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whole house surge protector

Hi all-

I'm having some electrical work done on my house and my electrician is recommending that he install a whole house surge protector on the electrical panel.  This seems like a good idea, but I am wondering if I will experience any negative effects in terms of sound quality on my stereo system?  (I do currently have my audio system on a dedicated line.)

Thanks!

mcanaday
vinylvalet
906 posts
 

+1 EP 2050 & 2750.

carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

Do your research.  the equipment isn't expensive and time to hook it up is not long.  Lots of homeowners install these themselves.  Be prepared to challenge the quote your electrician gives you (or thank him for a reasonable quote). --Jerry

 

spenav
432 posts
 

It’s a great idea. Mine starts at the power company meter with a device that looks like a ring. They charge a couple of bucks extra per month for it. After that I had my electrician install a whole house surge protector at the electrical panel, then I have something dedicated to my audio system at the outlet of my dedicated line. A three prong protection is highly recommended. I can’t say I notice any degradation. 

erik_squires
16,245 posts
 

Let your electrician install it if he's already in there.  I prefer the kind that are in the breakers, and have an alarm to let you know they're spent.

williewonka
3,082 posts
 

One thing to note about the Breaker type that are installed in the panel

  • they have to be in the very first position
    • i.e. right beside the the panel main breaker switch
    • so you might have to move some wires
  • your electrician should know this

I was offered two different types

  1. appliance grade - $150 installed
  2. electronics grade - $375 installed

I went with #1, because

  • I generally unplug my system when there is a storm
  • other household electronics - TV’s, modems, routers, computers etc... are all protected by UPS devices

Regards - Steve

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