4 Lightning arrestor/capacitor Qs
I was given a new lightning arrestor, a DELTA LA 302. I think i understand what it does, and that i should also install a capacitor for the smaller spikes, but i’m a little foggy on locating it. I went to the DELTA site which features lousy installation drawings. However, i understand normally that the LA wires into a couple breakers in the panel, similar to a 220V circuit….correct so far?
What i don’t understand is where the thing itself sits. The bad drawings show it just sitting loose inside the panel, while the threads and locknut seem to suggest it’s fixed somewhere. Suggestions on placement??
Second question pertains to the fact that my well pump (submersible, if it makes any difference) comes right off a breaker at the power pole outside the house, instead of through the panel indoors. I did this because i read that it was a good safety idea not to lose your water if you need to fight a fire in the event the panel inside the house has its main breakers open. But i’m not clear if the well pump would be protected from a normal lightning strike by the lightning arrestor in the panel, when the main breakers in the panel are closed.
Third question…i found no drawings, even bad ones, of how a capacitor is wired in. Is it also connected to a couple breakers just like the lightning arrestor?
One more question and i’m done…if the house gets hit by a lighting strike, will the breakers on which the LA and CA are attached flip open? Would they need to be reset for the second lighting strike?
Replies
You asked all the correct questions, and already have a good idea what the answers are. Good thing the LA was give to you, as the link prices are high for not providing any engineering data, such as surge lifetime, etc. .
lousy installation drawings
You called that one correctly, those are the worst LA intallation dwgs I've seen. The worst part is the great huge long leads, you want as short of leads as possible (see water well comment later)
while the threads and locknut seem to suggest it's fixed somewhere. Suggestions on placement
this is the same style breaker as the GE LAs of the 1960's/70's, which I installed then. The LA goes outside the box right across from the main input lugs with as short as leads as possible to the main lugs. For larger surges the the LA can protedt for, the leads will fuse open or you can install an inline fuse or separate CB. Dropping it off a line breaker is as you say later a bad idea. Since your water pump is outside the house, see that comment also. Also, the dwg shows the ground lead running all the wa;y over to the ground bus - what you want to do is clean and tin a spot on the box right next to the knockout and bolt the ground lead of the LA to that spot with less than 1/2" of lead length.
if the well pump would be protected from a normal lightning strike by the lightning arrestor in the panel
You are correct again, the LA inside the house will do a poor (if any) job of protecting the well. You want the LA at the first point on your connections downstream of hte meter.
no drawings, even bad ones, of how a capacitor is wired in. Is it also connected to a couple breakers just like the lightning arrestor?
Since the delta caps shown are the same pacakage as the LA, yes. However, they are next to worthless in the package shown, esp at the price seen on the delta site. Better to buy a couple of AC motor run caps from Graybar or Grainger. Would not hurt to install them, same as LA.
need to be reset for the second lighting strike
Yes, which is why the installation drawings are worthless.
PS: For those who have not been given an arrestor, look at http://www.cke.com/pdf/pdf213.pdf or similar for MOV blocks, install with as short of leads as possible on each 120 V line.
Edited 7/8/2006 8:31 am ET by junkhound
"You are correct again, the LA inside the house will do a poor (if any) job of protecting the well. You want the LA at the first point on your connections downstream of hte meter."For just the well pump would you want it as close to the pump as possible?A couple of years ago FHB had an aritcle on protecting well pumps and I think that is where the electrican put the protectors, but I am not sure.SP should check the mag index.
For just the well pump would you want it as close to the pump as possible
That is correct if the lightning strike were between the meter and the pump - but a DIRECT strike would probably take out everything anyway. The vast majority of strikes are at least a few tenths of a mile away on the power company lines, in which case the impedance of the feeder from the arrestor at the meter to the pump provides some additional protection.
In the 1980's, it was seriously being considered to make the power distribution wires at a military installation out of iron vs Cu or Al for the express purpose of a higher resistance to attenuate nuclear lightning.
I haven't subscribed to FHB for a couple years so i checked the index under "pumps", "well", and "lightning", but the only relevant reference seems to be in the "Letters" department...??? I'll check the mag at the library next time i'm in town, but if anyone can reference the article, please chime in.
Well I also tried surge ans submersible. Also tried Cauldwell (who I think wrote it) and Popejoy.But no hits.Maybe CRS.I did find this over at JLC.http://www.jlconline.com/cgi-bin/jlconline.storefront/44b01527000cda8f27177f000001059d/Product/View/9402foolSounds exactly like what I remembered, BUT I DON'T HAVE JLC GOING BACK THAT FAR.So I could not have seen that article.
My JLC only goes back to '96, so i'll download the article. Thanks for finding that for me...it sounds like just what i need.
Here is the article that I was thinking about.It is a freeby. That is why I could not find it.http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/bh0024.asp
That article answered all my questions, as well as some i hadn't asked yet. Can you tell me if the Siemens Circuit Breaker on page 5 will work on non-Siemens panels? I have a GE...Thanks a whole bunch!
It *MIGHT*IIRC both the GE and Siemans universal design. That means the both use the same basic size and configuration. But they are designed to be specifically interchangable. Some breakers work in some other brand panels.And some have been specifically test and UL approved for use in certain other brand panels.SO you can see if the Siemans is aproved for use in the GE panel. Or you might check to see if GE has similar unit. Or CH or Sq D Homeline.Or you can use an external unit like the Primax on the next page.
Thanks, Bill. On my next trip to civilzation i'll be looking for a breaker type of LA, then use the one that i was given inside the well casing instead on in the panel and hopefully protect the pump that way. We've been having a very unusual string of 100-degree-plus days here in MT, which means a humdinger of a lightning storm when she finally blows.
Thank you for your detailed and clear answer. I need to clarify further what you mean by installing it "to...the main lugs". Do i simply slip the leads under the lug bolts, on top of the aluminum wire, or is there a special connector for this sort of thing? I ask also bec the leads on this LA are Cu. I'm concerned about corrosion as well as the method of connection...will a liberal application of Alox take care of any corrosion issue with the two metals? Anyway, i found this gizmo again while i was in clean-up mode and i figure, even if it isn't the best solution, it'll work slightly better installed rather than lying in a cardboard box - and the price can't be beat!
slip the leads under the lug bolts, on top of the aluminum wire
Thats what I did on own house 33 years ago and all is still tight with no corrosion. Am in PNW where there is little lightning, and at inspectin, inspector OK'ed it, but had never seen a LA installed before!
Well, you joggled my memory of the great rapport i had with the state electrical inspector who passed me on this house a few years ago. I'll see when he's in the area next and if he'd be willing to tell me all i could reasonably do to limit my exposure. I've had lightning-caused damage on a house i owned nearby: a fuse saved the well pump, but my fluorescent ballasts in the shoplights all fried. Some recent electrical storms have fully re-engaged my attention!