage, where the listing says that heat detectors should not go in unconditioned spaces.
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Not much lighting?

If you meant lightning - surge protectors are for more than lightning. In fact they are somewhat useless in direct or near direct hits, you will probably have damages with or without them. They do take the hits from POCO switching and other transients that occur in normal operation.
 
Square D Homeline has a SPD that plugs into the top 2 breaker positions in the main panel.
 
letgomywago said:
What brand is the issue and then there's also the kind that use a short section of conduit that will work with a stucco install for semi flush. Bend a couple of sets in 1/2 inch rigid and you're good to go.
Click to expand...
How do you plan to get a bent rigid 90 into a flush panel with out significant stucco damage?

You can use a short 90 that is similar to a plumbing 90 with a relatively small hole if there is an available KO in the bottom.
 
curt swartz said:
How do you plan to get a bent rigid 90 into a flush panel with out significant stucco damage?

You can use a short 90 that is similar to a plumbing 90 with a relatively small hole if there is an available KO in the bottom.
Click to expand...
You cut a slit the diameter of the conduit and caulk it with color matching caulk. It's not perfect but is an option if plug on surge protectors are unavailable.
 
letgomywago said:
You cut a slit the diameter of the conduit and caulk it with color matching caulk. It's not perfect but is an option if plug on surge protectors are unavailable.
Click to expand...

We could do that — it’s just not optimal.

The plug on style are not readily available. I was able to find a pigtail SQD unit on Amazon, our local CED dealer wasn’t able to order one, they show back ordered in their system for all models. I did notice that the Siemens version has a breaker built in so you at least don’t lose a breaker slot.

The KO style would work fine I’m sure for the rest of America that has load centers in the basement that are surface mount, here in California almost all residential services are flush mount, which means a replacement involves cutting the stucco or siding back to get the mail flange exposed with sufficient clearance to release any NM clamps.
 
kwired said:
Not much lighting?

If you meant lightning - surge protectors are for more than lightning. In fact they are somewhat useless in direct or near direct hits, you will probably have damages with or without them. They do take the hits from POCO switching and other transients that occur in normal operation.
Click to expand...

I did mean lightning — auto correct typo.

It’s new territory for me, this is the first time I’ve ever seen one or installed one, they’re not common here. Not saying it’s a bad thing — I just don’t have any experience with one. I have seen a few sites damaged from a primary line that struck a neutral conductor on an overhead service wire, not sure if a SPD would help in that example.
 
BackCountry said:
We could do that — it’s just not optimal.

The plug on style are not readily available. I was able to find a pigtail SQD unit on Amazon, our local CED dealer wasn’t able to order one, they show back ordered in their system for all models. I did notice that the Siemens version has a breaker built in so you at least don’t lose a breaker slot.

The KO style would work fine I’m sure for the rest of America that has load centers in the basement that are surface mount, here in California almost all residential services are flush mount, which means a replacement involves cutting the stucco or siding back to get the mail flange exposed with sufficient clearance to release any NM clamps.
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If the pigtail version for SQD is available, get it. Why would it matter if the panel is plug-on neutral or not? Just land the white wire and be done. That's what I had to do on my own house, since the plug-on versions have been back-ordered since forever.


SceneryDriver
 
BackCountry said:
I did mean lightning — auto correct typo.

It’s new territory for me, this is the first time I’ve ever seen one or installed one, they’re not common here. Not saying it’s a bad thing — I just don’t have any experience with one. I have seen a few sites damaged from a primary line that struck a neutral conductor on an overhead service wire, not sure if a SPD would help in that example.
Click to expand...
Likely depends on how fast primary overcurrent protection opens. Longer time it is closed the more energy passes through and we are talking about just a few milliseconds being critical here at that kind of voltage.
 
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