Should I buy Surge Protector for House

[goodoboy]

Hello,

An electrican came out to fix some wiring issue (something simple) at the house and recommended I get a Surge Protection to protect my applancies in the house against storms and lightening, cause it does rain alot in Houston.

Already, all my smoke got fried and cable box during the last storm. And my HD TV was fried as well.

He recommends I hire him to install this http://74.53.140.226/~sycomsur/images/products/Summer Storm Warning.pdf and his company is this http://www.sjdielectric.com/pages/Services.php?pid=2

Will this Surge Protection protect my appliances?

Thanks for the help.

 

[goodoboy]

Hello,

An electrican came out to fix some wiring issue (something simple) at the house and recommended I get a Surge Protection to protect my applancies in the house against storms and lightening, cause it does rain alot in Houston.

Already, all my smoke got fried and cable box during the last storm. And my HD TV was fried as well.

He recommends I hire him to install this http://74.53.140.226/~sycomsur/images/products/Summer Storm Warning.pdf and his company is this http://www.sjdielectric.com/pages/Services.php?pid=2

Will this Surge Protection protect my appliances?

Thanks for the help.

Hello,

Can I just go to home depot to buy surge protector for each of my appliances in the house? Wouldn't this be easier for me?

 

[qcroanoke]

Hello,

An electrican came out to fix some wiring issue (something simple) at the house and recommended I get a Surge Protection to protect my applancies in the house against storms and lightening, cause it does rain alot in Houston.

Already, all my smoke got fried and cable box during the last storm. And my HD TV was fried as well.

He recommends I hire him to install this http://74.53.140.226/~sycomsur/images/products/Summer Storm Warning.pdf and his company is this http://www.sjdielectric.com/pages/Services.php?pid=2

Will this Surge Protection protect my appliances?

Thanks for the help.

I found this cut sheet on it.
It is the replacement for what you show, having been discontinued.
http://www.sourceresearch.com/sycom/sycom-pdf.cfm?pdfpage=syc-120-240-t2.pdf

I don't know enough about surge protection to recommend one over another.
Others can tell you more.

 

[Volta]

I can say that the best protection will come from multiple levels of suppression, whole house to clamp down on the incoming high voltage, and protection at the various points of use will help to minimize damage from the elevated voltage that gets through the previous.

And no system will completely prevent possible damage.

The surge-suppression industry makes it incredibly difficult to compare devices to each other as the terminologies are not used in a standard way.

 

[qcroanoke]

The surge-suppression industry makes it incredibly difficult to compare devices to each other as the terminologies are not used in a standard way.

Try understanding their warranties........

 

[Volta]

Try understanding their warranties........

Oh easy, that particular damage isn't covered :roll:

 

[Daja7]

Hello,

An electrican came out to fix some wiring issue (something simple) at the house and recommended I get a Surge Protection to protect my applancies in the house against storms and lightening, cause it does rain alot in Houston.

Already, all my smoke got fried and cable box during the last storm. And my HD TV was fried as well.

He recommends I hire him to install this http://74.53.140.226/~sycomsur/images/products/Summer Storm Warning.pdf and his company is this http://www.sjdielectric.com/pages/Services.php?pid=2

Will this Surge Protection protect my appliances?

Thanks for the help.

Surge protection is a very good idea. But not all protectors are created equal or even good.
I like the Sycom devices. A two tiered approach is the best, a protector on the panel and point of use devices at the unit being protected, anything electronic. you can put the line protectors on each outside condensing unit as well to protect expensive equipment. The terminology is different as well. the only things that matter are clamping voltage and response time. The Sycoms like many other good units clamp around 380 volts. and have a response time of less than 5 nano seconds. a nano second is one billionth of a second. The term Joules is used but it is a made up term with no industry standard. (useless). We recommend them but provide the customer with all the right info so the make an informed decision. no scare tactics. For the minimal investment it can save thousands of dollars in equipment. Not all insurance policies cover this, you need to check. The install should be less than the deductable on a good policy. We do a lot of lightning strike assesments. however, nothing in the world will protect against a direct hit. These devices will sacrifice on a large surge but protect the equipment. Most good one have a life time replacement warranty. Big box store devices alone will not be proper protection.

 

[goodoboy]

. A two tiered approach is the best, a protector on the panel and point of use devices at the unit being protected, anything electronic. QUOTE]

Two tiered approach meaning, the whole house surge protector and individual surge protector for the equipment I am trying to protect? Is my understanding correct.

I already have a surge protector for all major electronics such as computer, tv, xbox, etc.

Thanks for the help.

 

[junkhound]

Wouldn't this be easier for me?

The easiest, AND THE BEST, would be to go to Mouser or other electronic supply house and buy 100 each ($29 TOTAL) of 20 mm 130V MOVs,
such as MOV-20D181K.

Install one or 2 each from the load side of each breaker to the ground bar, keeping the leads as short as possible. In addition to the green screw tying the grounding bar to the cabinet, install 10 AWG or larger or copper bars as short as possible from each end of the grounding bars to the cabinet. Hopefully you have a concrete encased electrode or really good ground rods to make this the most effective. Make the grounding conductor run as short and straight as possible.
On 240V breakers, also install one or 2 of the MOVs across the breaker, but you need to put the 181K PN in series for this or get extra 270V MOVs.

Of course, if you are not comfortable working inside your breaker panel (e.g 'an electrician came out' vs you are an electrician or engineer) if may end of more in labor costs for the electrician to install many MOVs vs. hooking up 3 wires. Your call.

The big advantage to the multiple 20 mm devices is that the inductance to ground is lowest, in a single bulk device, the leads are the limiting factor for protection. The bulk device in the OP post likely simply has a block of MOVs inside all tied in parallel, and maybe a small inductor.

You can go a step further and add small ferrite toroids on each wire as it leaves the breaker panel also. Too complicated to go into the details of toroid size, etc. here.

 

[petersonra]

The easiest, AND THE BEST, would be to go to Mouser or other electronic supply house and buy 100 each ($29 TOTAL) of 20 mm 130V MOVs,
such as MOV-20D181K.

Install one or 2 each from the load side of each breaker to the ground bar, keeping the leads as short as possible. In addition to the green screw tying the grounding bar to the cabinet, install 10 AWG or larger or copper bars as short as possible from each end of the grounding bars to the cabinet. Hopefully you have a concrete encased electrode or really good ground rods to make this the most effective. Make the grounding conductor run as short and straight as possible.
On 240V breakers, also install one or 2 of the MOVs across the breaker, but you need to put the 181K PN in series for this or get extra 270V MOVs.

Of course, if you are not comfortable working inside your breaker panel (e.g 'an electrician came out' vs you are an electrician or engineer) if may end of more in labor costs for the electrician to install many MOVs vs. hooking up 3 wires. Your call.

The big advantage to the multiple 20 mm devices is that the inductance to ground is lowest, in a single bulk device, the leads are the limiting factor for protection. The bulk device in the OP post likely simply has a block of MOVs inside all tied in parallel, and maybe a small inductor.

You can go a step further and add small ferrite toroids on each wire as it leaves the breaker panel also. Too complicated to go into the details of toroid size, etc. here.

why would the connection to the grounding electrode system make any real difference? the idea is to keep the voltage from line to earth close to nominal. as long as that happens why is the GES even involved?

 

[templdl]

I can say that the best protection will come from multiple levels of suppression, whole house to clamp down on the incoming high voltage, and protection at the various points of use will help to minimize damage from the elevated voltage that gets through the previous.

And no system will completely prevent possible damage.

The surge-suppression industry makes it incredibly difficult to compare devices to each other as the terminologies are not used in a standard way.

This is basically what I have done in my home. I have a very good C-H whole house surge protection at my service entrance panel across from the main which also includes connection for both cable and phone lines. Then I have countless power strips with surge protection for additional protection feeding various electronic devices located through out the home.
The only other device that I can think of is a lightning arrestor but if I needed that I wonder how my whole house surge protection would fair anyway.
Other than purchasing quality devices it is of my opinion that there isn't much more that I can do.
I also realize that anything that I have done is not to protect my electronics with 100% certainty because there is no guarantee of what the dynamics of the surge will be.

 

[hbendillo]

. A two tiered approach is the best, a protector on the panel and point of use devices at the unit being protected, anything electronic. QUOTE]

Two tiered approach meaning, the whole house surge protector and individual surge protector for the equipment I am trying to protect? Is my understanding correct.

I already have a surge protector for all major electronics such as computer, tv, xbox, etc.

Thanks for the help.

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Ohms law]

Just install a lightning protection system.