I'd like to know how effective these are and a ballpark figure to have
an electrician furnish and install one in Northern NJ.

This question was prompted by the recent failure of a security light.
The maker's tech support speculated it was from a surge. My HVAC
contractor said the same thing after replacing fried components two
years ago.

Anyhow, my computers are on suppressors but everything else seems
vulnerable. Note that lightning is not a problem.

Thanks.

Mike
(reverse domain)

I put one in two years ago. It took about 30 minutes. How much does an
electrician charge for 30 minutes?

Can't say how effective they are, but haven't had a problem since. Of
course, I hadn't had a problem before either; so it doesn't prove much.

"Mike Trachtenberg" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'd like to know how effective these are and a ballpark figure to have
an electrician furnish and install one in Northern NJ.

This question was prompted by the recent failure of a security light.
The maker's tech support speculated it was from a surge. My HVAC
contractor said the same thing after replacing fried components two
years ago.

Anyhow, my computers are on suppressors but everything else seems
vulnerable. Note that lightning is not a problem.

Thanks.

Mike
(reverse domain)


Most residential panel manufacture make a plug in surge arrestor. They look
like a two pole breaker, with one wire coming out of them. Simple to install
and you do not need a contractor to do the job, remember to shut off the
main before sticking your fingers in there. These attached to the bus
directly have been proven to be superior to the "wired ones". Almost every
manufacture makes these as well.
I bought my GE plug in surge arrestor at Lowes for ~$55.00. Take a breaker
from your panel with you if your not sure. These are not returnable if
opened.

IEEE states that you need to protect 2 of the 3 zones of use for protection.
The panel unit will LOWER the surge. A point of use surge protector will
LOWER the surge hopefully within tolerance of the load. Problem is the
size and speed of the surge is unknown.

I lost a garage door opener recently because of a lightning storm.

I would counsel you to have your ground at the electrical service measured.
Unfortunately not a meter that is common unless your in business. My meter
is $2k, and I use it almost every week.

WAG A supplemental ground rod might help if installed properly
NEC says 25 ohms to ground for safety.
IEEE says less than 5 ohms to ground for sensitive electronics. I have
installed grounding systems that approach 1 ohm to ground, tested. I will
bet that you not interested in spending $30k.

Not knowing all of the facts in your situation it is hard to guess what you
need to do to solve the problem.

Nothing that I am aware of will protect your electrical stuff 100%
especially if the problem is from the utility.

My experience with these "whole house" panel suppressors, in southern NY, is
that they work fine for motors and general house wiring and equipment, but
your sensitive electronics will still fry



"Mike Trachtenberg" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'd like to know how effective these are and a ballpark figure to have
an electrician furnish and install one in Northern NJ.

This question was prompted by the recent failure of a security light.
The maker's tech support speculated it was from a surge. My HVAC
contractor said the same thing after replacing fried components two
years ago.

Anyhow, my computers are on suppressors but everything else seems
vulnerable. Note that lightning is not a problem.

Thanks.

Mike
(reverse domain)

As with any surge supressor, the critical rating is the number of Joules it
can absorb if an overvoltage does occur. Nothing is a cure for everything.
Given the cost of the part and ease of installation, if you have the space
in the box, why not do it. If you need those slots in the future for a new
branch, it is easily removed. If you have a newer breaker panel, the part
number for the supressor may be on the sticker inside the door.




"RBM" rbm2(remove wrote in message
...
My experience with these "whole house" panel suppressors, in southern NY,
is that they work fine for motors and general house wiring and equipment,
but your sensitive electronics will still fry



"Mike Trachtenberg" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'd like to know how effective these are and a ballpark figure to have
an electrician furnish and install one in Northern NJ.

This question was prompted by the recent failure of a security light.
The maker's tech support speculated it was from a surge. My HVAC
contractor said the same thing after replacing fried components two
years ago.

Anyhow, my computers are on suppressors but everything else seems
vulnerable. Note that lightning is not a problem.

Thanks.

Mike
(reverse domain)

A standard myth has been posted. For example, an idea that
a protector will absorb a surge is bogus. Technology was well
proven in the 1930s and even demonstrated by Franklin in
1752. The protector (such as what you think that UPS is
doing) is not protection. Effective protector connects
destructive transients 'less than 10 feet' to earth ground.
Not just to protect motors but to protect all household
electronics. Some utility wires provide that same protection
without a protector - ie cable TV. Other incoming wires must
connect to earth ground via a 'whole house' protector - ie AC
electric and telephone.

'Whole house' protectors are so effective that a phone line
has one installed for free by the telco. Protection installed
so that direct lightning strikes are not destructive. But
again, a protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
One need not install a $30K ground. In most locations, even a
few ground rods properly installed massively increase
protection.

'Whole house' protectors provide a necessary wire to make
that short earthing connection. Plug-in UPS (and power strip
protectors) do not have such connection. Then claim
protection from transients that are typically not
destructive. And charge how much per protected appliance?
Tens of times more money. Too much profit to mention
earthing. A protector is only as effective as its earth
ground.

Minimally sized 'whole house' protectors start at about 1000
joules / 50,000 amps. Joules determines protector life
expectancy. A protector must remain operational after every
surge. How effective a protector will be is determined by the
quality of your building's single point earth ground.

One final point. Protectors adjacent to appliances can even
contribute to damage of that appliance. After all, what do
protectors do? Shunt (connect) all wires together. IOW the
adjacent protector simply provides a surge with more paths to
earth ground, destructively, via that computer. Effective
protection adjacent to a computer is already inside that
computer. Protection that may be overwhelmed if you do not
install a properly earthed 'whole house' protector on AC mains
- at the service entrance. A protector being only as as
effective as its earth ground.

Mike Trachtenberg wrote:
I'd like to know how effective these are and a ballpark figure to have
an electrician furnish and install one in Northern NJ.

This question was prompted by the recent failure of a security light.
The maker's tech support speculated it was from a surge. My HVAC
contractor said the same thing after replacing fried components two
years ago.

Anyhow, my computers are on suppressors but everything else seems
vulnerable. Note that lightning is not a problem.

On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 20:34:50 -0400, w_tom wrote:

A standard myth has been posted....
How effective a protector will be is determined by the
quality of your building's single point earth ground.

A protector being only as as effective as its earth ground.

AMEN!!!
Several years ago I had my fused 200a service changed to circuit
breakers and an outside, whole-house disconnect. Incident to this a
single whole house ground was driven into the earth nearby. The power
company guys told me that I needed to then get the telephone and cable
gents out to reconnect their grounds to that single ground. Haven't
had a problem since, when I had many fried appliances before that