Electrical Grounding/Surge Protectors (house, transfer, contractor)

[paulosfm]

Has anyone had any experience with having their home grounded against lightening protection and added house system surge protection at the electrical box?

If you have had experience with an electrical contractor who knows their stuff, I would appreciate input on whole house and communications equipment grounding and surge protection.

Thanks.

[Native_Son]

Jack at white horse electric can help you. Local. Knowledgeable. Good rates. Nice. CLEAN!!

He was recommended to me on this very forum and he's the only guy I use now.

[Barфsa]

Originally Posted by paulosfm

Has anyone had any experience with having their home grounded against lightening protection and added house system surge protection at the electrical box? .

There is no effective solution that will protect your home from damage caused by a direct hit of lightening. If you are lucky it won't damage much. i.e. Don't spend money on it. Fortunately modern homes with proper electrical systems to code are not very likely to be hit.

My dad, who was a licensed electrician for 40+ years did install a few whole house surge protectors on homes when customers just had to have them. They were installed at the meter. I haven't seen one however in a long time. We are both of the opinion they were not needed and he would tell customers they did not offer lightening protection. Lightening travels through air. No surge protector will stop that.

Up until about the 1970s or so people would put lightening rods on their homes. You can still see them on homes in this area. They work on the theory that if lightening strikes your home, the electrical energy will be directed through the rod system down to the ground and not through your home. They stopped putting them on homes because what they really did was to almost insure that you will get a hit from lightening. I'd be surprised if code allows them these days.

[Ex-LI]

Check with your power company for a meter-installed whole house surge protector. If you're in Union Power's territory, they sell them for about $200 installed.

[vmaxnc]

3/4 of the lightning damaged A/V gear that came through our repair facility was damaged by lightning coming through the cable lines, then through all the attached components. Electrical surge suppressors don't address that issue, or cable modems, satellite wiring, or phone wiring. We'd get calls the day after a storm from people who could turn their TVs on but couldn't get a picture. The surge came through the TV tuners.

[vmaxnc]

Originally Posted by Barфsa

Lightening travels through air...

...strikes the ground or other objects near a home, and can be transferred into a home in a variety of ways.

[Barфsa]

Originally Posted by vmaxnc

...strikes the ground or other objects near a home, and can be transferred into a home in a variety of ways.

Indeed. The point was that if it can travel through air, then it will certainly travel without issue through more conductive material. Ergo, surge protectors offer no protection against lightening.

[vmaxnc]

Originally Posted by Barфsa

Indeed. The point was that if it can travel through air, then it will certainly travel without issue through more conductive material. Ergo, surge protectors offer no protection against lightening.

Incorrect. Surge suppressors often stop lightning from entering a home through a hardwired entry point.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by Barфsa

There is no effective solution that will protect your home from damage caused by a direct hit of lightening. If you are lucky it won't damage much. i.e. Don't spend money on it. Fortunately modern homes with proper electrical systems to code are not very likely to be hit.

My dad, who was a licensed electrician for 40+ years did install a few whole house surge protectors on homes when customers just had to have them. They were installed at the meter. I haven't seen one however in a long time. We are both of the opinion they were not needed and he would tell customers they did not offer lightening protection. Lightening travels through air. No surge protector will stop that.

Up until about the 1970s or so people would put lightening rods on their homes. You can still see them on homes in this area. They work on the theory that if lightening strikes your home, the electrical energy will be directed through the rod system down to the ground and not through your home. They stopped putting them on homes because what they really did was to almost insure that you will get a hit from lightening. I'd be surprised if code allows them these days.

This is good advice..You don't need one of these surge systems. They won't necessarilly protect you anyway if you get a direct hit by lightning. I have found turning everything off during a storm is the best way to at least feel better that your flat screen won't get fried etc. But again, thats probably something to me feel better and nothing more.

Waste of money IMO.You are better of spending the money on a well planned grounding rod system than anything else. Much like water, best way to deal with lightning is to try and prevent it from getting into the house, rather than try and deal with it when it's in the house. Surge protectors of any kind stand no chance against a direct hit of lightning. Maybe a slight surge, but that's it.

[Barфsa]

Originally Posted by skids929

Surge protectors of any kind stand no chance against a direct hit of lightning. Maybe a slight surge, but that's it.

Yes indeed, skids929. You have it right. There is no defense against lightening strikes even indirect ones. Surge protectors will not help. Surge protectors are designed for voltage spikes not caused by lightening. Thing is, most equipment these days don't need it.

On the other hand, a properly grounded house will eliminate a great deal of the risk and the money should go there. Many homes that do end up with lightening damage, especially from an indirect strike, have lost their proper ground. (usually because the house has been disconnected from the rod)

Of course the tried and true method, is to unplug stuff during a storm.