After talking with some electricians, doing some research, and hearing some stories, I’m thinking seriously about installing a lightning arrestor/surge protector at my home’s service entrance (well, actually, I’d have my electrician do it).
Can anyone with experience in these devices recommend some good-quality products and/or manufacturers?
I’ve looked briefly at one made by American Power Conversion (I have some of their computer equipment, seems well-made) and one by Leviton (installed one of their home networking panels, seemed decent).
Thanks.
Replies
we have a squareD installed in the bottom of the panel been installed 6 years here in the "lightning capital of the world " and no losses yet .
Simplest is the sort that installs in your breaker panel like a two-pole breaker. Probably not as effective as the others, but a lot less work.
Or you can check with your electric company -- they may offer a unit that installs behind the meter. Relatively expensive (possibly with a monthly charge), but in theory one of the best ways to do it.
My uncle, who is an electrician, recommends the type that connects across the main lugs in the panel. Apparently these are made from a self-healing material, which, unless it takes a big enough hit to destroy it, will keep functioning even after multiple hits. Cost is about $30-40, which is cheaper than the breaker-type. Lots of the other types can apparently fail after being hit, without giving an indication that they're bad.
He was supposed to bring over a couple to install when we ran the wire to my new garage subpanel, but forgot. I'm not crazy about messing with the hot main lugs myself, so I'll have to bug him to come back sometime.
Don
I"ve used the Intermatic in both my recent homes. They are rated according to industry standards, so the protection should be reliable. Of course without having been hit by any surges I have no experience to add to the lab testing.