How to Install Surge Protection | Ask This Old House

Electrician Scott Caron installs several types of surge protection. (See below for a shopping list and steps.)
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Shopping List for How to Install Surge Protection:
- Whole-house surge protector, used to protect home’s electrical system
- Power strip with built-in surge protector, for point-of-use protection
- Surge-protection outlet, used to replace standard outlets
Steps for How to Install Surge Protection:
1. Turn off the electricity to the house at the main electrical panel.
2. Unscrew and remove the front of the electrical panel, exposing the circuit breakers.
3. Remove the knockout plug from the side of the panel and install a whole-house surge protector.
4. Have a licensed electrician connect the surge protector to the circuits in the electrical panel.
5. For point-of-use surge protection, use a power strip that has a built-in surge protector.
6. Plug electronics, telephone, TV, computer and appliances into the surge-protected power strip, then plug the power strip into an electrical outlet.
7. To protect individual devices from power surges, have a licensed electrician replace standard electrical outlets with surge-protection outlets.
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How to Install Surge Protection | Ask This Old House
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[@gokblok]

It's pretty cool that he took time off from Disturbed to help this lady with her surge problem.

[@nyetloki]

Hes ground with the surges.

[@fburejsza]

Now, she can enjoy the sounds of silence while listening to The Sounds Of Silence.

[@robertatkins272]

Oh wa wa wa wa!

[@thatoneguy6313]

Don't quit your day job. Lol

[@gokblok]

@@thatoneguy6313 😂😂😂

[@mae2759]

Loved this guy as King Imhotep in The Mummy.

[@Mihogan]

LOL!

[@6string327]

no it's Vin Diesel

[@fburejsza]

National touring company of The King & I.

[@Marp3one2]

@@6string327 you mean Vin Unleaded? 😆

[@marcotngsn]

I reallyyy love the way you explain things. Its clean, feels realistic, and informational. And I never get distracted with anything, making this such an educational video. Thanks for your awesome work.

[@scundoorsup5342]

There are waaay bettter whole house surge protectors than this garbage sycom unit , do your research

[@listofromantics]

Once again, TOH delivers clear, concise, and accurate information that is easily digestible. Bravo!

[@dchristi09]

It sounds like this woman is describing a poltergeist. "Alarm was going off, passcode didn't work! Ice was SHOOTING out of the ice maker! toaster oven didn't work, oven did work!"

[@tylerkimdura6690]

DC hahaha yep

[@ncc74656m]

"Doctor Venkman, you've come all this way, would you like to check the kitchen?"

[@TheInroad]

“My daughters head was spinning 360 degrees”

[@pepsicolachao4537]

“My tv is just strobing”!

[@Abhishek-C92]

@corey Babcock my router has a heart attack and showing death threats. what to do???

[@shofar-man]

One problem, electrictricity is not seeking the shortest path to ground. It's not seeking anything but will follow any and all conducting paths that are presented. The most current will flow through the path of least resistance to the source which is the secondary of the supply transformer via the neutral.

[@boris9305]

I have seen 1000's of houses and have also wired panels for new constructions home, but have never ever seen a panel with wires that neat, on the outside at least. That looked so awesome!

[@TheSeanUhTron]

That's definitely from someone who takes pride in their work... Or just OCD.

[@xXxmlg_vacxXx]

Boris h

[@dematt321]

thats honestly not that neat. im a electrician and there are some super ocd electricians out there. thats pretty sloppy by some standards ive seen. but nice work

[@boxsterman77]

Wasn't that a thing of beauty?

[@lorenguaylg]

@@anonymouspost8407 do you zip tie everything creating hot spots so it looks nice?

[@iamdrako]

This is the best explanation of how a whole house surge protector functions. Thank You!!

[@scundoorsup5342]

There are waaay better quality surge protectors then garbage SYCOM

[@iamdrako]

@@scundoorsup5342 I'm not sure that's the intent of this video. Thank you for your thoughts!

[@victorlee7638]

Good one. I worked in power utilities in Asia. In their distribution overhead line system, surge arresters are installed in transformer terminals close to the household.

[@anthonylosego]

This is a Type 1 surge protector.

[@davidrobins4025]

Good, clear explanation with a satisfactory installation that provides the desired protection. Thanks

[@waynelo]

Love the question and answer session at the end. Those were the exact questions I had (e.g. why does a SPD in the breaker box protect every circuit there if a sudden surge can go through every circuit in the panel).

[@trustbuster23]

(1) get a quality UPS for your sensitive electronics, they protect against both brown outs and surges. (2) If that house is actually struck by lightening it is totally unprotected. That requires a wholly different system with lightening rods on the roof, etc. What was installed here only protects against excess power coming in from the grid.

[@techo205]

How do you know that the rods are not already in place.

[@Ojb_1959]

@@techo205Maybe because THEY DIDNT MENTION THEM🙄

[@exclusivelynyc]

Great video and excellent, excellent, excellent questions asked at the end of the video via your teammates. Thanks for sharing

[@mansharker8]

An AVR with surge protection at each appliance would work best, especially for voltage fluctuations.

[@mikerevendale4810]

Excellent, and short, explanation of protecting a home from electric surge.

[@wg7644]

What an excellent video Thanks for this - helps me a lot with an older box but newer computer appliance set up.

[@gavinn.7272]

Every question I had was answered at the end, perfect info video.

[@bradr539]

6:21 was my question....

[@markb.1259]

I LOVE TOH!!!! Was totally confused as to why I needed BOTH Whole House protection AND portable suppressor power strips.... Thanks for asking that ? Kevin!!!

[@anthonylosego]

Computers should have at least some battery backup, if not for power outages, but mostly to add power if the voltage goes too low (AVR). Sine wave regulators or "true wave" (or what ever branding) ensures a clean signal as required by most computers. Look for it on the backup. A tiny bit extra on power protection can save a bundle. (CyberPower 1350AVR is a good one I have tested)

[@chrisyost5949]

I thought you were not supposed to punch wires into the back of a socket? I was told to always wrap each wire around its matching screw on the sides of the socket.

[@didafm]

Great information and I had the exact same questions that guy asked!!

[@the_hwyman]

Never knew about the surge protector outlets. Ordering one now for my wall mounted tv project!

[@vince6829]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@miamited69]

Great information. I am having a house built and where the panels go in the garage The do a drywall bupout with the panel recessed in the wall between the studs. How do I connect the whole house protection? The builder will not add it since it is a deviation from what they do in all houses.

[@JDMc-wv3yj]

Great information!

[@jasonforte2949]

Great episodes

[@SparkeyDogfish]

Nice, real nice dressing existing cables! Wow!

[@matthieulietaert7385]

Thanks a lot for the clear video! Is there a similar device por brownout or voltaje low, instead of voltaje spikes?

[@pilsen8920]

Great video, for your sensitive Electronics I would recommend a UPS over a surge protector sensitive Electronics don't like losing power like computers it can damage them. Are you lose all your data or corrupt your files. And it's also very nice for things like routers and cable boxes because you don't have to wait for the reboot when you lose power for an instant.

[@groundedinreal]

Excellent Video.

[@funtucsonman2838]

Great info. Very informational.

[@ManuelSanchez-hz6ij]

Great video!

[@brucelafleur6446]

Awesome. Thank you.

[@chadrowland5234]

It is interesting. I never thought that an appliance would send a power surge but it makes sense. The voltage kickback from motors and solenoids. But, we've all done it, I've done it. I do this all the time. Plug my fan into the same power strip as my computer. My lamp shares the same power strip as my computer. Probably not a good thing.

[@mytravelvlog4593]

Nice info,,,,,,,by the way what is the amperage of the breaker that you attached the surge protector

[@danman281]

Very informative

[@christophersoutherlin2631]

It's nice seeing an electrician that doesn't remove his wedding ring while working around electricity.

[@ignusa749]

also do not over look for protection an apc ups device for the internet as well as any computer or digital device. they work! and yes the whole house units work well!

[@Steinborn24]

That surge project power strip with the lid is awesome, what product is that?

[@joseaguirre4169]

Scott, Are you saying that the point of location power surge protection for the TV is an option because the window summertime AC is on the same branch circuit? In this situation shouldn't the window AC be on a single breaker separate branch thus not affecting other appliances? Finally, do I use an electrical panel surge protection option as to how to protect an AC from its own voltage transients as to extend its lifetime?

[@matthewjamison1193]

One point I would like to make is that you can often use a "triplex" breaker when the spots at the top of the panel are already full. The triplex takes 2 spots(like a double pole), but has a double pole and 2 single pole breakers in it. I ordered one for my panel because it is a rat's nest and I want to move as few wires as possible. I used a 50amp double pole and 2 15 amp single pole option.

[@willhansen6922]

its called a quad breaker not a triplex breaker

[@FlyEaglesFly19111]

Its usually the loss of power to destroy appliances. Alot of times it is. However a great power surge will do it to. But rarely does the power come 8n at higher voltages. Count on loss of a leg than extra voltage as the culprit. Seen it many times in 30yrs in construction doing HVACR.

[@chris-bf9eu]

Please Check the model number of the SPD installed @ the loadcenter SyCom brand has a recall with UL to make sure it is still safe to use.

[@magicalcrystal]

Awesome

[@nathanhall499]

So, what does one do for point of access surges in an old how with only two prong outlets? Just hope the whole home surge protector is enough?

[@anthonylosego]

Internal surges can occur true, but most likely, your panel protector only handles about a 600V surge. Anything lower will still get through. But at least it will prevent most Type 3 protectors from blowing out entirely. They will protect and survive rather than protect and fry by having the Type 2 panel protector there.

[@PureBlood42]

Ok, so...my refrigerator recently got damaged during an outage that only lasted like a few seconds. I'm not sure if the refrigerator was damaged by a surge or a drop. All I know is that just 2 months ago, I had to install a secondary defrost heater because of Samsung producing a defect within their design. After installing the secondary heater kit, which included other strategic mods to eliminate the chronic ice build-up behind the rear panel. Anyway, the kit was a success and for over 2 full months, I had zero icing-over issues and if I set the fridge to 34° it would hold 34° 24/7. Moving forward to 2 weeks ago, when we had that very brief power interruption, wherein, the power failed and then turned right back on in a few seconds, the fridge hasn't been right since. I did all the suggested DIY procedures to get the fridge operating normally again, but despite all that, it's no longer getting as cold as it did before and now I'm seeing ice build-up seeping through the vent holes in rear panel. My whole point in all this, is for all I know, it may have been the surge when the power came back on, or it may have been the drop in voltage during this event that damaged my $1,300 fridge. I'll never know. The point is, this video is giving consumers a false sense of security, by suggesting it's only critical to protect against power surges. In reality, drops in voltage can be just as harmful for major appliances. So, assuming that a surge suppressor or diverter is total protection, is a flawed notion. I'm just surprised they don't talk about an Uninterrupted Power Supply device (UPS) and how such a device can be just as important.

[@OdieKN]

Is it safe to use power strips with surge protectors even if you already have a surge protector connected to your panel? I heard that you should connect surge protectors together

[@rickjames6948]

Every power strip should be surge protected internally. Some power strips are just that. Some have no surge protection. You don't connect anything together.

[@rickcuellar3705]

I assume this would work hand in hand if there was a surge of a generator ? If ya had a transfer switch?

[@2-old-Forthischet]

I used to work in the telecom industry. We had a gas grounding protector. When it sensed excessive voltage such as 110 vac or lightning strikes, it supposed to open the path to the house and send the voltage to ground which was attached to the protector. I once (and only once) did a service call where lightning hit the phone cable in the air, blew the gas module all to he!! and melted the customers phone. Nothing is perfect which is why it is suggested that you do not watch TV during a lightning storm.

[@user2C47]

How would turning off a TV prevent a high voltage power surge from reaching it?

[@2-old-Forthischet]

I'm saying to turn off the TV and don't sit or stand in front of it during a lightning storm. If you like to stare at a blank TV screen, well that's another topic.

[@MemoGrafix]

My parents always taught Me to stay off the phone/turn off the TV during an electrical storm. They were right. My friend's TV (1992) got blown out when lightning came through the window the glass screen got cracked. My cousin was on his phone (1987) and it got damaged during an electrical storm.

[@Blox117]

dont watch TV because you unplugged it. turning something off but leaving it plugged in does nothing

[@kalijasin]

Nominal voltage in the USA is 120 Vac NOT 110 Vac.

[@donfox1774]

Can you supply links to the products?

[@taevans4]

Electricity wants to go back to source, not ground. It will take any and all paths back to source, including ground.

[@Bruhsidon]

Noticed how you said keep the surge protector as close to mains as possible. Usually the open breaker spaces are at the bottom. Should you shift the breaker positions of existing ones down? Or just put the surge protector on the bottom.

[@Bruhsidon]

Never mind. Watched more and saw you have a retro fit surge protector haha all good.

[@mr.g937]

Electricity does not want to go to ground. It wants to go to its source. Lightning however does want to go to ground. Also, electricity does not take the shortest route. It takes all paths to its destination. The amount of current is inversely proportional to the resistance of the route, so to some extent a longer route will have higher resistance. But the way it was state is just inaccurate.

[@rickjames6948]

WHAT????? Electricity doesn't want to go to ground? WTF????

[@putalaweaweonoh]

But in terms of electricity, the earth (ground) IS the source😅 What are you saying 😂

[@mr.g937]

@@putalaweaweonoh For utility power, that is false.

[@bobminion3438]

if we have a voltage stabilizers installed for an inductive compressor load do we need to hv an individual surge protection device or mains device is enough?

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

You can use a buck and boost transformer. As any inductive motor will trip those surge protectors. As the in rush current will be double the amount it's rated for at startup... You can also use a soft start kit. Which most new appliances come installed with today...

[@Kylestermeister]

If you were to install the SPD circuit breaker at the bottom of the circuit panel, will you still get the same level of surge protection?

[@ceusolution1524]

It does not matter which location you use for the SPD breaker. What matters is making the wire length from the SPD to the breaker absolutely as short as possible. Since the neutral bar is usually located at the top of the panelboard, it is best to install the SPD as close to as possible too. And that drives you back to installing the SPD breaker in the top two spaces. Every additional foot of wire over six inches in length increases the let through voltage by 150 volts.

[@GregSr]

About 18 years ago, my house had a lightning bolt hit the roof. I was home when it happened. The lightning shattered a handful of roof tiles and blew a small hole through the roof. It did not hit any power lines. There are no exposed power lines - this community has all below ground power lines. But the EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) damaged several items inside my house. The EMP blasted the electronic dog fence module right off the wall. The burnt area was where the wires on the perimeter of the yard connected to the module. Those yard wires sent thousands of volts into the electronic fence module. The modem in my PC was destroyed. The EMP came in through the phone line. The three CRT's in my house were severely magnetized causing the color picture to be severely distorted. I don't see how a surge protector would have helped in my situation. The surge wasn't coming through the power lines, it came through all lines (phone lines, speaker wires, etc.). Thankfully, my homeowner's insurance stepped up and paid to have all damaged items replaced. They weren't interested in repairing anything - just replacing. Of course, they also paid to have the hole in the roof repaired.

[@jolyonwelsh9834]

Square D breakers are the gold standard.

[@KalaJon-li4zd]

Hi my name is Jon and am a Electrical professional Expert, I also have worked and Assisted my neighbor friend Steve over lots of years as extra assistance who is a Electrician. For those who are trying to save money and want to buy cheaper and still have ease and protection to all there appliances you can just buy a high quality power strip with a built in circuit breaker and a GFCI and AFCI and a surge protector strip that has all in one and will cover everything. You do not have to spend extra money on a whole house Surge protected installed directly into your service panel if you do the all in one power strip protection. You do want to keep an eye on that Green protection light on the power strip though, it the light goes out you should buy a new power strip as there only good for so long. You do not have to have a surge protected wall outlet installed either if you go with a power strip all in one protection but remember anything that is not plugged into the protected power strip is not protected. In my opinion as for lightning strikes it’s best to just unplug your devices during storms as sometimes lightning strikes are to big of surges to withstand even the highest quality of surge protectors and will not always work for those surges. You might want to add in lightning rods for that.

[@ForkLiftCertified]

Looks to me that square d panel already had a TVSS built in at the bottom of the panel. I wonder if it was bad?

[@Kylestermeister]

I was wondering the same thing.

[@marlowsado8147]

very nice.Just one question? If panel box slots are like full but I need to install a surge protector, Is it okay to share a 20 amps double breaker which is also powering other appliances?

[@rickjames6948]

NO. If the panel is breaker full, you need a larger panel or install a pony panel off the main.

[@pasajecolon5168]

You could "possible" replace some standard width breakers for slim/tandem breakers.

[@techo205]

can some explain the point about connecting the white wire to neutral and getting a direct path to ground.

[@davidmotley4207]

Okay for surge, but the brownout needs protection at least at the AC unit. If the voltage drops down to 100 or even lower, higher current is being pulled during brown out which is not good for the AC if the fast blow fuse did not blow out.

[@LaBamba690]

That SYCOM surge protector has nearly burned down several people's homes. It's been recalled and is no longer for sale. See reviews of SYC-120/240-T2 with photos of burned device and burned walls on Amazon.

[@aguyandhiscomputer]

Comment needs to be pinned. I had the same one and turned off that breaker. Ordered a different brand off Amazon.

[@decent_KH101]

Is that kind of surge protected power strip safe to use for pc?

[@rosswolford7169]

There are comments and link indicating the device used started lots of fires. That aside, the panel box has two sides, each fed by a separate 120V cable, the two out of sinc to create 240V for oven, etc. The video shows breakers attached to only one side. Looks to me like the other side, half the circuits, are left unprotected. Was one of the two black wires supposed to attach to the other 120V side on a separate breaker? Or am I just jealous of the flat-blade screwdriver on the Phillips head screw?

[@rosswolford7169]

I see my error! I hadn't noticed that every other single pole breaker slot on one side is attached to first the left, then the right 120V cable, so any pair next to each other have potentially 240 V for a single circuit or alternate wave 120V circuits. Need I add I'm not an electrician, just a DIYer.

[@HaploBartow]

How does the circuit surge protector send the electricity to the ground if it's only mounted to the box? What if the box is not wired up to grounding rods or some previous homeowner removed the wiring connecting it to a metal water pipe?

[@dmo848]

Most will light up red immediately as u plug them in then. You'll see

[@jakemeyer3073]

Lightning striking twice, sounds a little magical, just like your box

[@nyetloki]

Lighting is more likely to strike multiple times in the same spot.

[@scundoorsup5342]

Use the Mike Holmes Eaton surge protector

[@darrentubeify]

What is that surge protector he used in the office under the desk? I can't find one like that.

[@mluqman]

Not exactly same but nice list www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-surge-protector/

[@gldf111]

Hi. I have a 200 amp main panel and another 200 amp sub panel next to it. Do I need 2 surge protectors or just 1 in the main panel.

[@adisharr]

One in the main panel should cover the subpanel as well.

[@nusermane1076]

Asked my electrician to help me with this too. He “refused“ 😁

[@DUA1939]

Correct me if I am wrong, but there was no ground on that TV outlet. The box was plastic, no green ground wire?

[@leemarker1233]

Question. Would it be okay to to install a surge protector in a sub panel? Instead of the main panel?

[@rickjames6948]

yes

[@whiteywhitney-my6gl]

Eaton says it doesn't matter where you put the protector,some of their load centers come with this protector factory installed at the bottom of the buss,be sure to follow the installation instruction sheet word for word.

[@ncooty]

I'd never thought of an appliance causing a surge. What he described seems akin to an electrical version of water hammer.

[@nickkk420]

I need the same thing but opposite, I need something that absorbs brownouts, when my central air turns on my TV turns off for a split second, I'd try a battery back up with regulated power, but I too am looking for a whole house solution

[@djenson]

Tesla power wall?

[@Cynthia_Cantrell]

The central air turning on should NOT drop voltages on the rest of your house - at least not to the point of turning other devices off. You may have a problem with how the HVAC was wired into your system, or a problem with the AC system itself that needs to be repaired. If you also have a problem with things like the washer or dryer turning on causing lights to brighten up, you may have a bad earth ground connection back to the power company's transformer.

[@jamesshelton3260]

Will the whole house surge protection cover smart appliances (refrigerators, washers,& dryers) or will the appliances need individual outlet protection?

[@kamotetops1572]

6:50 The answer to your question.

[@rickjames6948]

NO. You need local surge protection at the load device you turn on.

[@bixbabble3935]

What is that device on the bottom of the panel with the green led at 1:37?

[@drorr3431]

We recently had a multiple surge/across several devices in our house. The problem was a result of a broken Neutral wire coming from the Utility (outside the house due to severe storm). The Utility guys did reconnect that wire. My Square D - QO Panel didn't have a whole house surge protector. I want to install a Type 2 Surge protector (QO2175SB). Am very handy and am a retire EE Eng. No need to warn me of hazards.... My question is: 1) if I connect the grounding wire of the Surge protector to the NEUTRAL bus in the panel and a similar incident happens, where would the shunting go!? Should I connect it to the Panel Ground instead (it would shunt it to the ground of the house via the existing copper wire tied to the water main in my case) ? 2)note that I am not sure if my Neutral and my panel ground are tied together!?!? - how could I find out? Thank you!

[@louel9272]

But what do i need if the voltage dips and my appliances turn off and on? Avr?

[@ernestakyen4849]

Pls how much is the cost for the panel surge protector from Ghana thanks

[@chevy6299]

This is why I use battery backups on my electronics, oh and the many brown outs we get.

[@jessesan2003]

Does the surge protector box need a surge protector to protect it? 🤔

[@NilandEnterpriseLaurinburg]

What I need to know is where did they get the cool surge/power strip box shown @ 3.38 minutes in to the video? My desk has 3 PC's and 2 monitors on KVM switches, what a mess of wire, cable and adapters under my desk. Also there are some assumptions wrong, Surge protection is not the same as as lightning protection. For a direct lightning only a lightning rod system to divert will help, this is a whole other subject. Surge is an increase in power, so a surge protector will not help brownouts. For power fluxuations this would be a line regulator, very expensive and I mostly installed them in hospitals for my work as an imaging/biomedical engineer. when power goes out and comes back on, all connected devices want power at the same time at once, causing an extreme pull of power causing a bounce effect on the power going from a brownout to surge cycle. Suggesting it is best to disconnect in extreme storms. UPS battery backups are best for expensive electronics like computers and AV equipment, I currently use 4 1500 APC, and 4 600 APC UPS battery backups. Electricity dose not take the shortest path but the path of least resistance, and any path. In Example: if connected in parallel a 22 gauge wire 1 foot long and a 4 gauge wire 10 foot long most of the power will travel on the longer wire as it has less resistance. The thinner wire may be shorter but has more resistance and may even burn out, as the 22 gauge has 16 ohms/foot and the 4 gauge @ 025/.foot would only be 2.5 ohms @ 10 feet

[@shamw39]

I have 3 power strips connected to each other, do I need to replace all of them with surge protection power strips or just the 1 that is connected to the wall outlet?

[@cakearmy_maxgaming6346]

Just the one would work but you shouldn't have 3 connected to each other anyway especially if they aren't "contractor" grade.

[@matthewjamison1193]

@@cakearmy_maxgaming6346 If you want to go that route, you could just get a really big suppressor power strip. Also, the power strips typically have overload protection so it should be reasonably safe connecting multiple ones together.

[@James-hg5tk]

4:00 minuets in wait why am I still watching this dude plugging stuff in... god I need to reconsider what I’m doing with my life

[@roberth7559]

I can't seem to find those fancy circuit breakers allowing you to double up - I don't have any additional room in my box

[@matthewjamison1193]

I would order one online. That one you are talking about is either a triplex or quad. It has a double pole and 2 single poles and only takes up 2 spots. You will need the panel number. If your panel is old, you will need to be patient(I had to rely on a chat discussion) to discover what type breaker you need. The manufacturer for my panel was sold twice and breakers of at least 3 different brands are installed in it currently.

[@Xris18713]

Please explain what amp is the two pole breaker

[@JoannaPirieHill]

There is too much inductance in the wires. If you have a flow through design, please let me know.

[@tastemystuff]

did the laser printer plug into the surge protector?

[@jackpast]

I want that device in my home that makes electricity!!

[@hippo-potamus]

How does the surge from the AC make it to the outlet plug on the tv which is on a completely different circuit????

[@joe3276865536]

Back through the panel. Everything is connected. The breakers do not isolate circuits (unless tripped).

[@brianalexander2929]

Did... Did he BACKSTAB?! 😮😮😮 I'm kidding... A bunch of electrician's FB groups I'm in, everyone's all up in arms about that... 😂🤣 So THAT'S how it works! I couldn't figure it out.

[@jerrywtt]

The singer from disturbed is pretty knowledgeable

[@anthonyhitchings1051]

The excess energy goes back on the neutral, it does not go to ground

[@alexthepunk]

Scott, is that your house? I've seen you work on that panel and house a few times.

[@mcombsemail]

If you installed whole house surge protection why would you need point of use protection too? I'm installing 5 mini-splits into my house and I'm told I need surge protectors on each one and it really adds up. Will a whole house unit cover them all?

[@bushrod6258]

The spd in the panel was for external surges such as from your electrical company. the point of use spd's are for internal surges such as from your AC that when cycle on and off send surges through out the house. Hope this helps

[@mcombsemail]

​@@bushrod6258 My house is 100% electicity including a heat pump (old, non-inverter) and I've never had issues but I'm installing 5-6 new mini-split heat pumps and I've been told I need surge protectors on each pump. At $75 each it's just another aspect of this project nickel and diming me to death. What would you suggest for someone like me? Can I go with cheap surge protectors or is there a certain quality level I need to reach?

[@TKO67]

What is the purpose of the whole house if you need smaller units????

[@roughrider3888]

Can wires be hooked right into main lugs? If not,why?

[@stephensnell1379]

Power surges sound like they create absolute havoc

[@robertfink4202]

Stephen Snell Yes they can

[@thebeststooge]

Back in the mid 80's our Maple tree (was only 5 or 6 feet tall) was struck by lightning (it melted the tree) and everything in my room was destroyed. Not only the ones that was plugged in I soon found out too. Gone was my computer equipment, TV etc...

[@cactusladysouth1000]

@@thebeststooge what do you mean not just the ones that were plugged in......can you explain more? thanks

[@thebeststooge]

@CactusLadySouth I meant that everything in the room, except for the window unit AC, was destroyed. What happens is the lightning goes down the wire and creates an EMP so everything electronic that is within range will cease to work not only the items that were plugged in. Since it was 10-15 feet away from my room I not only had the spike/surge I had the EMP as well and everything electronic was dead regardless if plugged in or not.

[@cactusladysouth1000]

@@thebeststooge Wow, I thought about it and it came to mind that it might have been a EMP effect. I did not know lightening could do that. We are in S.C. upstate and we have much damage to electronics inside the home for a couple of years now. Just put in the home surge protector today. I need to add the surge protector strips for each item not sure what brand to buy, would you have any ideas on that? They mention them in the video but really don't recommend one.

[@jokotri2186]

Are all Americans home circuit box that complicated? In my country you just need one fuse and a meter

[@fishyhobby3697]

Why doesn't square d have a dual purpose breaker surge device?