Every electrically powered appliance in your home is at risk of power surges, as these unexpected jolts of electricity can navigate through any wiring, posing a threat to your devices.
Many homeowners mistakenly believe that by using one of those inexpensive multi-outlet surge suppressors, their electronic equipment will be protected against electrical surges.
For optimal protection, it’s essential to have a professional electrician hard-wire the necessary safeguards directly into your home’s main electrical panel.
If you have a home office or a lot of pricey electronics and you want to protect anything connected into outlets around the house, the best solution is to install a whole house surge protector.
It is the safest and most effective method for keeping your electronics in good condition.
Contents
What Is a Surge Protector?
You usually think of a power strip with multiple devices hooked into it when you hear the term “surge protector.” The surge protector functions by allowing power to flow from the wall socket to the connected devices.
When an electrical surge or spike exceeds the threshold set by the surge protector, the “excess” current is instantly redirected into metal oxide varistors (MOVs) located within the power strip. Most home power strips can only withstand one power surge before they need to be replaced.
How Does a Whole-House Surge Protector Operate?
Whole-house surge protectors provide the same function, but they are more robust and can sustain many power surges over a long period of time. Additionally, they safeguard the electrical panel and all the appliances and gadgets it supplies electricity to.
Installing a whole-house surge protector is a good idea to protect your expensive electronics and appliances from any harm caused by power surges.
A Guide on Putting in a Whole-House Surge Protector.
Installing a whole-house surge protector is a task best left to experienced electricians, ensuring safety and effectiveness in protecting your home. This is for safety reasons, as gaining access to your home’s main electrical panel box might be a serious risk.
Keep in mind that even though the main power switch is off, there may still be live wires in the box that could result in serious injury or death. If you know your way around this robust form of electrical power, this article will show you how to set everything up. Get an electrician if you feel the least bit uneasy about installing this yourself.
In any case, this will act as a tutorial for setting up a surge protector for the entire house.
Tools required for primary panel surge protector installation are outlined below.
- Flathead screwdriver and screws
- Cordless drill or driv
- Electrical tape
- Flashlight
- Wire strippers
- Hammer and nails
- Pliers
- Voltage detector
Installation of the Main Panel Box Surge Protector
Step 1. Deactivating the Main Power Switch
Turning on the main switch outside the electrical panel box is the first and most important stage in the installation process. By doing so, power to your home will be switched off at the breaker panel. Opening the panel box without doing this first is extremely risky due to the potential for electrocution from the live panel within.
As soon as you know the power has been cut off to the box, you can unscrew the panel door and pull it off entirely. If the power has been cut off, a voltage detector will let you know that the front panel can be removed safely.
Even if the electricity is turned off, there may still live wires. Don’t touch any wires that aren’t necessary to plug in your surge protector. To be safe, hire an electrician if you are unsure how to proceed.
Step 2. Installing the Lightning Rod
On the panel’s wall-facing side, you should find one or more tiny knockout spots in the shape of a circle. To make room for the surge protector cables, carefully knock out one of the wall plugs.
Put the surge protector’s cables in this hole and run them to the front of the panel. You can use a drill and screwdriver to fasten the surge protector module to the wall.
Mounting orientations will vary between models. This information can be found in the manual provided by the manufacturer. Put the protector outside the panel. Without opening the control panel, you can see how well your surge protector is working.
Do the final wiring for a whole-house surge protector.
There are four wires on a whole-house surge protector that must be connected in the panel box.
- Green wire = Ground
- White wire = Neutral
- 2 Black wires = Complete the circuit
Step 3. Remove the Protective Coating from the Surge Protector Cables.
The wires’ insulation must be removed before they may be connected. Insert the end of the wire into the stripper at the 14 AWG marking. This prevents the surge protector from being less efficient due to scarring the cable with a strip gauge that is too tiny.
- The green wire must be connected to the right-hand ground bus bar.
- The white neutral wire should be attached to the right-hand neutral bus bar (among the other white wires)
- Install a dipole circuit breaker near the main power cables and connect the two black wires to it.
Step 4. After Replacing the Cover, Try Again.
The panel cover can be replaced once the wires have been connected (careful not to flip any of the breakers). First, replace the panel’s four primary screws, and then use the remaining screws to fill in any gaps or holes. Now that everything is clear, you can re-activate the main breaker.
To turn on the circuit you must first switch the dipole breaker using your two black wires. According to the owner’s manual, you should inspect the surge protector’s lighting or digital display to ensure it is functioning properly.
Benefits of Installing Whole-House Surge Protector
While some of your corded devices might be equipped with surge protectors, it’s likely that your more sensitive electronics with circuit boards are unprotected. In the event of a lightning strike, those electronic devices are easy prey for the resulting power spikes (even if the strike is miles from your home).
All of your modern electronics, including refrigerators, cable boxes, workout equipment, and the brand new Bose Wave, are in danger. It’s not only the lightning, either. Even when lightning is absent, electrical spikes on the system frequently cause extensive damage.
To destroy sensitive devices, all you need is a power surge. As a general rule, replacing a circuit board is as expensive as purchasing a whole new gadget.
So, a whole-house surge protector is a must-have for any home. Those who reside in rural areas, and especially those who are close to the end of the power line, are at a higher risk. The only safe place for the surge to go is straight into your home.
The Square D No. SDSB1175C is one sort of whole-house surge protection device (SPD); it costs around $300 from spectrumsuperstore.com and can safeguard all of your electrical devices, electronics, phone, Internet, and cable TV equipment.
In most areas, the labor cost to have an electrician put it in is around $175. If you are confident in your abilities to operate inside the panelboard, you can accomplish the job without paying an installer.
Also, consider the following. Given that most homeowners’ insurance policies don’t cover power surges, investing in whole-house surge protection is a prudent decision that can prevent potential damage, offering peace of mind and long-term savings.
Conclusion
Every appliance in your house is vulnerable to a power surge since electricity can travel through any wiring. A professional electrician is required to hard-wire the necessary protection into the main electrical panel. Surge protectors are more robust and can sustain many power surges over a long period of time. They safeguard the electrical panel and all appliances and gadgets it supplies electricity to. The most important step is deactivating the main power switch outside the electrical panel box.
Once that’s done, you can safely remove the front panel and finalize the wiring for a whole-house surge protector. Steps 1-3: Connect two wires to a dipole circuit breaker near the main power cables and connect the two black wires to it. The panel cover can be replaced once the wires have been connected (careful not to flip any of the breakers). First, replace the panel’s four primary screws, and then use the remaining screws to fill in any gaps or holes. A surge protector is a must-have for any home, especially if you live in rural areas or near the end of a power line.
The Square D No. SDSB1175C costs around $300 from spectrumsuperstore.com and can safeguard all of your electrical devices. Whole-house surge protection is available for an additional cost but is well worth it because it eliminates the possibility of harm.
Content Summary:
- Every appliance in your house that is powered by electricity is vulnerable to a power surge since electricity can travel through any wiring.
- Many homeowners mistakenly believe that by using one of those inexpensive multi-outlet surge suppressors, their electronic equipment will be protected against electrical surges.
- However, a professional electrician is required to hard-wire the necessary protection into the main electrical panel.
- If you have a home office or a lot of pricey electronics and you want to protect anything connected into outlets around the house, the best solution is to install a whole house surge protector.
- It is the safest and most effective method for keeping your electronics in good condition.
- You usually think of a power strip with multiple devices hooked into it when you hear the term “surge protector.”
- The surge protector functions by allowing power to flow from the wall socket to the connected devices.
- Whole-house surge protectors provide the same function, but they are more robust and can sustain many power surges over a long period of time.
- Additionally, they safeguard the electrical panel and all the appliances and gadgets it supplies electricity to.
- Installing a whole-house surge protector is a good idea to protect your expensive electronics and appliances from any harm caused by power surges.
- The installation of a whole-house surge protector is not something you should attempt unless you are an experienced electrician.
- This is for safety reasons, as gaining access to your home’s main electrical panel box might be a serious risk.
- Keep in mind that even though the main power switch is off, there may still be live wires in the box that could result in serious injury or death.
- If you know your way around this robust form of electrical power, this article will show you how to set everything up.
- Tools required for primary panel surge protector installation are outlined below.
- Turning on the main switch outside the electrical panel box is the first and most important stage in the installation process.
- As soon as you know the power has been cut off to the box, you can unscrew the panel door and pull it off entirely.
- If the power has been cut off, a voltage detector will let you know that the front panel can be removed safely.
- Even if the electricity is turned off, there may still live wires.
- Don’t touch any wires that aren’t necessary to plug in your surge protector.
- On the panel’s wall-facing side, you should find one or more tiny knockout spots in the shape of a circle.
- To make room for the surge protector cables, carefully knock out one of the wall plugs.
- Put the surge protector’s cables in this hole and run them to the front of the panel.
- You can use a drill and screwdriver to fasten the surge protector module to the wall.
- Put the protector outside the panel.
- Without opening the control panel, you can see how well your surge protector is working.
- Do the final wiring for a whole-house surge protector.
- There are four wires on a whole-house surge protector that must be connected in the panel box.
- The white neutral wire should be attached to the right-hand neutral bus bar (among the other white wires) Install a dipole circuit breaker near the main power cables and connect the two black wires to it.
- After replacing the cover, try again.
- The panel cover can be replaced once the wires have been connected (careful not to flip any of the breakers).
- First, replace the panel’s four primary screws, and then use the remaining screws to fill in any gaps or holes.
- Now that everything is clear, you can re-activate the main breaker.
- To turn on the circuit you must first switch the dipole breaker using your two black wires.
- According to the owner’s manual, you should inspect the surge protector’s lighting or digital display to ensure it is functioning properly.
- Some of your devices, including those with cords, may have surge protectors, but most likely not the ones with electrical circuit boards.
- In the event of a lightning strike, those electronic devices are easy prey for the resulting power spikes (even if the strike is miles from your home).
- All of your modern electronics, including refrigerators, cable boxes, workout equipment, and the brand new Bose Wave, are in danger.
- It’s not only the lightning, either.
- Even when lightning is absent, electrical spikes on the system frequently cause extensive damage.
- To destroy sensitive devices, all you need is a power surge.
- As a general rule, replacing a circuit board is as expensive as purchasing a whole new gadget.
- So, a whole-house surge protector is a must-have for any home.
- Those who reside in rural areas, and especially those who are close to the end of the power line, are at a higher risk.
- The only safe place for the surge to go is straight into your home.
- SDSB1175C is one sort of whole-house surge protection device (SPD); it costs around $300 from spectrumsuperstore.com and can safeguard all of your electrical devices, electronics, phone, Internet, and cable TV equipment.
- In most areas, the labor cost to have an electrician put it in is around $175.
- If you are confident in your abilities to operate inside the panelboard, you can accomplish the job without paying an installer.
- Most power surges aren’t covered by homeowner’s insurance.
- Whole-house surge protection is available for an additional cost but is well worth it because it eliminates the possibility of harm.
