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

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

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

Those that deny do not even read what is posted. Only read what they want to read. Nobody said a fuse is a myth. Defined is the "fuse myth". Quoted so that what was posted might be read this time:

For example, a fuse myth is promoted subjectively - without numbers.

Fuses do what they are designed to do. Something completely different and invented by wild speculation is a "fuse myth". Fuses protect human life AFTER hardware damage occurs. So that fire and electrocution does not happen. Only myths and wild speculation claim a fuse will protect hardware. That myth is invented by many who ignore manufacturer specification numbers.

That "fuse myth" was expose three times over with numbers. Only one (who reads what he wants to believe) would read, "fuses are a myth".  


gndrbob - that Eaton is part of an effective protection 'system' from direct lightning strikes ONLY if it connects low impedance to what is doing protection. Again, the world’s best protector does not protect from any potentially destructive surge (ie lightning).  A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Single point earth ground - as required by code (despite denials) - does that protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

No earth ground means no lightning protection.

Lightning rod does not protect from lightning. Lightning rod is effective when it connects to what protects from lightning - earth ground. ’Whole house’ protector is effective when it connects to what protects from lightning - earth ground. One system protects a structure. Latter system protects appliances inside that structure even from direct lightning strikes.

Earth ground defined by code may be insufficient. That Cutler-Hammer (Eaton) and Siemens are effective protection from direct lightning only when earthing exceeds National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements.

For example, find a bare, quarter inch, solid copper wire that connects your breaker box to earth. A ’whole house’ protector is compromised if that wire goes up over a foundation and down to an earth ground rod. Wire is too long. It has sharp bends over a foundation. It is bundled with other non-grounding wires. All compromise protection.

Whereas that ground wire is sufficient for code (for human safety), it is insufficient for grounding a ’whole house’ protector (for transistor safety). That hardwire must be routed through a foundation and down to earthing electrodes to be shorter and to eliminate sharp bends.

Impedance is taught to engineers; but not to electricians. Electricians are taught code - for human safety. Transistor (appliance) safety means doing things that both meet and exceed code. Connection to (ie impedance) and quality of single point earth ground define protection even from direct lightning strikes.  As we engineers did decades ago.

Protection from direct lightning strikes is provided by what makes Eaton and Siemens protectors effective. A low impedance (ie hardwire not inside metallic conduit) connection to single point earth ground.

Cable already has best protection.  A hardwire, required by code and installed for free by a cable company, connects directly to a same ground. That is best protection.

Telephone cannot connect direct to earth.  So your telco installs a ’whole house’ protector for free. That protector is only doing what an above hardwire does better. Connects to earth.

Only incoming utility that may have no protection is AC electric. Protection is required on other wires but not on AC electric. Protection even from direct lightning strikes exists only if that Cutler Hammer or Siemens protector connects low impedance to earth.

Term ’low impedance’ is deliberately repeated obnoxiously. Because low impedance connection to single point earth ground is critical for effective protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

That is ’secondary’ protection. Also ask about the ’primary’ protection layer.

I didn't carefully go through every single comment, but I'm pretty sure there's one thing you guys missed. And its understandable because all these companies want you to miss it. With regards to lightning protection, there are plenty of companies that directly or indirectly lead you to believe they're products protect against a lightning strike. I'm not sure about some of the industrial units that others have mentioned, but the ones for AV use, really can't protect against a lightning strike. This is a gray area, because these companies really do protect against lightning. They do it in the for of insurance. Each company has its own procedure, but you send them some info on your system and ho policy, and you have lightning coverage (hopefully). 

I only know this because I used to be a Panamax dealer years ago. They would rather offer you lightning protection even if their products can't do it, because that's what customers expect. Everyone's afraid of lightning. They feel they would lose far more business by not covering for lightning damage than if they just paid for peoples systems in the event of a strike.

Personally, I don't have an issue with them doing it this way because it looks like there aren't any reasonably priced solutions. Better the insurance than nothing. But I think they should be very clear about the insurance. I know a lot of people will just leave they're systems plugged in all the time because they feel the surge protector is protecting them, not the insurance.  Add to that, most customers have no idea they need to send in all the info in to be covered, so they end up with no coverage and don't know it.