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Whole House Surge Absorber.

I just installed myself "whole house" surge protector. I've already lost garage door opener due to line spikes last winter. Siemens style panel protector takes space of two standard circuit breakers - dual circuit breaker with built in MOV type surge arresters. Taking two spaces in my panel allows to suppress voltage spikes between each phase to ground and between two phases. Installation was very simple - placing double breaker in place of two singles and connecting thick ground wire to ground bar. Two green LEDs show active protection. Siemens recommends using it as additional protection when expensive electronic equipment is involved. I have all my gear plugged into Furman Elite 20PFI conditioner that has very tight non-sacrificial surge protection. My gear (DAC+Class D amp) is powered 24/7 but I always unplug it during thunderstorms. How do you protect your gear?
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Showing 1 response by elevick

elevick
2,636 posts
 
I had one installed next to my 200 amp box for about $400. This will stop big hits BUT, I do say BUT, some charge will still get through before it trips. It almost never trips even if surge protectors around the house do go (they are more sensitive). However, on a big lightning strike a few years back, the whole house surge tripped and then my PS Audio Quintet fried. That's ok. I lost a $500 PS Audio to save my entire system.
I recommend both whole house and individual units if your home is like mine and gets hit with surges too often.
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