Is Surge Protection Needed?

[jragan]

Hello all, I'm automating a manually controlled pool and am curious as to whether surge protection is needed. Our other house has an Intermatic IG1240R PanelGuard Surge Protector installed at/for the pool equipment. Neither house has whole-home surge protectors at the main service panels.

Any advice?

 

[JasonLion]

It is certainly a good idea, but not required.

 

[jragan]

It is certainly a good idea, but not required.

Thanks, Jason -- Any recommendations?

 

[JasonLion]

If you have a free 240 volt breaker slot in your panel it is fairly simple to install a surge protector designed to install as if it was a circuit breaker. They are readily available most places, you just need to be sure to get one that matches the type of circuit breaker used in your panel.

 

[jragan]

If you have a free 240 volt breaker slot in your panel it is fairly simple to install a surge protector designed to install as if it was a circuit breaker. They are readily available most places, you just need to be sure to get one that matches the type of circuit breaker used in your panel.

So you'd go the whole home protection route instead of the at-panel point protection? Would it be overkill to do both?

 

[Bama Rambler]

It may be a little overkill to do both but I would rather be safe than sorry. I'd at least do the whole house one.

 

[westom]

So you'd go the whole home protection route instead of the at-panel point protection? Would it be overkill to do both?

What is the difference of an 'at-panel' and where a 'whole house' protector is located? A 'whole house' protector must be at or in the panel that connects ... and this is critical ... within feet of single point earth ground. It can be in the panel, behind an electric meter, or attached to the meter pan. In every case, protection is about how short that wire is to earth ground. The earth ground that only you, the homeowner, is responsible for.

Any recommendation that only says 'yes or no' is deceptive. Only answer that defines a solution means you also know 'why'. Otherwise, even a 'whole house' protector can be useless.

If either protector does not make a connection that short to earth, then money was wasted. Any protector without a connection short to earth is not doing anything useful. "How many feet from each protector to earth ground?" Without that number, nobody can provide a useful answer.