Other Whole Home Surge Protection

[OCD Solutions]

Anyone else have issues with power surges or lightning strikes?

We got hit recently and lost over $2K in electronics at home and over $125k across two different sites during the same storm.

We started investigating methods for added protection at work and I came across many similar options for home use. We already use Sola power isolators, motor/generator packages and Online UPS protection for the more critical components but there are plenty of gaps to fill for individual instrumentation.

There are many options available for home but ultimately I decided on the Siemens FS140 for $209 and was able to mount it directly into my existing breaker panel in under 15 minutes. That’s pretty cheap, whole home protection.
https://www.amazon.com/Siemens-FS14...972354&s=gateway&sprefix=FS140,aps,131&sr=8-2

Here are some links to my research.
https://ipropertymanagement.com/reviews/best-whole-home-surge-protector/

This unit was listed in the above article as the #1 choice but I feel that decision was based on price. Had price not been a factor, I believe the unit I purchased would have come out on top, if for nothing else, the response time and overall level of surge protection.
https://www.amazon.com/CHSPT2ULTRA-Ultimate-Protection-Length-Height/dp/B01AQAKRSS

 

[Mike W]

We are on Florida Power and Light and they do offer surge protection for your home. When we built our house we were way over budget so we never followed through having FPL install it on our house unfortunately. However, people who do have surge protection installed still get surges and loose electronics. Lightning still finds its way into the house (phone lines). Maybe Georgia Power offers it as well?

 

[OCD Solutions]

Well I’m not an Electrical Engineer but my boss is and he bought 3 of them.

All power lines should have surge protection built in as well, just not necessarily as frequent as the grid really requires. This would be additional insurance for sure and essentially a high power version of the same technology found in surge protection power strips.

The bulk of our damage was actually in our camera network so the next step will be to start putting lightning arresters in the Cat5e lines that run out to our cameras.

 

[newbee]

https://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/LSP-HTML/HTML/SurgeProtection~20020723.htm

So I have watched a couple of his videos and they always have had good info on them.

I was always told to put them in the panels then at the piece of equipment also. That way anything that gets by the first one might get picked up by the second or third one.

 

[Zero Client]

I don’t think that’s code installing it inside the panel, and double tapping will get you into insurance hot water if you have an electrical fire with an insurance claim and they find out. Definitely not code.

That said, I have one of these installed correctly on its own set of breakers outside the panel.

They work I guess. Have not fried anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OCD Solutions]

Two wires under one screw is not code but my wife was working from home so I wasn’t able to rearrange my panel at the time.

My panel is full already so I have to rearrange everything to add two tandem 20A breakers in order to free up the 2 spaces needed for the dedicated 30 Amp breaker.

It’s also boxed in so I can’t go above, below or on either side of the panel so it is what it is for the time being.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Interesting...right from the Siemens web page...

So, once I get my breakers sorted, I may not have to relocate the unit after all.?.?.?

 

[mxmark4]

The surge protector doesnt have to be panel specific does it? I have a siemens panel and room to add more breakers and have been contemplating this ever since I added a generator outlet.

 

[OCD Solutions]

The unit itself is universal but you will have to buy a breaker for it and that will have to match your panel.

I was swamped at work today so I never did get a chance to read through the NEC but I did find that the pic I posted above with the unit inside the panel is the Siemens factory installed option. Still not 100% that it gives me the right to install it there myself but it is promising.

I had a lengthy conversation with one of my Electrical contractors today and he felt it would not be an issue. If not, he told me about a flush mount kit available that make side mounting clean and painless.

 

[newbee]

Looked like a good deal on these. Free shipping


https://slickdeals.net/f/13290592-apc-surgearrest-8-outlet-surge-protector-w-2-usb-ports-15-free-s-h

 

[augustaf]

Actually, the first step should be to have a decent grounding system for your incoming panel(S). National Electrical Code requires a certain length grounding rod. However, that does not ground to well in gravelly soil or the sand here in FL. After a lightening strike wiped out some of my lights, I ordered some screw together rods, drove them down 20'
(easy in sand), then drove in another set 8' away and daisy chained them together.