Surge Breakers

[JoeNorm]

What are peoples thoughts on surge breakers installed in the main panel? I only see them on rare occasions. Should these be installed on all new construction?

 

[ptonsparky]

Residential Services will be required to have them in the 2020 code cycle. All the AFCI & GFCI requirements now need protection of those items.

 

[tom baker]

You get what you pay for and more is better, said Mike Holt once. Compare a ckt breaker type to a wired spd specs..

 

[kwired]

What are peoples thoughts on surge breakers installed in the main panel? I only see them on rare occasions. Should these be installed on all new construction?

Good design decision, it doesn't necessarily need to be one that plugs onto bus of the panel either.

As mentioned 2020 NEC is adding requirements - IMO should still be a design decision and not a requirement.

 

[mopowr steve]

Good design decision, it doesn't necessarily need to be one that plugs onto bus of the panel either.

As mentioned 2020 NEC is adding requirements - IMO should still be a design decision and not a requirement.

I agree, I am a bit reserved about this especially considering what MOV’s do when they grenade!

 

[hbiss]

Residential Services will be required to have them in the 2020 code cycle. All the AFCI & GFCI requirements now need protection of those items.

AFCIs & GFCIs should have their own internal protection. This is just another scam to sell products.

If this keeps up, with AFCIs and GFCIs for everything, firefighter discos, surge protection and whatever else manufacturers can convince the NEC we need, the service will become a major part of the cost of new construction.

-Hal

 

[ptonsparky]

AFCIs & GFCIs should have their own internal protection. This is just another scam to sell products.

If this keeps up, with AFCIs and GFCIs for everything, firefighter discos, surge protection and whatever else manufacturers can convince the NEC we need, the service will become a major part of the cost of new construction.

-Hal

Now, control yourself. We all know AFCI protection was only supposed to add like $150 to a new house. Nobody foresaw at the time that they would become so successful in fire prevention that customers would be clamoring for their installation. Besides it was at an IAEI meeting that informed us we needed to add SP for all that stuff.? They wouldn’t steer us wrong.

On the plus side they did suggested the basic model from any reputable mfg. Anything above, is just fluff.

 

[infinity]

Many of these new requirements are entering the design of the system and not the safety of it which isn't the intent of the NEC. :rant:

I also find it funny that the biggest critics of these new expensive items are the guys who should be making MORE money because of it. For example if you look at your markup when you install a $45 breaker instead of a $5 one you just made 9X the markup. Sounds like money for nothing.

 

[hbiss]

I also find it funny that the biggest critics of these new expensive items are the guys who should be making MORE money because of it. For example if you look at your markup when you install a $45 breaker instead of a $5 one you just made 9X the markup. Sounds like money for nothing.

Sure, until you have to make 10 service calls under warranty because they are tripping for no reason and the customer bad mouths you on Yelp. :rant:

-Hal

 

[LarryFine]

We all know AFCI protection was only supposed to add like $150 to a new house.

Riiiiiight, and Obamacare was supposed to save us money and let us keep our present insurance. :roll: