How To Install A Surge Protector

In the last video we took a deep dive into Surge Protection, today let's install 'em! Watch as Dustin installs two different styles of Type 1, Whole-Home surge protectors... Plus the how, why, and where of it all.
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SPDs? You should get that checked out.
These days our homes seem to be spilling over with new technology and sensitive electronics, thus the surges of yesterday are only getting more and more costly. Most homeowners blame lightning for the majority of electrical surge damage to their home... but they're being a bit misled. These voltage abnormalities more commonly come from large appliances in our homes (ACs, furnaces, air compressors etc.), rarely by lightning or changes to the power grid. Surges shorten the life of sensitive electronics, the larger ones causing catastrophic damage to a homes electrical system. Surge Protection Devices or (SPDs) are devices installed at electrical services, branch circuits, or equipment that help protect against these sudden spikes in voltage, using special resistors to “sense” when higher-than-normal voltage is produced then immediately act to redirect voltage away from your electrical system. It's important to note that surge protectors do not protect against lightning strikes to the home or building itself, that would be a lightning protection system which is something completely different, so get that out of your head right meow. To learn more about surges and how surge protection works, go check out Dustin’s deep dive into surge protection -- • SURGE PROTECTORS (SPDs...
Installation
In Dustin's video you will see two different styles of Type 1 “whole home” Surge protection, the first being the snap-in, plug-on neutral style with no leads. This is a newer Square D design that only works with the corresponding QO plug-on-neutral panels. Not only is this style super-sleek and convenient for the installer, but if installed correctly is as close to line as physically possible, meaning its rated efficacy is near 100%. Simply save two breaker spaces of the breaker bus and snap in the surge protector, the green LED light should come on indicating that it's functioning and ready for surges.... and you're done! Simple as apple pie and ice cream.
The second style is intended for more universal use, designed to be mounted to the exterior of any make and model of panel with a threaded hub and lock ring attachment that fits into a ½ inch knock-out at either the bottom or the side of a panel. While this Type 1 is rated for use without an overcurrent protection device, for proper installation it is easiest to land the leads into a breaker that is installed at the nearest space possible to keep the leads short. If the panel being worked on has the option, this specific SPD is also rated to be directly wired to the phase bus mounting screws. When installing this style of SPD it is crucial to keep the leads as short as possible because with every foot of wire lead, 160 more volts is allowed to pass through to the load you’re trying to protect in the event of a surge.
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Stay safe out there! Love from the ATX

[@RogerWakefield]

Great content as always! Love your channel brother!!!

[@turtleshellsman3230]

Bro I love both y’all’s channels. You guys are amazing teachers and I truly appreciate the knowledge you guys share

[@bloodsongsToolreviews]

"What the hell type of Plumber put that together"

[@sambromley7394]

I knew sooner or later I’d see Roger in these comments!!

[@jeffreylonigro1382]

It’s just like plumbing with electrons!

[@lemmonproductions6090]

Because of you I'm becoming an electrician this coming year

[@WyattH]

Same I’m 16 and planning on becoming an electrician

[@mattrob15]

I just completed my first year because of Dustin

[@jamess1787]

I hope your handy work doesn't produce a lot of lemons!

[@SuperVstech]

Awesome! Electricians need to be passionate about this field. Learning all the time. Not a day job, a lifetime career. And free time as a beginner is nonexistent. Fill it with learning and you will go far.

[@jolyonwelsh9834]

It is a very popular trade. The competition will be very stiff depending on what part of the country you are in.

[@Mr._Krabs]

Became an electrician watching you. Im on day 94 and they call me the foreman already. Got to thank you for that. Knowledge is everything!

[@gm8507]

They are probably talking shit to you Mr. Foreman

[@SuperVstech]

If lead length is so critical on bleed through, why, in your main panel don’t you put the ground and neutral in the shortest location? Neutrals and grounds are legal to share in the main panel...

[@dccrazy527]

I’ve been helping a friend on mine in the electrical trade. I been in the crawlspaces and attics, but i LOVE this field of trade. I don’t understand most of it yet but I’m getting my grip on it all. We were just at a duplex changing the plugs and feeding new wires to the panel. He showed me once how to take apart the panel, to put a new one in, and put it back together, and I did it with him only explaining it once to me. He’s the best guy to learn from in the electrical trade and I can’t wait to take notes from you as well!

[@ryanedwards7741]

why did you install the breaker at the top of the panel when you said lead length should be as short as possible?

[@goaliedude32]

If only I were this early to work, I wouldn't get fired

[@UpperAquatics]

I'm an aspiring electrician and I really appreciate these videos. I sent you 5 BAT for helping me out. Its awesome to see verified creators out there! Keep up the good work

[@bruceanderson9461]

If your panel is full of breakers can you add the surge protector leads to an existing 240 20amp breaker?

[@davidsine4390]

Great question. That's what I want to know.

[@powerstrokeful]

Good question I can’t see why not interested in a detailed answer

[@sir.7421]

Great advice about reading the warranty and instruction, Reading the instructions sometimes you learn new things about the device. Keep up the good videos my fellow electrical brother

[@jragadio]

With the let through voltage, why not install the breaker at the bottom of the panel so that your leads don’t need to run the entire length of the panel to the top where your 2 pole breaker is? It seems as though he leads could be way shorter that way.

[@Layarion]

even so, it only protects that one leg right?

[@InfoOnly2U]

You have to install the surge protection bat the top.

[@jragadio]

@@Layarion no, it protects both legs since it’s on a double pole breaker.

[@wmcomprev]

If these panel surge protector warranties are similar to the warranty on a plug-in surge suppressor, then their warranty is only activated after your homeowner's insurance has paid. So, usually, they don't wind up paying for anything more than your deductible, but that still helps. The homeowner's warranty will pay for a lightning strike, but I'm not sure about a transient surge caused by something else.

[@crimsontide202]

You mention to keep the leads as short as possible, but then mention it's ok to place your breaker any place on the buss bar to keep those leads short. Wouldn't the buss bar itself be considered a lead length? In other words, wouldn't it be best to place the breaker as close to the line entrance as possible? Thank you...

[@jamesrockford6700]

My understanding is that TYPE 1 Surge Protectors are to be used before the first disconnect and TYPE 2 are to be used after the 1st disconnect

[@number1pappy]

On the plug in neutral no wire lead type of surge protector, does it matter how close it is to the main wires coming in to box? In other words is it better to install on the top of elecrical box or does it not matter??

[@heroknaderi]

I enjoyed it. I appreciate it

[@erikev]

The mfg recommendation is to have two single pole breakers, not a ganged dual pole. This is to maintain protection on the second phase if the first phase only is triggered. Also, it is emphasize that the wires should be twisted (to reduce the inductive coupling). It is right there in the installation instructions.

[@boardsblades]

I just picked up a HEPD25 and the instructions state "maximum 30a, 120/240 V Two-pole breaker OR 2 adjacent maximum 30a 120/240 V single-pole breakers... "

[@feddy11100]

Just came from the other video and wanted to see how difficult this is gonna be. Edit- So would you recommend the breaker style over the wire-in type? You seemed to imply that at the beginning of the video.

[@SwingboyPA]

Yeah; I'd like to know why too...

[@jasonbalmaceda6579]

WHAT WOULD KLEIN TOOLS SAY ABOUT YOU USING THE LINEMANS PLIERS AS A HAMMER

[@mrjon75]

How many volts is the surge protector you installed getting to it under normal situation and how is it getting it?

[@10Flat]

It’s also sometimes called PEAK through voltage. Where a panel itself may have a withstand rating.

[@SuperVstech]

Heh, my shop is a former cable company building... The ENTIRE 3ph main panel is fed through MASSIVE surge protection PANEL... looks awesome.

[@SG-zh5xd]

My Electrician says they really don't work ,they may stop a surge if it comes in a certain way ,lighting jumps around in all kinds of ways so he says pass on them .I will guarantee they will fight warranty claims .

[@nusermane1076]

Thank you for the good explanation!! But I’ve got a question: If you’re installing a SPD below your panel, does it really matter, where you place the breaker for the SPD? I’m asking because, if you put it up high and you run long wires down to the SPD, it’s the same distance (if measured from the main breaker on the top of the panel) , as if you put the breaker on the bottom of the panel and run short wires. The distance I talk here about means the length of conductors in sum (busbar + wires). Or is it better to mount the breaker on the bottom, since the busbars may have lower impedance than the wires (more crossectional area)? Bests :)

[@SwingboyPA]

It's more important that the lines to ground and neutral are short -that's the priority with placement. And be sure that the panel is well-grounded (I live in an area with old housing stock where a lot of panels are just grounded to the closest water pipe and then jumped at the meter: so if a plumber installs some pex in between those points, there is no longer a serious ground.

[@wirefeed3419]

It is excellent to see you talking about Reading the manufactures Installation instructions, something so basic yet can make a huge difference in installation and operation. The instructions are not just paper in the box, the manufacture had to spend a lot of money in providing the very specific information not for but as Part Of the Certification and Approval process. Having been a trades person for almost 40 years, 15 years as an inspector I can say no less than 90 % of every rejection could easily have been avoided by simply following the direction wording of the manufactures installation instructions. It takes 2-5 minutes to read and know yet time after time the instructions are found in perfect condition folded up in the bottom of the equipment or garbage bin. Doing a job twice no matter how basic always takes longer than 5 minutes.

[@forrbyc1508]

Thanks for all the great videos and info Dustin! I have a quick question… if you have a sub panel does that need it’s own surge protector? One for main panel and one for subpanel? Or will the surge protector on main panel cover both panels?

[@tinyb69]

If it's being fed from your main panel, it will be just fine.

[@forrbyc1508]

@@tinyb69 thank you!

[@keepinitbassyusa]

Sir. I want the baddest full home surge protector for a two story home. Which one do you recommend. Price is not a concern.

[@carterbarns843]

Speaking of reading the warranty wording, I was reading the warranty for the ultra surge by Eaton. It covers 108,000 amps. And they say they warranty up to $75,000 of connected equipment. HOWEVER. If you read carefully, they say they do not cover acts of god, example, lightning. Why would a surge protector not cover lightning? I understand it isn’t going to completely protect against lightning, that’s not it’s primary function, but that seems kinda off to me and off putting to the customers I install these for. Any thoughts?

[@MrTrendsetter]

are the surge protectors with leads panel specific or can i install any one on any panel as long as i have a spare breaker?

[@fishyhobby3697]

Why doesn't square d qo have a dual purpose breaker and surge protector like Siemens? QO top of line.. whatever

[@fishwithmetoday7489]

Can you use the plug on neutral style with the ground and neutral bars not bonded? It is the main panel (customer load), but is the second point of disconnect.

[@pepeshopping]

So tell us your experience with those “warranties”?? I do work for one of the 2 biggest producers of electrical equipment and know that, for the most part, you will spend more PROVING your case, than whatever you will ever get from a big company.

[@wildbill562]

I read the same thing in the Amazon reviews. Almost impossible to even contact them.

[@damianmuniz4175]

Great info love it make a video of colors high and low volts solid I'm in my first year aprrentice for commercial also tips and phone app or books we can carry as reference

[@PrivateUser1]

Does the location really matter that the SPD is as close as possible to the main? I’ve read conflicting thoughts on this. I had the homeline plug on version but it only fit at the bottom where the panel accepted tandem breakers. Does it matter? I see you added multiple SPD is one better than the other or can you put more than one also?

[@Conan-dd9qt]

Yeah same to me... and Im confused why he put the breaker in the upper part wherein he can also put it in the last slot to maximize the protection... he said that the leads must not be longer or it will still send some voltage in the equipment...

[@kevindillon358]

Disclaimer: I am not an electrician, so I apologize if my terminology is wrong. Question for Dustin or any electricians lurking in the comments: I believe this device works by monitoring line voltage and bleeding it off to neutral if there is an excess (please let me know if that is incorrect). So, since this is the service entrance and neutral and ground are bonded, what is to stop an excessive voltage (lightning strike or whatever) that is bled to neutral by this device from traveling through the neutral bus, through the bonding jumper, through the grounding system and "back-feeding" into the house and potentially the chassis of a metal appliance or something? Is there not potential for getting shocked if you happened to be holding such an appliance when that happened?

[@googleantispy3850]

Oops. At 2:23 you mention "two phases". You mean the two legs of //single phase// split 220, correct? Or did I miss something?

[@donski1519]

Yeah there's no such thing as 220 volts in America. He had to mean split phase not 2 phase because there's only single phase ran to residential houses.

[@petercampbell4220]

Nothing protects from a direct lighting strike. But those are very rare, and usually involes putting out fires.

[@matthewkent1865]

Is it reasonable to think about putting a rubber grommet on that device to further water-proof it for outdoors or unnecessary? Thanks for your excellent videos and information.

[@thousandnations1soul450]

Id rather watch your videos than TV.

[@KameraShy]

TV has gone down the crapper.

[@Whois2440]

Another great video! Did you end up installing two? The Plug on Neutral and a breaker version? If so, is there benefit to that over just one?

[@ElectricianU]

I did but just to show the differences between the two, not for extra protection. I'm not sure that having two at the panel would provide any protection above that which is already present with one. I'd imagine so, but I can't guarantee that.

[@TheWilferch]

Another comment....I *thought* type 1 devices were installed on the line-side and not the load side...and ANY device located on the panel's bus...meaning downstream of the main disconnect/breaker....was then a Type 2 device. Wrong?....are you saying it is also dependent if the "breaker" is external ( type 2) vs internal to the device ( type 1)?.....if so, how can a type 1 be located in the bus regardless of how the protection is provided?...it's still not on the line side. Confused. Lastly.....the devices that plug in just like a double-pole breaker are nice for ease of install....BUT.....it seems they can't get up to the same surge capacity level as does (say) the Siemens FS140 ( 140,000 Amps surge capacity), that I am soon going to install in my home, but requires separate double-pole breaker and some "leads" to be connected...a. bit more of a bother...agreed.

[@thomascox6575]

Ah yes a linemen and a screwdriver to tighten something

[@booradlly]

“I’m not going to tap this on The line side of my main breaker, that’s just silly”. Could you explain this, why is that silly ? Wouldn’t that protect against surges from the grid ?

[@SwingboyPA]

Yep. Good question.

[@leemarker1233]

Question. What if there is no space left in the combo panel for a surge protector. Can I still install it in the sub panel? Would it still protect the circuits?

[@willwilliams7057]

The other day, lighting hit a tree in my back yard, or should I say I suspect that is what happen from the bark of the tree being about 60 feet in all directions away from the tree. I had some outlets that don't work now addition to my Mancave recliner chair which doesn't work now. I get it, reasoning of having a whole house surge protector. I have a garage where my woodworking tools are...some are large tools and they cost thousands of $$$. The garage has a sub panel box of the main panel inside the house. Should I have also a surge protector in this box?

[@michaelbatten4703]

I found a Supco SCW Secondary Surge Arrester that was double tapped onto a 2 pole 20 amp breaker. I bought another breaker for it so I would be double tapped. This surge protector doesn’t have a white neutral wire. Should I get a different one or it the surge protector with a ground and two hots okay?

[@mackdraper7464]

Came across today, DTK 3 wire (black) secondary surge double tapped into a 60A and a 15A, my thoughts, it cant be proper/safe.

[@steve-o6413]

Another great informative video, know your product your installing not just how to install the device...

[@richardcranium5839]

warranties are only as good as the company behind it. if its a lifetime warranty who's or what's lifetime???? just marketing ploys. good luck collecting

[@steve-o6413]

My thoughts exactly and just try and collect on that insurance policy lol...

[@Familyfun2006]

Why is it silly to connect to main like it says you can what if you don’t have any room on the panel to add breaker I’m not going to change full panel just add a breaker

[@ericr2zz]

Thank you Dustin! Love your channel and just subscribed. I'm planning to install this on my main panel (not subpanel). However, I don't have separate neutral and ground bars. Just one bar which has both ground and neutral wires connected to it. Any reason why I can't connect the green and white wires to this one bar? Thank you!

[@voltmanip]

NEC 215.18 E nominal discharge current not less than 10k research please ????

[@connorbutler4085]

When installing a surge protector at the main panel, because the neutral and grounds are bonded together already does that mean that you can wire the ground and neutral wires next to each other on the same bus bar? Or do you still need to wire the ground and neutral to their own bars as if they weren't bonded?

[@TheWilferch]

A main panel...where neutral and ground are "connected" ( bridged...bonded)....you can land neutral and ground on either. For "eye-appeal" and a cleaner "look"...a lot of the more careful installs place all grounds on one bus and all neutrals on the other....but it's not necessary. CAVEAT....keeping it separate IS critical for sub-panels where the neutral and ground busses are NOT connected, but kept separate.

[@ramirofaldas9696]

Sir, i'm from Philippines I get really amazed than here in our country fewer stalled SPD

[@dereksmith5019]

SO , i install a surge protector and the green lights come on . A month later i check the protector and the lights are red . What does that mean , and what do i do about that ?

[@nathanarnold179]

There’s no such thing as a two phase in a single phase panel, it confuses people. L1, L2 and N. ;-)

[@Kiddro22]

So you basically have double back up coverage from what I’m looking at?

[@johnkulpowich5260]

For being so smart no arc protection. On live equipment. And put yourself on video

[@virgilsmith5792]

is there a video on installing a surge protector at the transfer switch of my home standby generator?

[@nakayle]

If short leads are important why didn't you connect it to a breaker at the bottom where the protector is?

[@skawalker35]

I have an 8 space CSED and a subpanel inside. Does it matter which panel the SPD is installed? I'm thinking inside the CSED since that's the closest to the service drop?

[@erichovatt]

Who the fuck would ever tap into the main breaker? What kind of hack would ever do that

[@TheWilferch]

Some comments on lead length. Yes.... correct...the longer the leads the worse your level of protection. There are industry papers that say if you "twist" your lead wires, at 1 twist/inch of lead length, you greatly improve the impedence to the point of nearing the lab test leads used when measuring VPR, ( 6" long in lab)....and also this---> if you can't twist 10 AWG wire easily you get ALMOST the same impedence improvement when the leads are parallel but tightly TOUCHING one another...like when using zip ties, tightly.Greatly improves the pass-through limit.

[@janardan7]

I have no more space in my main electrical panel. I do have a sub panel that has open slots. This is another room so I can not move the circuits from main panel to sub panel. Can a whole house surge protector be installed in sub panel and still be effective?

[@ElectricianU]

It needs to be at the main at the service to be effective as this is the point where your neutral and ground are bonded. Your subpanels are not bonded, and that's on purpose. If you put one of these in a subpanel, the surge would have a long distance to travel to dissipate back to earth so it would most likely do a poor job of dissipating that voltage spike once it finally travels back through neutral to ground because of the added impedance of the length of the neutral conductor between the main panel and sub panel. Also, the HEPD80 model can be installed on the lugs where the main breaker attaches to the bus - since it is a type 1 SPD it has it's own overcurrent protection built in, thus it does not need to be protected by a breaker. This means you can still put one on your main service panel. =) Just read all the instructions about lead length before you do.

[@janardan7]

That was very helpful and clear, thanks you

[@kylemiller7468]

@@ElectricianU What about a transfer switch scenario. I have a generac service rated ATS outside with a sub panel in the basement. There aren't any breaker positions in the ATS or any tabs to wire off the load side lugs. Would you use a flat connector and add them behind the L1 and L2 cables on the load side rather than adding to the sub panel?

[@adrianstoness3903]

do these preotec from frequency jumps in ur power?

[@jerrywhite4497]

My dad was an electrician. He used to tell us that a plumber was nothing but an electrician with his brains knocked out. No offense plumber's. I've got my meter and my main breaker panel (and transformer) 100' from my house which has a 200amp panel inside. Do I put it in the panel inside or in the main panel outside? Great video thanks.

[@asuarezjd]

i know this is outside so the homeruns are long and any appliance is far from it. Yet, why did you not install it on the side so the wires are shorter? I get the water concern but it won't be an issue. And, the instructions for this particular HEPD80, indicate that you need to twist or braid the two hots to make it efficient. It is what should be done in everyone of them but I was glad to discover that Schneider wrote it clearly in the instructions while others ignore to and is up to us to do it. I was surprised and kind of dissapointed that you did not do it in this video. Also, mention that no sharp bends, we old timers trained learning that the bottom of a soda can is the standard for any curves in the wires. Remember that these wires are not used the same as the rest of the circuits, and not just for the "noise" like we do in low voltage and communication ones, but it helps deter impedence thus the protector can absorb more juice and shunt way more...each nanosecond counts!

[@eerokartiala5957]

I got the surge protector HEPD80. I see that the wires coming out of it is 14 Gage. Will that be significant for a type one? They seemed a bit small. The wire in your video looks to be 12 Gage.

[@doghouseliver6955]

Nice vid. I have one installed in my breaker but it is / down on the left side. I am gussing that leaves some things unprotected? If so, is there such a thing s a surge protected shut off box? I have one down at my gate and the opener was k and I REALLY want it protected

[@sku32956]

I have been doing research on a whole panel surge protection ,I called 5 supple houses none carry them no demand .I called my electrician he says they are worth less lighting does something different every time jumping from cable over to power ,many ways ,The only one he says are good are the ones the power company will install charge a monthly fee .Good luck on a pay out from a warranty claim .

[@tinorivera660]

Hello 👋🏼 I’m new to your channel, I’m an apprentice and I really enjoyed the video 👍🏼do you edit ✍️ your own content?? Also do you have any advice for new content creator in electrical trade ?? Should I even worry about making content as an apprentice or vlogging the whole journey?

[@noeleenfalkner4557]

Can you help in a caravan in NZ and the camp ground suffers from spkes or surges and my ceiling lights are being affected any suggestions or if you can help it would be great. I have been looking at ampfibian from Australia but would need to fly there to get it

[@chrisdevine9256]

What are their lifespan? Assuming no major overvoltages, how offer should an spd be replaced? For example, mine is 22 years old. Should I replace it because of age?

[@jamess1787]

It should have a surge rating.... But like all equipment I've used: nothing actually has a counter so you never know when to replace the stupid thing.

[@neilbrookins8428]

@@jamess1787 mine has two green lights. The manual says to replace it when the light goes out. But there is no specific time limit.

[@jamess1787]

@@neilbrookins8428 good to know. Power surge strips sure, but anything else.... I've installed lightning arrestors and other surge protectors in substation facilities for telecom equipment: I've never seen even a light on them. When they go bang is when they tell you they need to be replaced. I hardly believe that a MFG will give you 50,000 in 10 years after their warranty period expires for a surge bar. Seems like a a decision no CFO would make.

[@thomashybiske5399]

A suppressor like the Square D HEPD80 will take repeated hits that are somewhat below its rated maximum without damage to the device. The device will sacrifice itself to suppress surges above the maximum rating and will indicate that it's no longer protecting one of the two phases by extinguishing one or both of the green pilot lights.

[@eldstgilmorbarboydodellatb4413]

💚💚💚💚 bookmark/notes: the SC s cig to the work , license plate off car and under box ….ect….tbc….-g-b, bot

[@KevinBenecke]

That let through voltage is why you still need the surge protector you have at your devices because they'll catch the let through voltage that is left for further protection at the device(s). One thing you didn't mention in the video is if it matters where the circuit breaker feeding the surge protector goes. Can it go anywhere there is an opening? Or does it go at the top most circuit breaker openings?

[@miguelmartinez-kr7ps]

He did mention, he said put it as close as want to reduce the lead lengths. Not sure why he still put his near the the top far from the device after saying that. I guess for aesthetic reasons and maybe the length isn't an issue since it's close already

[@guillermoparedes6450]

Was that a whole house surge protector? Does that mean I wouldn't have to hook up my expensive equipment like a computer or big screen t.v to a wall plugged in surge protector.

[@artz9643]

Hey Dustin, just wanted to correct 2 things you mentioned at 2:20 First of all, residential services are single phase. You have 2 legs inside the panel not 2 phases. It's split phase, not 2 separate phases. Also you mentioned that it's a "220" breaker. Negative, the utility voltage is 120/240. It hasn't been 110/220 in many, many decades.

[@Nick-bh1fy]

Technicalities really, many people call it 220 instead of 240 (idk y) and I guess w the phases you have a point but I’ve heard an A and B phase referring to single phase so he isn’t wrong either

[@kevindillon00]

He may not in this one, but in a lot of his videos he will explain that “technically” something should be called X, but you will always hear it called Y in the real world, so he calls it Y for clarity. These are almost certainly two of those cases….I am positive he knows the difference.

[@rlta8352]

Here come the NEC freaks! lol

[@ronl2843]

I always fall back to the adage "220-221 whatever it takes" hahaha @@rlta8352

[@rsexpres23]

I am not a electrician, so my question is I had a house built and I have 2 breaker boxs in the basement and 1 in the garage. So the question is the surge protector without leads, do i have to install in each breaker box? or is it a option for better protection if i do?

[@wisnoskij]

I Am just educating myself on this topic, but my understanding is the anything on the downstream side of the main breaker is type 2???

[@christisking9773]

Can I ask why u didn't put breaker all way at bottom? For sake of neatness that u didn't have 10 empties and then a breaker by itself at bottom?

[@morganyoung8272]

After reading on this I think I’m going to hook mine up to the load side of the main breaker feeding my house pannel, would anyone advise against this?

[@vince6829]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@anthonychappell4746]

Why didn't you install directly to the main bus?

[@eduardoig17]

The music in the background was a little trippy. I thought I was going crazy hearing music that was not there

[@RJ-ej1nr]

Did you install the HEPD80 with the indicator light facing the wall? Don't you need to know when the varistor(s) have gotten used up? Also, I now treat SPDs as consumable devices - after a few early ones got used up quickly and some discussions/tests/fixes from the utility, my next one lasted ~5 years. I like and have the QO250PSPD you have for easy replacement, and for additional coverage, I upgraded to a IG2280 which has the consumable SPD varisitors in a modular replacement. Love your channel!

[@davidkirby3667]

When a main power panel does not have any expansion available, can a surge protector be installed on a pigtail with another branch circuit; sharing a single circuit breaker?

[@neilbrookins8428]

It’s interesting you used a 20 amp breaker. I bought a SPD from Eaton and it requires a 50 amp breaker. Seems like a smaller breaker would significantly reduce the surge suppression abilities.

[@RJ-ej1nr]

The question can also be made for connecting via direct bus wiring as that has no branch circuit breaker at all, and it's load side of the main, not line side which he talked about at 2:08. But SPD performance is not the only factor for that, having to either work hot or turn off the main might be a tradeoff you don't want to make. With the breaker install, HEPD80 instructions say, "connect ... to a maximum of 30A ... breaker". As for why 20A versus 30A, good question, maybe he didn't have 30A handy?

[@ElectricianU]

The device is what's being protected by the 20amp breaker, not anything else. The only reason for the breaker is to protect the device, it has nothing to do with the surges or the breaker would be nuisance tripping constantly. The manufacturer's sticker says to protect with up to a 2-pole 30 so I'm protecting the device to it's manufacturer nameplate rating, just like we'd do with a motor or appliance. An SPD is not taking the impact of the entire load in a surge, it's balancing the impact through the SPD, the load, and depending on the type of surge - the utility system, and earth.

[@neilbrookins8428]

@@ElectricianU how do you think the SPD is doing it’s protective work? It clearly is taking an abnormally high voltage that it senses on the 1 or 2 hot wires and passing that energy onto the ground wire. This means that the power/energy is indeed passing through the breakers during the brief moment that the surge is occurring. Now, if there are other surge strips at various points of usage, then they are also doing the same thing and passing current from the hot wire to the ground wire throughout the house at various points. But to say that the SPD is not passing the surge energy through the breaker is incorrect. The path order would be breaker to SPD to ground.

[@jakesully5402]

@@neilbrookins8428 breakers are designed to perform protection under normal use. The surge protection device is considered a load. It consumes energy to simply sit there and await surges. Then it actually (hopefully) performs upon a surge, but the breaker itself does nothing to help absorb the surge. Hope that helps !!!

[@Arieeeee]

@@neilbrookins8428 Whole House surge protectors handle 40,000 Amps for a split second. If the breaker's purpose had anything to do with protecting the system and not the device, do you really think it would matter if it was 20 amps or 50 amps when we're talking about 40,000 amps?

[@InfoOnly2U]

Man I think it’s code for all electricians to use the linesman and a klien screwdriver to tighten up connection 😂😂

[@espnocho7904]

Great video can I install the D Square Q breaker style surge protector on either side of the panel box

[@Coldrew1111]

Hats off to video and professional constructive information. Operating Engineer for 40 yrs... We never know it all Constant check and recheck...Double redundancy.. Smart simple, read all warranties so important..new devices coming out all the time...your videos are so on point. Your site always gives me a good operational Bullet points to help customers understand What equipment will and will not do.. Love how the neighbors say, I watched electrician or HVAC guy...now i can do it...LOL So thanks again for having a truly helpful and safety oriented video... Have to stay up with the times..I help a lot of seniors and always double check my knowledge to protect them and myself.. Drew

[@jorgeeltoritoperez7238]

How much should I charge to install one ?

[@usmcraid5332]

In USA we don’t have 220V - it is 240V

[@RE-ee3ud]

Real good information thanks.

[@skyemac8]

Great that it’s code for new installations now.

[@sbuckman884]

Only had 1 slot left in the breaker box so used a 20/20 CH twin circuit breaker that matched my other breakers. Didn't get a light on the SPD when i set the breaker to on. Also the breaker on opposite leg tripped. Clearly I set something up wrong. Any ideas? Thanks.

[@josephwarner6026]

a 1 slot tandem breaker gives the same phase to both circuits. You can't make 240 volts out of one. The voltage between the two screws is 0. A two-slot breaker would be on two different phases and have 240 volts between the two screws. The SPD is powered off 240v and you were feeding it 0.

[@donski1519]

Well you lost me when you said a 220 breaker. You know or you should know there is no such thing. America runs on 240 / 120 volts. Then later you said you look for 220 volts when you're checking voltage. If you find 220 volts in a panel you've got a problem you need to contact the power company. America runs on 240 / 120 volts don't perpetuate the myth that is 110 / 220! And I've watched your other videos about the color codes, Delta and Wye all very good information and all correct I don't know what happened in this video.

[@rlta8352]

You showed up

[@PedroGarcia-zf8zg]

I have a question maybe someone can help me i bought a new electric dryer and the guy that installed it said that my 240 line does not give enough power to run the dryer correctly can someone please help me to see if i can fix the issue

[@TheSuraj03]

He may be referring to the main panel and the wire feeding power to it, if your service was installed a long time ago, it is probably rated for like 100amp and is already maxed out in terms of capacity.. It may need to be upgraded in order to supply power to your dryer safely.

[@ZiggyTheHamster]

The dryer installer is probably not an electrician or even familiar with electrical work - someone familiar with electrical would have told you something actionable like the outlet not being the proper rating or type. New dryers come with NEMA 14-30 plugs (with 4 prongs), but typically will allow changing to a NEMA 10-30 plug (with 3 prongs) for older installations. The manual will say, and there's a plug conversion kit at your local home center if so. Both of these can deliver 30 amps, so it's not a matter of not having enough power (actually current), but rather not having a dedicated equipment ground. If the dryer instead has a NEMA 14-50 plug, then it requires 40 or 50A, and you'll need to upgrade your dryer's circuit. This would be weird for a dryer, but an electric range would use this type of plug. If you bought the most powerful dryer you could, maybe it requires a 14-50, but otherwise, it should be a 14-30 and probably allows using a 10-30. I can't imagine how it's possible (dryers have been 30A devices forever), but if you have a NEMA 10-20 outlet, you'll also have to upgrade the circuit (because it can only deliver 20A and your dryer needs more). The 10-20 has two angled prongs and one straight prong, and the 10-30 has two angled prongs and one L shaped prong. A 14-30 has a round prong, two straight prongs, and an L-shaped prong. If it's a matter of needing to throw on a 10-30 plug, then I don't know why the installer wouldn't have the ability to do that. It's meant to be easy enough for an end user to do.

[@PedroGarcia-zf8zg]

@@ZiggyTheHamster thanks for the info.

[@lostsands7587]

If you want some more help join the discord, we have a ton of electricians you can pull knowledge from.

[@YehudaKatz1]

I was always told the surge protector should be as close to the infeed of the panel as possible - if you put it at the bottom in a top-fed panel, you just added an extra foot. Thoughts?

[@ElectricianU]

Depends on what type you're talking about. They one I have in the top (Plug On Neutral Style) needs to be at the top, closest to the main breaker. But any that have leads (like the HEPD80) just need to have short lead length because of the size of the conductors and the impedance that adds up as the conductors increase in length. The real issue with let-through voltage is from the panel's bus to the device through the leads. The bus offers such less impedance (because of how thick/large of a conductor it is) that anywhere on the bus is generally fine. But when it changes over to the breaker, to screw on terminals, then the path changes to tiny little conductors on their way to the SPD device, this is the weak link in the chain of effectiveness. I've read through all of the literature from both of these products and neither says anything about it needing to be installed near the main, but they all talk about lead length in the warranty section.

[@YehudaKatz1]

@@ElectricianU so if you are installing one with leads at the bottom (as you did), would you want to install the breaker in the bottom-most slot?

[@thomashybiske5399]

When a surge enters through your mains, it propagates down the voltage rails in microseconds. Whether you install the connecting breaker at the top or at the bottom is immaterial. What matters is getting the surge ie. voltage spike off the rails and to ground with as short a lead as possible. Lead length adds inductance. Lightning is not 60Hz, but contains many different and high frequencies. The higher the higher the frequency, the more those long leads look like a big resistor, preventing that portion of the surge from being quenched. So place the surge suppressor anywhere in the panel, but plan its location based on the Neutral and Ground bus bar location so the leads from the suppressor are as short as possible.

[@SwingboyPA]

@@thomashybiske5399 YES. This is important.

[@Dirty_Bear22]

This seems like a type 2 spd, type 1 goes before your electrical meter?

[@mellovybz302]

Hey keep up the good work I am an electrician also all the way from jamaica