Whole house surge protection
partyof7
11 years ago
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library_girl
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Whole house surge protection?
Comments (24)I was in the same boat, but have learned enough to ask the right questions now. I do think you should talk to both the Leviton dealer and the electrician and compare notes. I plan on asking the electrician what brand and model of whole protector he uses and then checking that out. As long as it is rated to 40 to 50,000 amps and 700 to 900 joules - that probably will be good enough as a first line of defense. I have also decided that the Leviton in wall outlets are going to provide a good secondary line of defense for most (but not all) of my expensive appliances and are a very good value. I can add a second level of surge protection to my $5000 refrig for 50 dollars - that's a no brainer. So my recommendation for the second level of defense is either use power strips (which work OK under desks for computer equipment) or the in-wall outlets for things like TV's, washing machines, etc. These in-wall outlets are good for 15amp and 20amp devices - but not higher. There are a few remaining pieces to the puzzel that I am still researching, and when I find out information I will post it here. I still have a number of devices where I want secondary surge protection but the in-wall outlets or power strips won't work. My well pump, septic pump, bubble tub and dish washer fall under the 15 amp class BUT they are directly wired so there is no outlet plug. An obvious great solution here would be to have a circuit breaker that was also a surge protector - then I could simply use those breakers to protect the entire circuit that these devices are on and be done. I need 15A, 20A, and 30A breakers that are also surge protection devices - I have not found such a product yet. I also wonder if I need a special device for pump motors which by design create a small surge when they start up. I also have large current drawing devices that do have a wall plug like my 30 amp 240 Volt electric dryer that plugs into the wall, but I need a 30 amp plug in surge protector - and leviton doesn't appear to make one of those. I did find a 30 amp plug in surge protector made for RV Campers but it is for 120 volts only. In the end, I may just start out with the whole house devices for the primary protection at the main electrical panels and then use the leviton outlets where I can, and hope for the best on the other devices. I will then add surge protectors to the other things as new products become available - since this appears to be a growing problem. If you find out anything in your research - please post it. Thanks...See MoreDelta Lightening Arrestors-Will these work?
Comments (2)"Maximum number of surges Unlimited" It is a larger MOV device, but claiming unlimited surges is BS. Every time an MOV device breaks over there is no current limit and they are damaged. You can try to oversize teh device to allow for very high power levels, but Mother Nature is a real b***h and can deliver enough current to make the #12 wires feeding the device disappear in a big flash (with accompanying liquid and vaporized metal). I have used 1000+ MCM down wires on lightning systems and had them be vaporized....See Moreelectrical protection for HVAC equipment
Comments (4)Re: ionized I would have thought that it’s clear from my response that this protection is desirable. The Schneider Square D ‘SurgerBreaker Plus’ unit provides superior performance and protection to the ‘Compressor Defender’. After carefully reading the ANSI/AHRI Standard 110-2012 and the Compressor Defender literature it’s not at all clear that the Compressor Defender does anything meaningful regarding brownouts other than inform of an occurrence. The ANSI/AHRI Standard 110-2012 referenced in the Compressor Defender product literature prescribes minimum and maximum voltage rating for each voltage rating ‘class’, such as, Nominal System Voltage 120v, Service Voltage 110v, Maximum Utilization and Service Voltage 127v, Minimum Utilization Voltage 104v. It is up to the HVAC equipment manufacturers to ensure that their motors and controls will function through these parameters. No $80 device will keep a compressor humming below the Minimum Utilization Voltage of 208v. It might be able to take an A/C or HP unit off line after 50ms of below 208vac with fast acting active circuitry but this is not confirmed in the Compressor Defender specs, in fact it seems rather intentionally vague. You are unlikely to ever have too much protection but based on the size, cost, specs and lack of detail regarding the Compressor Defender, I have serious doubts as to its worth. It’s not worthless or useless; I would choose a better device such as the Schneider Square D ‘SurgeBreaker Plus’. As a general note, when compliance to a specific standard is mentioned regarding any product, all the original source material for that standard must be read to fully understand what it’s really all about. I also prefer complete schematic diagrams and full specs! Down into the weeds… IMPO SR...See MoreNeed help determining what type of UPS and whole house surge protector
Comments (16)A UPS is not a surge protector. UPS manufacturers quietly recommend no motorized appliances or protector strips on its output. Reason is made obvious by an output from a typical UPS. For example my 120 volt sine wave UPS outputs 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts. From high school math, we know that is a sum of pure sine waves. Perfectly ideal power for electronics. And problematic for motorized appliances (and protectors). They did not lie. They simply played fast and loose with most consumers who do not always demand spec numbers. A 'so called' pure sine wave may only be one IF spec numbers do not say 'how pure'. Also read its specs for surge protection. Destructive surges can be hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules does a UPS absorb? Typically hundreds. That near zero protection is sufficient to hype it as 100% protection to naive consumers. A UPS battery typically lasts about three years. These things are made as cheap as possible. UPS is only a temporary and not a recommended solution. Better is something that will delay power restoration. Unfortunately that power delay switch does not have a UL listing (some other electrical items also do not). Be careful with their wording. They say it complies with UL requirements. They do not say it was tested to confirm it complies with UL requirements; to have passed testing in a UL approved lab. Number of cubic feet means nothing. That switch must provide sufficient current to meet the current (or power) requirements listed on a label on that refrigerator or in it User Manual specifications. Any answer that does not include a number should be considered bogus; probably a lie....See Moreskyedog
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