SURGE PROTECTOR WHOLE HOUSE
by INTERMATIC INC
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: INTERMATIC INCDigital Cameras Photo Reviews of SURGE PROTECTOR WHOLE HOUSE
Customer Review: Protects your entire home from power surges...
Summary: 5 Stars
Intermatic Whole House Surge Protector
On September 30, 2006, the Washington Post reported the following:
"Catherine Jamieson had costly surge protectors safeguarding her most precious electronics. So, she said, she was one of the "lucky ones" when a power surge heaved through her East Falls Church neighborhood this week, frying computers and damaging appliances in hundreds of homes. Still, Jamieson said her home suffered a stunning amount of trouble, starting with a $1,500 alarm system that was still smoking when the security company arrived, a fried phone line and a busted furnace. Her neighbor discovered her refrigerator aflame, Jamieson said, noting that her own situation could be worse. It makes me want to cry, Jamieson, 57, said. Her home was one of more than 200 affected in the Arlington County neighborhood when Pike Electric, a contractor for Dominion Virginia Power, was doing repairs Tuesday and allowed two power lines to touch, Dominion officials said. The contact sent a rush of power into as many as 600 homes, some of them on Sycamore Street, Washington Street and Lee Highway."
Subsequent reports noted that the few homes with whole house surge protectors suffered no damage. We owned a home in that Arlington neighborhood at the time, and it had the previous model of this Intermatic Whole House Surge protector installed on the main panel (load center). We didn't know anything happened until reading about it in the papers, as there was no damage to anything, including the Intermatic unit.
Needless to say, we have an Intermatic surge protector in our current home. We bought a more expensive Intermatic unit, even though the old one did its job. The Amazon ad doesn't mention it, but I believe this protector comes with a 5-year product and damage warranty; save your receipt. Check out their products on intermatic dot com.
To install a whole house surge protector, you will need two empty circuit breaker slots (one over the other) in your main power panel/load center. Install two 20 amp circuit breakers, to protect each power phase; 15 amp breakers will also work, but will provide somewhat less protection. (DO NOT use a tandem/piggyback breaker, as they draw power from one only one of the two phases, and will therefore protect only half of your circuits.) Alternatively, install a 220 volt 20 amp breaker. It's not advisable to connect the surge protector's hot leads to circuit breakers with other loads, as that may reduce the unit's effectiveness. If you are handy, you can install it yourself. If electricity frightens you, hire an electrician. Installation instructions are included.
Many power companies offer whole house surge protection, although in the long run, it's much cheaper to do it yourself. For example, Dominion Virginia Power sells "complete protection for all of your appliances, heating and cooling equipment and other motor driven equipment, for a one-time installation fee of $89.00 and a monthly service charge of just $4.95".
Whether you buy an Intermatic, Leviton, or another brand of whole house surge protector, get one with indicator lights to let you know it's working. The unit could sustain a major hit and burn out, but without indicator lights, you wouldn't know you've lost protection on one or both power phases.
You can also spend a lot more than this on a whole house surge protector. The more expensive units typically provide more complete protection.
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