Phone Surge Problem

[Glennw3]

Every time there is a storm at our shop surges take out the phones to try to stop this I have installed a commercial grade surge protector at main phone entry and a laptop phone surge at each phone. Now when there is a storm it will usually take out all the laptop protectors but not the commercial one. The
laptop protectors are about $10.00 each and we have bought sackfuls of them. All of this started when my parents tore down their old house an rebuilt.The old phone system was a daisy chained 4 wire system now everything is structured wiring cat-5e straight runs. The shop is about 80 feet from the house and the phone is run in pvc between. Also the shop used to be fed from the house and when we tore it down we sub-fed from another shed. Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[petersonra]

IMO the typical surge protectors are of limited or no value. I would try installing a whole house surge protector at the service panel.

I would also check with the electric utility. Despite the claims of the surge supressor manufacturers, most utility power is pretty decent. It could be they have some issues on their side they should clean up.

Maybe rental of some equipment to check the incoming power is in order.

 

[Glennw3]

I have a 400amp Cutler-Hammer CH service and I have installed a CH surge suppressor and each main also I have installed a leviton surge arrestor in the low volt panel box. But when lightning strikes it only damages the phone part of the surge arrestor it does not harm the electrical outlets themselves. The shed I mentioned does not have a surge protector on its main do you think this could affect the phones? The local phone company did not have a clue.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Do you have a grounding electrode system at the "shop building"?
Also, when the phone lines enter the building, there should be some kind of protection at the point of entrance... like the phone bridge at the main house.
Try this and let us know what happens.

 

[Glennw3]

Yes I there is a 8ft. rod installed #4 cu electrode at the shed service and where the phone wire enters the shop it goes in to a surge arrestor first and then to a punch down block. Thats what I don't understand there is surge protection and the phone company entry point and also at the distribution panel and at the shop punch board and when it gets hit 95% of the time it takes them all out and the ones at the phone, fax and computer.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Do it the old fashioned way... tie strings and cans, keep the string tight for better control over the voice quality. :wink:

 

[petersonra]

Do you have a grounding electrode system at the "shop building"?

How would this help with the problem he is experiencing?

 

[hbiss]

Shame on you, look at Article 800. You need to have building entrance protectors (BEP's) on all voice pairs on both ends of that 80 foot run where it enters the buildings. These need to be grounded per code to the respective service entrance grounds.

Don't expect to find BEP's in the supply house, they are a telecom item. They should clamp at around 235 volts and have sneak current protection (fuses). These WILL blow and the protector will need to be replaced. That's it's job and they are not very costly. If it happens too frequently there are protectors with PTC self resetting devices instead of fuses but I believe these to be less reliable.

I think what is happening is your line protection is ineffective either because of grounding or it clamps too high. Your individual protectors probably clamp at a lower voltage and are taking the hit. Do it right and you shouldn't need the individual protectors.



-Hal

 

[Glennw3]

No my shop is fed with 4-wire from another panel so there is no ground rod perhaps I should drop the ground from the 4-wire and install a rod at the shop. The strange thing is we never had this problem until the new house and phone line upgrade. One other thing the incoming phone used to be overhead service and now it is underground do you think I should re-pull in shielded phone wire.

 

[hbiss]

No my shop is fed with 4-wire from another panel so there is no ground rod

If this is a detached building the panel in it should be a sub panel, separate neutrals and grounds and you are supposed to have a ground rod.

Shielded wire will do you no good- your grounding and protectors are screwed up.

-Hal

 

[tom baker]

The #1 thing to look at is that all the sytems must be bonded to the same grounding system. Telco protector bonds to the electrical grounding system. Accpetable locations are listed in ARt 800.