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Dalekz
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Joined: 01 Mar 2002
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Dalekz
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 Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:50 pm |
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There seems to be way too much talk of a lightning strike, remember this is western Washington and how many thunderstorms really come through the lowlands (mountains are a different story) every year. I have been here for over 40 years and can’t seem to recall a house getting struck, Trees all the time, but houses not so much. I would be more concerned with a power surge from wind storms knocking lines down and the power company turning the power back on.
That all said and done are the newer appliances requiring the use/ need of the house surge protectors and/or those arc-fault breakers? Can’t you just plug in the appliances into the existing socket or does there have to be a modification to the circuit first.
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westom
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Joined: 03 Jan 2017
Posts: 5 | TRs | Pics
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westom
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Thu Jan 05, 2017 6:47 pm |
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| Dalekz wrote: | | That all said and done are the newer appliances requiring the use/ need of the house surge protectors and/or those arc-fault breakers? Can’t you just plug in the appliances into the existing socket or does there have to be a modification to the circuit first. |
First, arc fault breakers do not protect appliances. Those protect human life - especially from a fault that creates fires. Arc fault breakers and protectors are for completely different and unrelated anomalies.
Second, lightning is one example we all understand for typically destructive surges. Also created by stray cars, utility switching, tree rodents, and linemen errors. A potentially destructive surge is rare - maybe once every seven years. Maybe less so in WA. But that is why about $1 per appliance is spent for a proven solution.
Third, good protection means plugging all appliances directly into wall receptacles. Because a 'whole house' solution protects everything. Then no one need be special trained how to power electrical appliances. Then no internal wiring changes are required.
How is a furnace, dishwasher, GFCI, smoke detectors, or central air conditioner plugged into a power strip? If anything needs protection, then so do those. One solution means everything is protected - even if on 1930 two wire receptacles. No wiring changes required.
Four, nobody is talking about a house getting struck. Structure protection is provided by lightning rods. A lightning strike (or other surge) created far down the street is incoming to all appliances. Earth a lightning rod to protect a structure. Earth a 'whole house' protector to protect appliances.
Long before transistors existed, we would suffer damage even to a refrigerator. Protection is not about protecting transistors. Protection is about protecting appliances - electronic and motorized.
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Schroder
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Joined: 26 Oct 2007
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Schroder
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Fri Jan 06, 2017 3:49 pm |
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I just looked at a couple of these whole-house surge protectors and I don't understand how they work. I would have expected the entire current to go through them but they appear to be just another breaker in the panel with an external module of some kind. What's the principle behind this?
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westom
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Joined: 03 Jan 2017
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westom
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Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:13 pm |
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| Schroder wrote: | | I would have expected the entire current to go through them but they appear to be just another breaker in the panel |
A breaker is a device that disconnects. Anything that tries to disconnect from a surge is blown through - ineffective.
What an effective surge protector does was previously defined: | Quote: | | Effective protectors connect surges low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to single point earth ground. Protectors are connecting devices. Protection is earth ground. A protector is only as effective as its connection to earth ground. |
Do not confuse this with something completely different call a surge protector.
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