Home Surge Protection
Today’s homes are filled with more and more sensitive electronics and protecting each one individually is expensive and messy.
According to NEMA, the most common sources of surges are generated inside a building rather than from exterior sources. In fact, up to 80% of all surge damage in a home comes from devices such as A/C compressors, heating elements, switch mode power supplies. Surges that typically originate from outside sources are Lightning and power grid network switching. New more damaging possibilities are Electromagnetic (EM) and Solar flares (CME). home insurance may cover some of the cost associated with power surge damage, but preventing the damage in the first place always results in less cost and downtime. In the US most electronics are designed for 120VAC. Spikes above this voltage slowly cause wear on the switch mode power supplies inside of these devices and eventually fail.
Type 1 Surge Protector
Type 1 surge protection devices are permanently connected, hard-wired SPDs intended for installation between the secondary of the service transformer and the line side of the main service panel. Since this location it typically before any circuit breakers or overcurrent protection devices the surge protector must have its own built in overcurrent protection. Type 1 SPDs have their own built in overcurrent protection circuit and may be installed without the use of an external overcurrent protective device.
Type 2 Surge Protector
Permanently connected, hard-wired SPDs intended for installation on the load side of the main service equipment. Type 2 surge protectors do not have their own built in overcurrent protection and must be used with a circuit breaker or fuse. These type of surge protectors trypically offer a higher level of protection for your main electrical service for surges that originate from within your electrical circuit.
Type 3 Surge Protectors
These SPDs are called, ‘Point of Utilization SPDs’, which are to be installed at a maximum conductor length of 10 meter (30 feet) from the electrical device to be protected. Typically, these are cord-connected surge strips, direct plug-in SPDs, or receptacle-type SPDs installed at the utilization equipment being protected (i.e., computers, TVs, Refridgerators, etc.).
