Why whole house surge protectors are not enough


TL;DR:

One measure of a surge protector is the clamping voltage. That is, at what voltage does the surge protector actually start to work. Whole house surge protectors are limited to no less than ~ 600 Volts (instantaneous) between a leg and neutral or ground. That’s up to 1,200V if symmetrical.

The best surge protecting strips and conditioners clamp below 200 Volts.

Please keep this in mind when deciding whether or not to use surge protectors at your PC, stereo, TV, etc. in addition to a whole house unit.

I wrote more about this here:

 

https://inatinear.blogspot.com/2021/09/time-for-new-surge-suppression.html

No manufacturer of whole house surge protection claims that their devices alone are enough for sensitive electronics when you check the fine print.

erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by nagel

Erik, thanks for this thread! This brand was recommended as the very best by an electrician recommended from a reputable audio dealer:

https://transientprotectiondesign.com/products/residential/breaker-panels/breaker-panel-surge-protection/

Any comments on this brand? They are pricey at $1400 but have lifetime warranty and made in US. They have a few pdfs showing complex protection for the home. By putting it in the panel and behind a pair of 30A breakers, I assume that the idea is that the MOVs will be just slightly removed from the signal path and so interfere with that wave less during normal operation and have less detriment to sound quality.

How are we to understand Maximum Limited Voltage in this context? I'm looking at model TK-TTLP-1S240-FL with MLV ratings as follows:

2kV,67A - 36V, 6kV; 3kA - 590V; and 20kV, 10kA - 970V. I think this means for an impulse of less than 2kV and 67A, the clamping voltage will be about 120+36=156V.

I agree that a panel installed protector does nothing for induced EMF from a nearby strike, but I had a strike 20 years ago that took out the speaker and amp channel that were closest to it but not the other channel. I assume that was due to induced EMF in the speaker wire or even voice coils. Point is, if lightning strikes really close, all kinds of problems may occur including on the ground leg.

Does anyone have an opinion on these? https://ep2000.com/products/home-protection-products/premium-surge-protection-filter/?v=e75edac1b83f

Caelin Gabriel and Shunyata make suppressors for medical gear so I think they're a lot more knowledgeable than most people here. I spoke with Tim from Transient Protection Design who said that their whole home unit has MOVs that turn on at 150v. I encouraged him to have his engineer write something more detailed that I could share. They also recommend a defense on depth approach for sensitive electronics, and have detailed pdf showing how a home filled with electronics might be protected.