Whole House Surge Protector

I believe what we are looking for is in this pdf...
http://www.raycapsurgeprotection.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/G02-00-002-All-Mode-V-Series_A-Final.pdf

View its spec numbers. As noted earlier, these effective type protectors should be at least 50,000 amps. That model well exceeds minimum. As its current number increases, protector life expectancy increases exponentially.

I believe hamw said this type protector is even used by Verizon. Of course. This type protector is used everywhere that protection is required.

The protector is not doing protection. The word 'protector' defines a device that connects to protection. How effective is the protector? Defined by the quality of earth ground. View the AM2xxx series pictures. That green wire must make the as short as possible (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to your single point earth ground. Then the Raycap device can connect surge current (ie 100ka) to where hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate.

Two key features are its current rating and its connection to earth. Current defines its life expectancy over many surges. Earthing defines it performance during each surge.

Other solutions are provided by a long list of responsible companies including General Electric, Square D, Siemens, ABB, Leviton, and Intermatic.

For some reason, the Leviton device was a preferred solution among discussion groups involving home automation. I don't know why. Most any 'whole house' type protector should mean minimal if any attenuation.

Another solution from Easton (Cutler-Hammer) sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. It does not have the higher current ratings of the Raycap; is only 50,000 amps. Sufficient.

Pay strict attention to earth ground. Verizon installs extensive earthing in their cell towers. Because that protector is only as effective as its earth ground. If your earth ground connects to a cold water pipe on the other side of the basement, then you have virtually no earthing. That earthing may be sufficient for human safety. But that same earthing is virtually non-existent for transistor safety. The 6 AWG solid copper wire would be too long.

View its spec numbers. As noted earlier, these effective type protectors should be at least 50,000 amps. That model well exceeds minimum. As its current number increases, protector life expectancy increases exponentially.

In looking at the specs how do you determine what values equate to X amount of amp protection.

The protector is not doing protection. The word 'protector' defines a device that connects to protection.

So the protector (SPD) is the vessel that ensures the surge is safely channeled to the protection (ground) ?

How effective is the protector? Defined by the quality of earth ground. View the AM2xxx series pictures. That green wire must make the as short as possible (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to your single point earth ground. Then the Raycap device can connect surge current (ie 100ka) to where hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate.

My panel is on the rear wall of my garage mounted about 5 feet off the garage floor. So for this to be an effective solution to mitigate damage caused by surges I would need to ensure the protection (ground) is basically on the other side of that wall running no more than ten feet from my panel to the ground outside???

Two key features are its current rating and its connection to earth. Current defines its life expectancy over many surges. Earthing defines it performance during each surge.

Pay strict attention to earth ground. Verizon installs extensive earthing in their cell towers. Because that protector is only as effective as its earth ground. If your earth ground connects to a cold water pipe on the other side of the basement, then you have virtually no earthing. That earthing may be sufficient for human safety. But that same earthing is virtually non-existent for transistor safety. The 6 AWG solid copper wire would be too long.

Recapping: I am looking for a 6AWG (Thick) wire running the shortest distance possible (10 ft or less) from the point where the protector (SPD) connects between my breaker panel and the protection (earth outside). Otherwise, if those minimum prerequisites are not met the SPD solution is useless. I am trying to put it in terms as if I were a 3rd grader to understand. But I am already a lot more educated about this than I was this morning. Thank you!!!

In looking at the specs how do you determine what values equate to X amount of amp protection.

Protector's specifications define its number of amps. The Recap lists numbers that exceed 50,000 amps (50ka). Any effective protector say how many amps it can connect to earth.

The ground wire must go from a protector to earth ground as short as practicable. Ten feet is considered a maximum. For example, Polyphaser makes a protector that has no earth ground. To be even more effective, that protector mounts on the earth ground. Zero feet away.

Other requirements are also recommended. A ground wire most have no splices. No sharp bends. Not inside metallic conduit. Should be separated as much as possible from all other non-grounding wires. All grounds (for AC electric, telephone protector, cable TV, etc) should meet at this electrode - the single point ground.

Some homes are badly wired by lineman who never learned this stuff. Since earthing is that critical, a utility demonstrates a kludge solution. So that all incoming wires still make a short connection to an enlarged 'single point' earth ground:
http://www.duke-energy.com/indiana-busi ... tip-08.asp

Geology is significant. For most, soil will be conductive enough that a few ground rods may be sufficient. Some locations may need even better earthing due to less conductive soil or other variations.

A protector is simple science. The art of protection is earthing. We have no way of testing the art. So install / upgrade a best possible earthing system. Then learn of our mistakes (or success) from the next 'event'.

Many facilities are encircled with a buried wire. Or use an Ufer ground (originally developed to protect munitions dumps from lightning). Two examples of even better protection.

I've checked with my local power company (they offer whole house surge protectors at the meter) and they've said that the whole house protectors probably will NOT protect delicate electronics (like my INSTEON switches and televisions) unless they are plugged into a separate power surge strip AFTER the meter-installed surge protector.

Any thoughts? After installing two dozen INSTEON devices (and living in lightning rich Central Florida) I'm very motivated to protect my (now) rather substantial investment in my switches.

Will the RayCap surge protectors fit the bill? Or am I just going to be taking my chances anyway? I realize that a RayCap AM2080M-V-07 will protect my dishwasher, etc but I'm really interested in protecting my switches, outlets and KPLs.

> ... and they've said that the whole house protectors probably will
> NOT protect delicate electronics (like my INSTEON switches ...

I would say same since a protector ('whole house' or power strip) does not do protection. Protection is defined by what that protector connects to. By what dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules. An electric company is not installing that. You are responsible for what actually does protection.

Other factors (posted previously) can also determine the 'quality' of protection. Protection is an art. A protector is simple science. Best is to claim other devices are needed so that, should damage occur, then they can point at something else. Meaning you are stuck with any costs.

A 'whole house' protector does not do 100% protection. IEEE defines protection with numbers.

Lightning cannot be prevented; it can only be intercepted or diverted to a path which will, if well designed and constructed, not result in damage. Even this means is not positive, providing only 99.5-99.9% protection. ...
Still, a 99.5% protection level will reduce the incidence of direct strokes from one stroke per 30 years ... to one stroke per 6000 years ...
Protection at 99.5% is the practical choice.

A power strip might do an additional 0.2% protection. And needs protection by earthing a 'whole house' protector. Did the company sales guy discuss what is most important? Customer service usually don't know what is required; only know sales. Your greatest concern and the 'art' of protecting all appliances: a protector ('whole house' or power strip) is only as effective as its earth ground. That concept separates sales rhetoric from engineering concepts.

Why does your telco operate their 'delicate' $multi-million computer during every thunderstorm? Why do telco wires all over town mean maybe 100 surges per storm without computer damage? Telco also earths every incoming wire 'short' to earth via a 'whole house' protector. So that even direct lightning strikes do not cause damage. What gets plenty of attention? The earthing.

Let my experience serve as a reminder: we had lightning strike very nearby last week. No obvious damage to anything but became clear our internet went out. Investigating discovered my mac was dead, as was network switch and exterior wifi antenna. APC battery/ surge was all fried. Looks like was some kind of indirect induction current that came into switch via the external antenna that was not separately grounded. All the wires still work and there was no sign of a burn or anything like that so I guess was not super hot current. We have an eaton whole house suppressor at the panel but that doesn't apply here. No breakers threw and no lights even flickered.

I have 7 exterior lines (wifi plus 6 Poe security cameras). None were grounded.

Yesterday I installed tupavco ethernet suppressors on each exterior line, all with a dedicated ground to house outlet. Note these are designed to blow out when they suppress so buy some extras to keep on hand.

I also rebought surge /battery system: Tripp lite isobar into wall and cyber power ups into the isobar (pretty good I think but technically if you want to keep warranty alive you need to buy all same brand stuff). Note you should plug battery system into the surge not other way around. Usual disclaimers apply...

Crossing my fingers during next storm!
Aaron

I've checked with my local power company (they offer whole house surge protectors at the meter) and they've said that the whole house protectors probably will NOT protect delicate electronics (like my INSTEON switches and televisions) unless they are plugged into a separate power surge strip AFTER the meter-installed surge protector.

If that INSTEON does not have a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to single point earth ground, then it may even make surge damage easier.

Meanwhile, for over 100 years, every facility that cannot have damage always uses the 'whole house' solution.

But again, did you upgrade the earthing to both meet and exceed code requirements. If not, you still have no effective protection. The electric company is routinely sued for damage. Insteon is not. An electric company does not provide what does the protection - that required earth ground. Only you do. So the electric company will not claim such protection. They cannot guarantee what you failed to provide. But for over 100 years, that 'whole house' protection is the only provided solution. Why? Because a proven solution connects hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly to earth.

Where does Insteon claim to protect from hundreds of thousands of joules? How many joules does it claim to absorb? I see no numbers in that post. So everything is best ignored as hearsay.

The world's best protector does nothing without what is most important - a low impedance (ie no sharp wire bends) connection to earth. Where does Insteon say those hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate? When it fails on a potentially destructive surge, then will you sue Insteon? Of course not. You will discover on court those many Insteon specifications that never claimed effective protection.

Having said that, this is where a responsible (informed) reply returns with specification numbers. No numbers means hearsay - no effective protection.

Suffice it for most us to say you need both a good method to divert surges ('protector' of some kind) and a have that diversion hooked up to ground effectively. And practically speaking those surge protectors are made to burn out so consider them an ongoing expense. And low voltage outside wires are often ignored until they 'strike'. ar

Any protector that fails on a surge is ineffective; grossly undersized; probably a profit center. Effective protectors earth direct lightning strikes and remain effective for decades. Cost about $1 per protected appliance.

Unfortunately, too many only learn this stuff from hearsay, advertising, wild speculation, and urban myths. So they may spend massively on near zero joule protectors from APC, Belkin, Panamax, Tripplite, or Monsster. Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules are harmlessly absorb.

Safety ground in a wall receptacle is not earth ground. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. A connection that must be low impedance (ie less than 10 foot). Informed install something completely different (called a surge protector) from other companies including Intermatic, Square D, Ditek, Siemens, Polyphaser (an industry benchmark), Syscom, Leviton, ABB, Delta, Erico, General Electric, and Cutler-Hammer (Eaton). With numbers that say why it remains undamaged for decades even after many direct lightning strikes.

Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate. With spec numbers that say why. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground (which is clearly not a wall receptacle safety ground).

my two cents.

If you have more than one earth ground they must all be tied together.

Great discussion on grounding from guys that runs WISP's here.
https://forum.netonix.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=188

Westom, appreciate your correct insistence on proper earth grounding. However, I think what ar26pt2 is saying is that if you have a normal house with, for instance in his case, camera cat5 or in my case long outdoor AV leads coming into an AV/media/computer closet, it is likely impossible that any of those wires will be within 10 ft of the actual earth ground. What practical suggestion do you have for dealing with ground induction currents coming through outdoor wiring whose destination is too far from the earth ground? As end users we seem stuck with plugin surge protectors, custom ethernet surge arrestors etc that depend on the house's wired grounds. Would love your insight.

However, I think what ar26pt2 is saying is that if you have a normal house with, for instance in his case, camera cat5 or in my case long outdoor AV leads coming into an AV/media/computer closet, it is likely impossible that any of those wires will be within 10 ft of the actual earth ground.

Implied is that what was posted was not understood.

Low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection can exist in every house. If confused at to how, then many myths that promote ineffective protectors have not been unlearned..

I am completely confused by your statements. They do not make sense. Embedded are a few bogus assumptions. Since that solution that makes surges (lightning and other transients) irrelevant means your confusion would not be posted.

Do you believe a wall receptacle is earth ground? That myth promotes plug-in protectors. Communication wires (ie Cat5) already have best protection? And are further protected by a properly earthed 'whole house' solution? Yes, that sentence describes two completely different solutions. Both exist to make CAT5 protection so robust.

Do you believe transients appear on cables as if that cable is an antenna? If so, then a conclusion is being made using junk science that also promotes plug-in protectors. A conclusion that is obviously wrong because it does not come with perspective - that means numbers.

Please describe, in detail, a configuration that demonstrates your belief. Again, that example must include perspective including numbers.

Cat5 wire from a camera must be routed to enter at the service entrance - at the single point earth ground. Otherwise a human has compromised protection. No way around reality. Rerouting wires is easy. And even easier if a homeowner makes plans long before installing anything.

Furthermore, a camera mounted distant from a house must be treated as if another structure - with its own single point earth ground. Also obvious if the concepts were grasped.

I suspect you are trying to combine this discussion with plug-in protector myths. Assume everything that promoted plug-in protectors is wrong. Since most must start all over to learn this well proven science from over 100 years ago.

Well understood and proven concepts are demonstrated by a utility's Tech Tip. It demonstrates good, bad, and ugly (preferred, wrong, and right) solutions: View Tech Tip 8 in:
http://www.duke-energy.com/indiana-busi ... tip-08.asp
.

Duke energy says

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Please explore our other offerings.

Tech Tip 8
Preventing Damage Due to Ground Potential Differences

SYMPTOMS

Television, phone, computer system damage during storms.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

Improper bending.
Seperate grounding electrodes. Long distances between grounding electrodes.
SOLUTIONS

Bond phone and CATV grounding conductors to the power grounding electrode conductor at the service entrance.
BACKGROUND

Most people have suffered sensitive equipment damage during lightning storms, or know someone who has. On the surface, voltage surges appear to be the culprit and usually receive the blame for this damage. The power system can carry high voltage surges (lightning), but there is a more likely cause.

Many "voltage surges" are actually voltage differences in the earth that reach sensitive equipment because of bonding errors. Lightning and faults on the distribution system can cause a very large ground potential difference. Sensitive equipment that references multiple grounding systems that are not bonded together, can be exposed to very high voltage differences.

VOLTAGE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POWER AND CATV GROUNDING ELECTRODES

Televisions often reference two or more grounding electrode systems, significantly increasing the possibility of damage during a storm or line fault. In addition to the power grounding, the electrode system television may also reference cable television (CATV), an antenna system, or satellite dish grounding electrode system. If these grounds are not solidly referenced to the power grounding electrode system at the house at the house service, very high ground potential differences may appear inside the television. Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic of a television tuner and the power and CATV grounds. The power and CATV grounds may be at significantly different voltages during a storm if they are not bonded at the main power service entrance.

Figure 1: Tuner, CATV and Power Grounding Electrodes

tuner

Figure 2 shows three configurations that occur frequently. The left example is an example of incorrect grounding. The middle sketch is correct, but not preferred due to the long bonding juniper, grounding. Power, phone and CATV bonds are connected with No. 6 copper or larger. The right sketch is correct and preferred, with the power and communication bonded with a very short bonding conductor. Many new homes are constructed to bring all utilities to one location.

Figure 2: House Grounding Electrode Configurations

grounding

WHAT THE CODE SAYS

The 1993 National Electric Code sets the requirements for bonding the communication, radio, and television antenna and CATV grounds to the power ground in Articles 800-40d, 810-21j and 820-40d. The code requires a minimum No. 6 copper bonding conductor between these ground electrodes and the power grounding electrode, where separate electrodes are used. Please see these articles and Article 250 of the National Electric Code for further detail on the proper grounding of low voltage electrical systems.

Thanks!