SURGE PROTECTION

Why your home needs whole-house surge protection - and how to buy it

Today’s homes contain more electronics than ever before - sound systems, flat screen TVs, internet routers, multiple computers, gaming systems - and that’s just the living room! That’s why protecting homeowners’ electronics from power surges has never been more important.

The good news is there are devices that can act as a kind of home security guard at the front door to only let in an approved amount of power and provide surge protection for the entire home, including AC power, telephone and cable. A small investment can save thousands in repairs and replacement costs.

What is whole-house surge protection?

Whole-house surge protection works at the point of entry and only lets in the amount of electricity a home needs, preventing utility line over-voltages from entering the home and protecting home appliances and electronic equipment inside from periodic large surges and more frequent smaller surges.

Devices that protect the complete house cost around $200-$500. They are usually wired to the electric service box, are capable of dealing with large surges, and use metal oxide varistors (MOVs) that protect from large surges and last for years.

Why whole-house surge protection?

1. Homes contain more electronics than ever before

Today’s homes contain more expensive and complex electronics, in much greater quantities than ever before. Whole-house surge protection is a small sum to pay to protect homeowners’ investments in kitchen appliances, entertainment systems, and so on.

2. Lightning strikes aren’t the problem

Forget about lightning, which many people think is the cause of large power surges; only lightning rods are capable of protecting against a direct strike. The fact is that home occupants themselves generate 80% of surges inside the home. Over time, these short, intense surges damage electronics and reduce the lifespan of devices and appliances. Utility line over-voltages can also damage home electronics, and whole-house surge protection devices protect against this.

3. Standard suppression strip MOVs aren’t enough

The MOVs in typical surge suppression strips used to shunt power surges don’t provide as much protection as whole-house devices and systems. The latter use more robust MOVs designed to shunt large surges and withstand multiple large surges for years.

4. Whole-house protection really does protect the whole house

Whole-house surge protection provides layered protection that not only protects appliances with dedicated circuits at the breaker box, but also prevents damage to devices that share a circuit through power outlets around the home—protecting sensitive electronics at the point of use. Whole-house surge protection also shunts power surges caused by back-up generators after a power outage.

How to shop for whole-house surge protection devices

• Choose an 80kA-rated surge protector, which will protect most residential houses with 120-volt services. Although surges over 10kA are unlikely for most houses, a 10kA-rated devices that receives a 10kA surge could use up its MOV surge-shunting capacity in one surge.
• Add additional protection of about half the kA rating of the main unit to houses with subpanels.
• Layer surge protection throughout the house.
• Choose a whole-house surge protection device with a discharge rating of 3, 5 or 10kA to ensure it can keep working through at least 15 repetitive high-energy transient waveforms.
• Look for a 500V to 600V Voltage Protection Rating to ensure the surge protection device limits the voltage it lets through.
• Buy from a reputable brand such as Eaton, which provides a range of complete home surge protection devices.
• Choose a multi-year warranty with a downline equipment warranty.