bud-- writes:

blueman wrote:
"Mark" writes:

A whole house protector wouldn't have protected your invisible fence,
for basically the reason the fence people told you - it was fried from
the near-direct lightening hit. I think it would have protected the
Cable TV and other electronic equipment, assuming the surge was coming
via the electric wiring and not a similar issue to the fence - down
the cable line. I don't think the whole house protectors care whether
the surge is coming in via the wire from the meter, or a wire from so
circuit such as an outside pole light, or in your case the one the
fence was connected to. The exception might be things on the same
circuit with the fence since they would be 'up stream' from the panel
where the protection would be.

As for the cost, you are probably best getting a couple estimates -
just be sure they are apples-to-apples comparisons. Equipment does
very and so will the cost.

Whole house protection could be a sales plus if you sell the house,
but for $400 you can buy a lot of plug-strip type protectors for your
electronic equipment, which you can take with you if you move. They
also make small single outlet models that are used for things like
microwave ovens, stove, and other places where you may not need or
want a regular plug-strip.



I agree that a whole house surge suppressor is the best solution
though as you pointed out, it would not protect against transients
entering via the invisble fence.

However, couldn't the OP either buy (or if not available jury rig) a
separate surge suppressor going across the wires to the invisible
fence. Basically, you need a couple of MOVS across the two wires to
the fence and to a good ground. That should surve to stop inbound
transients along the dog wiring.

Where do you get a "good ground"? A surge is relatively high frequency
so wire inductance is a major factor. A branch circuit ground wire is
not a "good ground" unless it is very short to the service panel. The
branch circuit ground wire also introduces the surge into the house
wiring downstream from the service entrance of power and phone and
cable, where you can place suppressors. If you add a ground rod for a
"good ground", the potential at the rod can be far different from the
house earthing electrodes (just like the invisible fence was at a far
different potential than the house earthing system).

Best protection would be if the invisible fence unit was adjacent to
the power service with a short ground wire to the power ground bus or
house earthing electrode system. If you added a MOV from the fence
wire to the earthing system you might shunt out the signal from the
capacitance of the MOV (or maybe it would work). Hams have lightning
arrestors for antenna wires entering a building - should work and not
kill the signal. But they wouldn't necessarily protect the fence
unit. You would have to ask the manufacturer how to protect the
invisible fence unit.

I was hoping/assuming that you could arrange to have the invisible
fence wire enter the house near the service entrance (and hence near
the ground rods). I know in my house, I like to have all the utility
entrances grouped in one place anyway to minimize the clutter
everywhere else.

Then you would have a proper service ground.