Installing A Whole House Surge Protector

How to install a whole house surge protection unit

For the best and safest results, a licensed electrical professional is best utilized when installing a home surge suppressor. Nevertheless, the following advice needs to be observed:

   1. There must be two slots of emtpy circuit breaker available at the main panel.
   2. For power phase protection, 2 twenty-amp circuit breakers should be installed. A tandem or piggyback breaker should not be used because the power comes from only one phase.
   3. One other solution is to use a 220 volts 20 amp breaker. The hot leads of the surge protector should never be connected to circuit breakers sharing other loads because it will reduce the efficiency of the unit.
   4. Instructions are included with most whole house surge protector units, but an experienced electical contractor is more qualified to install it.
   5. All surge suppressor unit should come with color coded lights. These will let you know that it is working and when it has protected your equipment from harmful surges. There are many name brands of home surge protectors and anyone considering such a purchase should be a little aware of the components involved and what to look for in order to make the best purchase decision. Leviton and Intermatic whole house surge protector units are very popular and effective.

Installing a whole house surge protector gives the homeowner peace of mind. And this type of surge protection is not very expensive if you consider the damages that electrical spikes will cause if your house is not adequately protected.

Homeowners should not have to endure the sudden damage caused by everyday power surges. With a little proper protection they should never even know a surge has been present in the home. Most brands should give good protection provided it is properly installed in the load center. There is no need to buy an expensive brand. Some brands have 5-year warranty.

Power surges that damage or destroy appliances typically make the appliances or devices unusable. In today's electrical society microprocessors of modern appliances are worth protecting. Since most people consider surge protector as an investment, homeowners should be convinced that before moving into a new home, this protection is installed in the house.

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