Square D HEPD80 Surge Protector for pool equipment protection

[jonpcar]

A lot of experts on this site recommend these for protecting your pool breaker box and equipment. I’ve always been on the fence because I read the reviews and Square D’s warranty (guarantee that it stops surge damage) is essentially not worth pursuing. However, it supposedly protects your equipment to the extent it is possible from surges. If your pump/pool equipment doesn’t fail, then having one of these seems to confirm that it works...but does the equpiment not fail because of the surge protector, or just because it is not failing? In particular I am wondering about it’s protection for VSPs.

Just wondering if anyone has tales about their equipment (VSP) failing, possibly from a surge, despite having one of these Square D devices installed?

In any case, both Home Depot and Amazon have these on sale right now for about $80, so I bit the bullet and bought one. You would also need a free slot in your breaker box and 20amp double pole breaker in order to install this.

Amazon.com: Square D by Schneider Electric HEPD80 Home Electronics Protective Device: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Square D by Schneider Electric HEPD80 Home Electronics Protective Device: Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

 

[Jnet]

I'm in the same place - on the fence. I'd be interested in hearing opinions.

 

[proavia]

You are trying to protect the sensitive electronics of your VS pump. At $80, cheap insurance versus replacing a $900+ pump.

Hang on a few... let me ping @chiefwej . I think he has the same surge suppressor at his main panel - and an additional smaller one at his pool sub panel.

 

[chiefwej]

No surge protector will help when faced with a direct or even close lighting strike. The warranties on them are always filled with exceptions and loopholes for that reason. That isn’t the specific one I chose, so I can’t advise on installing. As far as protection, your pump and household electronics are much safer with than without, regardless of warranties.

I used two separate whole house units with the following reasoning. Surges can originate on both the incoming power line and within your own electrical system. So, it is prudent to add an additional surge protector right on the pool sub panel for the VS pump. I used a smaller less expensive one for the pool panel. My total cost was about $140 and an afternoons work.

 

[jonpcar]

You are trying to protect the sensitive electronics of your VS pump. At $80, cheap insurance versus replacing a $900+ pump.

Gene, that’s the theory...and my pump (the ECOstar) is notorious for its “drive error” failure. I had that failure on my first ECOstar after 4 years...but were/are those failures related to power spikes/surges? Not clear to me...but when I put my new SquareD on my panel to protect my 1year+ old ECOstar, and the ECOStar lasts 5-6 years, I too will probably be singing its praises.

I have a lot of sensitive electronics in my house and to my knowledge haven’t had any failures due to power surges/spikes. We don’t get as much lightning in AZ as others get...I have seen quite a few people on these boards talk about failures related to strikes.

But I guess it only takes once...and because it was on sale, I’ve bought one, haha. Anyway, I’ll probably install mine within a couple weeks.

Thanks Chief, I agree it is definitely safer than without one. I don’t have any room in my main panel at all, so at this point I am only buying insurance for my ECOstar.

 

[kchinger]

You are trying to protect the sensitive electronics of your VS pump. At $80, cheap insurance versus replacing a $900+ pump.

Hang on a few... let me ping @chiefwej . I think he has the same surge suppressor at his main panel - and an additional smaller one at his pool sub panel.

It's not cheap insurance if it doesn't work. It's worthless insurance.

I'm more familiar with surge/lightning protection on distribution and transmission lines than I am inside the house on secondary circuits, but I've considered a whole house surge protector myself, so I'm curious as well what people's experiences with them are.

 

[kchinger]

snip

I have a lot of sensitive electronics in my house and to my knowledge haven’t had any failures due to power surges/spikes. We don’t get as much lightning in AZ as others get...I have seen quite a few people on these boards talk about failures related to strikes.

snip

Good point about being in Arizona. Electric utilities along the West Coast have approximately 0 interest in lightning protection. They do have surge arresters still due to switching surges (which can travel hundreds of miles, unlike lightning surges which can only travel about 1000 feet along the line before they're basically dissipated) but they see basically no lightning out there.

Reports like this one from Vaisala (https://www.vaisala.com/sites/default/files/documents/2018 Annual Lightning Report_1.pdf) should be used to determine your likelihood of lightning damage and take that into account. A surge protector may still be valuable regardless of lightning density, due to switching surges, but it does change the calculation somewhat.

 

[chiefwej]

Tucson gets plenty of lighting during monsoon season.