Environmental Potentials whole house surge protection, can I get your opinions?

Thank jea, but that model specifically states that it doesn't protect from lightning strikes-which less common in my area but definitely a concern.
And, I definitely will be using a licensed electrician to install.

I saw this Siemens unit, and wonder if this might be a good choice:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Siemens-FirstSurge-Plus-100kA-Whole-House-Surge-Protection-Device-FS100/2...

westom15 posts

One should learn these basic and well understood concepts BEFORE posting denials.

a fuse myth is promoted subjectively - without numbers

I’m not sure why you call fuses a "myth."

How does a millimeters gap in a fuse block what three miles of sky could not?

Don’t be silly. A fuse is not designed to do that.

One should learn these basic and well understood concepts BEFORE posting denials.

Agreed! Please take some time to learn that fuses are not a myth.

Subjective reasoning is how junk science gets promoted. One claims Furman does effective protection. But could not post even one Furman spec number that says so. Because Furman does not claim effective protection - except subjectively in sales brochures where lying is legal.

That’s absurd. The Furman units - and other similar devices - are in wide use and their effectiveness is demonstrable. It’s not clear why this troubles you so.

Facilities that cannot have damage properly earth all incoming wires. Some wires do not even have surge protectors. A hardwire connects low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to single point earth ground.

Whoa ... careful there! You might want to read the NEC and your local codes. There’s really no such thing as a "single point earth ground" in an NEC-compliant installation. NEC requires all grounds to be bonded together at the service panel. And in many installations, code requires more than one ground rod. Clearly, you simply do not know what you are talking about.

Protectors are simply connecting devices to what does protection.

Silly semantics.

Ineffective and grossly overpriced ’magic boxes’ (ie Furman) have no earth ground. And will not discuss it.

And why an item that needs most attention is the single point earth ground.

Again ... " single point earth ground" is not code complaint and is potentially dangerous. You simply do not know what you are talking about. This is why EEs and electricians are licensed.

gdnrbob,

You won’t find any SPD that will protect your home from a direct lightning strike.
If you find a manufacture that claims it will you best read the fine print.

Like westom said in his post the earth connection is the most important part for protecting your home from a nearby lightning strike.

Again, read this PDF. Lightning is lightning and the earth is the earth whether it is at a commercial office building, industrial facility, or you home. Same principals apply.
http://www.p3-inc.com/images/grounding_for_pq_wp2016_p3.pdf

As for the Siemens SPD I do not have any opinion one way or the other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dj33YVppDk
If it says it will protect from a direct lightning strike thought, it will not... It may not even protect your electronics in your home from a nearby lightning strike. The only 100% sure way to protect your audio and video equipment during a lightning storm is to unplug it from the wall receptacle. Same goes for any coax cable connection from a cable TV provider or a satellite dish. Same goes for an Ethernet cable connection from a router that is connected to the outside world by cable or a phone line.

I found this Website while doing a search. The guy does a pretty good job and shows some spec comparisons of different manufactures SPDs.
https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/10/whats-the-best-whole-house-surge-protection/

Here is a great video to watch. I attended a power quality surge protection seminar a couple of years ago and seen the demonstration first hand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wb79cXmSlc

The thing that I visually remember most is the SPD should be installed as close as possible to the load side of the electrical service panel main breaker. The first two breaker spots on ether side of the panel is where the 2 pole breaker for the SPD Line 1 & 2 to connect. (IF there are breakers in the two spots, needed for the SPD’s
2 pole breaker, have the electrician move them elsewhere in the panel. It will take him 5 to 10 minutes tops!) Mount the SPD as close as possible to the outside of the panel enclosure where the 2 pole breaker is installed. The wire leads from the SPD should be kept short.

IF The SPD is installed inside the electrical panel, hidden from view, how will you be able to see the indicating lights on the unit telling you the device is still good and working properly? SPDs that use MOVs do not last for ever. That’s why the good SPD devices have multiple MOVs for each surge function of the device. You should always check the SPD after any lightning storm in your area.

Any sub panel after the main electrical service main panel also needs an SPD installed. Again the SPD should be installed as close as possible to the feeder conductors, wires, feeding the sub panel. The first two breaker spots for the SPD’s
2 pole breaker installation.

MAKE SURE you have the electrician check the main grounding system (Grounding Electrode System) for your home’s electrical service. Clean, if needed, and tighten all connections.
No such thing as over kill here.
And as westom said, a single point earth connection is a must. All earth connections should connect to a single point to the electrical service entrance neutral conductor.
.

jea48

You won't find any SPD that will protect your home from a direct lightning strike.
If you find a manufacture that claims it will you best read the fine print.

Of course no device is absolutely 100 percent effective. However, Type 1 devices are designed to protect from direct lightning strikes and are quite effective. Note that not all electric utilities allow them.

One such device is Eaton CHSPT1, which is UL compliant.

the SPD should be installed as close as possible to the load side of the electrical service panel main breaker.

Oh no, not at all. A Type 1 device must first connect to the transformer secondary, not the load side. (Although I''m pretty sure you can put it on the load side as well.) Please check the application sheets for the Type 1 device of your choice.

All earth connections should connect to a single point to the electrical service entrance neutral conductor.

Yes, this is a must, and required by NEC.

cleeds,

My references are for type 2 SPDs
Example:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eaton-Whole-House-Surge-Protector-CHSPT2ULTRA-1/204761136

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/d9/d9817dee-4558-4b87-877e-946eee1c6f80.pdf