How Does a Whole House Surge Protector Work?

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By Liam Johnson

Updated: Sep 24, 2024

8 min read

How Does a Whole House Surge Protector Work
AI Generated Image: Dwellect

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    Installing a whole-house surge protector is the best way to protect your home's electrical appliances and systems. A power surge can damage your appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, water heaters, ranges, computers, etc. Appliances and devices get damaged when there's a sudden surge of electricity through the electrical system, which can cause circuit boards to burn out. This is harmful to your home and can pose safety risks to you and your family.

    Why Do Surge Protectors Matter?

    Surge protectors are crucial for your home's safety and the overall protection of your appliances. For example, last year, my friend's backup generator malfunctioned during a power surge that happened at midnight and caused a small fire. Thankfully, they caught it in time, but the situation was alarming. A whole house surge protector helps avoid mishaps like this and prevents the need for expensive repairs or buying new appliances due to damage.

    Let's discuss how whole-house surge protectors can protect against appliance damage while ensuring your home's safety.

    How Do Whole-home Surge Protectors Safeguard Your Electrical System?

    Whole-home surge protectors constantly observe the voltage flowing through your electrical system and detect sudden voltage spikes. When a surge is detected, the protector separates the electrical panel to prevent high-voltage current from reaching your circuits and damaging your appliances.

    Surge protectors then direct the excess current to the grounding wire, which channels it to a copper ground rod typically located outside the house. The current flows from the electrical system to the ground rod and is absorbed by the soil. This process is known as earthing.

    Surge strips and Type 3 surge protectors operate similarly by detecting spikes in current and redirecting them to a grounding wire. However, surge strips are usually used for individual devices and offer less comprehensive protection than whole-home surge protectors.

    Which Surge Protector is Right for You?

    The type of surge protector suitable for your home depends on personal choice. There are three main types of surge protectors: whole-home, power strips, and plug-in models. Whole-home surge protectors are often the best option for protecting your home and all connected devices. They guard your entire electrical system against both internal and external power surges. These protectors are installed directly into your main electrical panel to ensure comprehensive safety for your home.

    Type 1 Surge Protectors:

    Main Electrical Surge Protector
    AI Generated Image: Dwellect

    Type 1 surge protectors are installed outside the house or at the main electrical panel and are designed to protect against high-energy external surges. They handle large surges, such as those from lightning or significant utility issues, by intercepting them before they enter your electrical system. While these protectors are effective for external surges, they do not prevent smaller internal power spikes from reaching your devices, which can cause damage or pose risks if appliances or wiring catch fire.

    Professionals recommend using Type 1 protectors with other types, such as Type 3 surge protectors, designed to protect individual devices from internal surges. Type 3 protectors, like surge strips for TVs or computers, offer additional protection but are unsuitable for handling large external surges.

    Type 2 Whole Home Surge Protectors:

    Wires can be damaged by melting due to the heat produced by an electrical spike that exceeds its capacity through the circuit. This heat causes the insulation to melt, potentially leading to fire accidents. Such accidents are common, and to prevent these mishaps and ensure your family's safety, the most effective solution is a Type 2 whole-home surge protector. Type 2 surge protectors protect your electrical system from damage and fire hazards, preventing damage to your appliances.

    The Whole Home Surge Protector Setup

    Whole Home Surge Protector
    AI Generated Image: Dwellect

    Installing a whole-home surge protector is a job that typically takes only a few hours, but it's essential to hire a licensed professional electrician. Allowing an amateur to handle this task can pose serious risks, including electrocution and damage to your home's electrical system. These risks jeopardize your safety and can lead to expensive, unnecessary repairs. Likewise, attempting to do it yourself is not advisable, as it's a complex and risky task that requires professional experience and expertise.

    How to Ensure Proper Installation of Whole-home Surge Protection?

    Ensuring the proper installation of whole-home surge protectors is crucial. When installing a surge protector, discuss the process with your electrician to ensure it's done correctly. Typically, the electrician will start by turning off the power and mounting the unit inside or near the main electrical panel. Surge protectors can be installed anywhere between the main breaker panel and the electricity meter. However, the most effective location is generally at the main breaker panel, provided the electrical system and wiring allow it.

    Replacing your main breaker panel may be necessary if there isn't enough space for surge protector installation. Since surge protectors typically require wiring to a double-pole breaker, the lack of available space may mean replacing existing breakers with tandem breakers to create room. Another option is to upgrade the panel with larger breakers or choose a surge protector that can be hard-wired directly into the panel, bypassing the need for a double-pole breaker.

    If homeowners do not want to replace their main panels, they might opt to install the surge protector in a nearby sub-panel. However, this method is less effective, as it only protects the devices and systems connected to that sub-panel. Circuits in the main panel or other sub-panels will have little to no protection.

    Properly connecting the surge protector to the panel's grounding wire is a crucial step when it is mounted and wired to the double breaker. The grounding wire ensures that the surge protector can direct excess electricity away from the system and appliances, protecting them from potential damage.

    Pros and Cons of Whole-home Surge Protectors

    If you're still wondering about the need for a whole-home surge protector, you should consider the pros and cons. Let's discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of surge protectors.

    Pros

    Modern homes contain many expensive appliances and devices that need protection from recurring damage to avoid unnecessary expenses. The numerous sensitive electronics throughout your home require protection from random electrical surges.

    Whole-house surge protectors are advanced devices designed to prevent electrical surges from reaching your electrical system or appliances. They act within nanoseconds to stop surges, preventing damage, accidental fires, and other issues, such as appliances malfunctioning due to excessive power. By blocking dangerous current levels, they ensure the safe usage of your electrical system and protect both you and your assets.

    Sparked Socket
    Photo: @grantzukel

    There are many electronics that these protectors safeguard, such as:

    • Desktop computers
    • Televisions
    • Laptops/tablets
    • Gaming equipment
    • Refrigerators
    • Humidifiers/HVAC systems
    • Smartphones
    • Washer/Dryer
    • LED strips and other lighting

    They protect your home's electrical system

    A whole-home surge protector keeps your appliances and entire electrical system, like wiring and sockets, safe from power surges. Without one, your home is at risk of costly damage, such as electrical fires or the need to replace wiring due to damage, which can cost $8,000 and more. Surge protectors give you peace of mind by stopping surges from damaging your electronics or wiring. This helps you avoid expensive repairs that home insurance usually doesn't cover, saving you money and the worry in the long run.

    Cons

    Home surge protectors are an investment that can be expensive. The cost varies depending on factors such as the type and brand of surge protector, your home's electrical and wiring system, professional charges, etc. This can range from $500 to $750.

    Even though it's a pricey investment, it is a one-time expense that safeguards your home for a longer period, making it a great investment. In comparison, the cost of replacing and fixing your entire electrical system or appliances due to countless power surges is significantly higher.

    Surge protectors don't stop all surges from reaching your home. Whole-house surge protectors work by letting through surges that don't exceed a specified voltage. Due to their design, all SPD devices have a Voltage Protection Rating (VPR) that determines the maximum voltage the surge protector allows to pass through to your home.

    A whole-home surge protector with a high VPR might let through smaller amounts of voltage or current, but it can still damage your appliances over time, even if it protects them in the short term.

    Final Word

    Whole-home surge protectors are very necessary, even if they have a few cons. Ensure you install a whole-home surge protector with a low VPR and layer your home's surge protection to ensure your home is safe and protected for a longer time.

    Getting a whole-home SPD with a VPR of around 600V is advisable. Also, make sure to protect your electrical appliances with point-of-use surge protectors or built-in surge protector outlets. This way, the second layer of protection catches any excess voltage that gets past the whole-home SPD.

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