Surge Protector recommendations - Page 26

Clearly I don't know much. I just want to protect my system. Can you point me in the right direction? I'd really appreciate it - thanks

Install a surge protection device at the service entrance, e.g. Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA.

If you have telephone and cable, buy the 3-pack, CHSPT23PACK.

After that, I suggest a Type 2 point-of-use SPD, e.g. Tripplite Isobar device.



http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-ISOBAR6ULTRA-Isobar-Protector/dp/B0000513US

The electrician can help pick out the service entrance SPD for you, and buy it wholesale, at your local electric supply store.

Eaton has some good info on their website. Click 'Documentation'.

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsServices/Electrical/ProductsandServices/Residential/SurgeProtection/CompleteHome/index.htm
http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsServices/Electrical/ProductsandServices/PowerQualityandMonitoring/SurgeProtectiveDevices/LightCommercial/index.htm#tabs-2

Thanks. I appreciate it..

Guys, it appears my belkin pf31 has taken a dump on me. The switched power is going off numerous times every week. About two weeks ago the entire surge protector was shut down. It wouldn't reset but after unplugging it for awhile it mysteriously powered back up. Since that time the switched power has been tripped off five times...almost everytime I use it. Weirdly the last three days it is working perfectly again.

But I think it may be time for a new protector.

Since we live in an area still being built I would like something with the ability to stabalize voltage.

I normally steer clear of monster products but do have a hookup and can get them basically half off retail.

However I am open to other suggestions and would like to spend $200-$250 less is good as long as it does the job.

^^^

Haven't looked for a while, but I think you're going to be hard pressed to find something (new, anyway) with real voltage regulation for that price range.

You could be right. What would you suggest in that price range then?

I would suggest nothing but an SPD (e.g. Tripplite Isobar) at the equipment, and a whole-house SPD. Your equipment is designed to withstand surges up to ~700V.

The whole-house surge protector uses the house ground, and it is located at the service entrance, where power comes into the house.

I don't know how to accurately measure the effectiveness of the whole-house ground.

I don't know if a ground is required for a series mode SPD, but it is required for MOV-based SPDs. Call SurgeX.

It is a safety and code issue. If there is no ground, you need to install either 2-prong receptacles or GFCI receptacles with the label "no ground present". The ground is intended to provide a low impedance path so that the breaker in the panel will trip on a fault condition. You can hire an electrician to test the grounding electrode resistance with a megger. Electrical code almost everywhere in USA requires max of 25 ohms. Over that and a second electrode is required.

FWIW surges do not magically disappear into ground. You want a low impedance ground to allow surges such as lightning to return by their normal path, which is the ground. Other surges will return via the electrical service. What you see at the receptacle is irrelevant to the function of a whole-house device. The quality of the ground at the service entrance is what is important. Won't affect a single mode surge protective device, either MOV or series mode. With a 3-mode MOV-based device, you will lose 2 of the modes. You will still have L-N protection, which is what the inventor of series mode protection recommends.
Edited by Colm - 3/8/13 at 4:16pm