On Sun, 30 Jan 2011 11:07:53 -0600, bud--
wrote:

mm wrote:
Is it possible to repair a whole house surge suppressor?

At 100 to 200 dollars, I don't want to keep buying new ones.

It is an engineered device with internal protection matched to the MOVs.
I would never repair one.



I was going to install a whole house surge suppressor. When one of
them does its function, I think the MOV burns out, or some part does.

Surge hits to a MOV deteriorate it. With high ratings a suppressor will
last a very long time. The worst case surge on a service power line to
your house that has any reasonable chance of occurring is 10,000A.
Suppressors with much higher ratings are readily available.

For a house, the IEEE recommends ratings of 20,000 to 70,000A _per
wire_. For high lightning areas the recommendation is 40,000 to 120,000A
_per wire_.


I haven't seen anything on the web about replacement modules for even
those units that might have them.

Will I be able to find, buy, and solder in replacement MOVs after the
first one burns out? (the green led goes out and the red led goes on)


I can't find any info about plug-in replacement parts, so if I can
repair any unit myself, I won't have to shop so thoroughly.

Make sure your fire insurance covers the suppressor you engineered.



Items for sale, if interested:
I can install it myself. I'm considering, in ascending price order:
http://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-IG1...sbs_00_01_t_lh

This has minimal information and no ratings. Didn't look at the two below.

Yes, the Amazon ads seem to have less info than one would want on
something like this.

There are specs somewhere, adn I'll find them and compare with what
you've said.

I've been here 28 years and once I found smoke coming out of the
burglar alarm keypad/controller unit (yes, both) by the front door,
which might have been caused by lightning, although I didn't remember
any. Still the amount of vulerable equipment keeps growning and
growing.

Thanks, for this thread and the previous one, and thanks everybody.


http://www.amazon.com/INTERMATIC-IG3...sbs_00_02_t_lh
http://www.smarthome.com/4860/Levito...otector/p.aspx


and less likely (plus two are required, one for each leg)
http://www.amazon.com/Square-D-SDSA1.../dp/B002GUZ1NI

Also has minimal information and no ratings. If it only protects one
wire don't get it - get one made for a service protecting both wires. I
do like SquareD as a brand.