[raynitsche]

Any advise on purchasing a whole house surge? Also
would you buy from power company with monthly rent or
just have one installed?

[applesoffh]

we got ours from SECO and purchased outright rather than rent.

[jimbo2012]

If you've never had a loss due to an electrical surge in your house, you probably don't need whole-house protection.

You likely have such protection on your home owners.

If you do buy it, be clear about what it does. A panel that protects against lightning won't be effective against smaller surges, you'll still need the portable surge protector for small surges.

[784caroline]

Jimbo...I definitely disagree with your rationale. Just because you have never had loss of power due to an electrical surge in the past is no reason to beleieve it cannot happen in the furture . Lighting strikes are very random and can occur anytime any where.

For the first couple of years we did not have whole house surge protection, but then it hit. A lighting bolt struck our next door neighbors cable box, wiped out his computer and telephones.....while we had the resdiual effect of 3 breakers in our box trip. I could reset 2 of the reakers but the 3rd would not reset and i had to call an electrican who eventually found a short in a switch. After about 2 months I was experienceing a problem with my garage door opener and called in a repair man.......he showed me the black spot in my opener and asked if I ever had a power surge...had to replace the mother board in the garage door opener.

Fortunatley I had individual surge protection for my computers and TV and they were not effected.

For anyone I would highly suggest 3 types of surge protection. Protection in the main power panel (installed by a electrician), protection for your air conditioner (on the outside breaker box by the ac), and individual surge protectors for computers, TV, telephone and cable points of entry. I would NOT pay a monthly fee to have something installed by SECO in my Electric Meter. If you are going to put something there buy it outright....you will be using it for however long you live in TV.

BTW:: My biggest concern is not the loss of power/damage as a result of a lighting strike (Surge) but a lighting strike that may hit the gas lines in the attic.. Now if someone has the answer to resolve or minimize this problem (other than buying an all electric home) please let me and probably everyone that as gas lines know!!!

[jimbo2012]

Ok we disagree, but where was your insurance coverage?

I would think to put surge protectors on individual items would work well.

You didn't mention lightning rod type protection, I wonder if that may be a better investment.

For gas lines Ligntning.org says

"You should have a connection from the lightning protection system to the gas system. You should have a connection from the lightning protection system to the gas system, somewhere on the customer side of the meter. This stops the problem of lightning entering your house on the gas system piping. If lightning just tracks an underground pipe, it shouldn't cause any effect on that system. It would just be a part of the natural grounding of the lightning."

So I think the building code covers that, but it can be checked easy be looking at the gas lines.

Whole home surge protectors are about $225 for a good one and can be done by a DIY in 15 minutes or an electrician of course.

[KYTeacher]

Originally Posted by applesoffh

we got ours from SECO and purchased outright rather than rent.

Approximately how much does this cost?

Thanks in advance

[CarGuys]

Jim Florida is a different beast when it comes to lighting and surge protection.

And while Seico is a good company and proivides great rate and professional service I elected to follow my builders advise.

I used Galaxy communications the same company that wired my home. I have a whole home surge protection panel in my garage tied into the whole home cable phone and power.

I can see it working and know if its been tripped. It also comes with a warranty and a good insurance policy.

Those of you know that insurance is a necessary evil. It's evil if you have to turn in a claim because Jim they dump you like a prom date down here if you have a claim or raise you rates to make you pay for it.

I paid maybe 75 dollars more than Seico and IMHO feel I have better coverage. Plus as a CarGuy I like looking at the panel when I go to the garage. Lost a neighbor who claimed to be my friend over this. He was furious I did not follow his advise and use Seico. Oh well maybe the $75 was worth it.

[missypie]

Such good info on this

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by KYTeacher

Approximately how much does this cost?

Thanks in advance

Here's the scoop from SECO on the cost to rent or buy:

Protect your equipment from lightning with SECO Energy's Surge Protection System

Bill

[westom]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

I would think to put surge protectors on individual items would work well.

Just because both use a similar name does not mean both are equivalent. The best protection possible is a short connection from each utility wire to earth ground. That must already exist on a TV cable or satellite dish. But that would harm AC electric and telephone service.

So make that same short as possible (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth via a 'whole house' protector. No protector does protection. Either the protector connects destructive transients to earth (just like a wire). Or it does not claim to protect from typically destructive transients.

A minimal 'whole house' protector starts at 50,000 amps. Because a typical lightning strike can be 20,000 amps. We install protectors to make all surges irrelevant - tiny ones and direct lightning strikes. A protector must remains functional even after a 40,000 amp lightning strike.

The list of responsible companies that provide this are long including Square D, General Electric, ABB, Siemens, Intermatic, and Leviton. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Or the electric company can install one behind their meter.

But again, no protector does protection. An informed consumer spends little time worrying about the protector. And more time worrying about what does the protection. Single point earth ground. Nobody but the homeowner is responsible for that earth ground. Only earth ground does the actual protection.

A protector adjacent to an appliance has no earth ground. Does not claim to protect from typically destructive surges. And can be so undersized as to fail during a surge. In rare cases, an adjacent protector even causes a fire. Just another reason why informed homeowners earth a 'whole house' protector. To protect those power strip protectors. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

What is seen - the protector - does not do the protection. An item most people do not see does the protection.

[raynitsche]

Thanks for the answers. Last question. Would a good lightning rod system eliminate the need for a surge protector? Do I need a combination of both?

Thanks in advance.

[applesoffh]

Sorry - I forgot to mention that when SECO installed the surge protector, they also game me a box of assorted protectors for computers, phones, etc. Back in NYC, lightning hit the driveway - not the house - and it blew out my computer, phones, microwave, because it was so close to the electric meter. I don't want to go through that expense again.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by raynitsche

Thanks for the answers. Last question. Would a good lightning rod system eliminate the need for a surge protector? Do I need a combination of both?

Thanks in advance.

I am not an expert but I think you would want both. The lightning rod system will protect you from a direct strike from the heavens and the surge protector would protect you if the strike hits elsewhere and causes a ground surge.

I only have the surge protector. When I moved here they could only be rented. Several years ago SECO started selling them. Much cheaper in the long run if you plan on sticking around TV. They also gave me surge protectors for all of my electronics which I installed.

[raynitsche]

Thanks for the answers. One last question, would a good lightning rod system eliminate the need for a whole house surge system?

[jimbo2012]

First I want to say I think I'm wrong about just using surge protectors on individual appliances computers etc., they can't handle a strike from what I reading.


I'm reading that the lightening rod system protects the structure but not the electrical systems, so to be fully protected you need both + insurance (I wonder if installed you can get credit)

The unit from SECO doesn't protect phones cable tv etc I think.

For the money it looks like the ones sold for about $200 does protect those and they carry an insurance coverage of their own (if they really pay?)

If you can't handle the simple install an electrician shouldn't charge for more than a one hour service call. Try HD they have good ones and offer installation also, cost unknown.

When I build after reading the high rate of strikes in FL I'll install both.

The rods about $200 and the same for the surge protector.


This forum is a plethora of info.


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