How To Install Ge Load Center Surge Protector

1. Ge Thqlsurge
2. Eaton Whole House Surge Protector

It’s well known that panel mounted surge protectors provide a much higher level of safety for the appliances in your home, but these devices aren’t nearly as user-friendly. While stand-alone surge protectors are literally a plug and play operation, panel mounted solutions require you to open your breaker box and modify the primary power feed.Many consumers are wary of performing this installation on their own. And rightly so!

If you don’t know what you’re doing, and many manufacturers recommend hiring an electrician to perform the installation.That being said, installing your own surge protector can be safe. You just have to follow the correct safety procedure. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know before you break out the screwdriver, so you can keep your house protected quickly and easily. The Steps to Install a Panel Mounted Surge ProtectorBefore you begin, you’ll need a few different things. For tools, you’ll want a flat head screwdriver, a pair of wire strippers, some pliers, and a little electrical tape. We’d also recommend grabbing a battery-powered flashlight or lamp, as you’ll be disconnecting the power before you start work.

Step 1: Prepare the PanelLocate the main breaker panel for your house. Before you go any further, you’re going to want to flip the main breaker switch. This will disconnect all power to your house.

Opening a panel that is energized can be dangerous, so this step is crucial. We highly recommend using a voltage detector to ensure that the panel is completely de-energized. Simply touch the tip of the detector to the three main power feed wires.

If the detector lights up, your panel is still energized.Next, you’ll want to open the enclosure and find an empty knockout. This should be a circle punch on the metal back panel. Push the guard back and away from the panel to create a mounting point for your surge protector. Step 2: Mount the Surge ProtectorOnce you’ve created an opening for the surge protector, you can feed its wires in through the opening.

You can loop these wires out the front of the panel for now, as it’s good practice to isolate the cables until you’re ready to connect.Most surge protectors have a few screws you need to tighten on the bottom. Others have a threaded mount that screws into your panel. Refer to the specific instructions that came with your device if your mounting system looks different than what we’ve described. There are many types!The surge protector can be mounted either inside the panel, or outside. Because these devices have a limited lifespan, we’d recommend mounting it outside. Most models have an indicator on the front that confirms proper operation.

By mounting the head outside the panel, you’ll be able to check it without opening the panel. Have You Selected The Right Surge Protector?If you’ve already purchased your whole-house surge protector, you can simply move on to the next step. But if you’re doing research for a future purchase, take the time to make sure you select the right model for your home. Click below to see our complete guide to selecting and sizing surge protectors.Step 3: Connect the WiresPanel mounted surge protectors have four wires that need to be connected. Green is your ground, white is your neutral, and finally, you have two black wires to complete the circuit.Before you can connect these wires, you need to remove some insulation from the end in order to expose the conductor. Your wire strippers should have a number of different sized holes. Make sure you use the 14 AWG part of the stripper.

Ge Thqlsurge

Electric current travels around the outside of the wire. If you use a size that’s too small, you’ll scar the cable and reduce the effectiveness of your surge protector.Once you’ve got the wires stripped, you can start by connecting the easiest wires. You’ll find two large metal strips on either side of the breaker panel. These strips have holes punched through them horizontally, with a screw on top.

You can feed the wire through the hole, then tighten screw to hold in in place. Your green wire connects to the ground bus bar on the right, while the neutral goes on the right with all of the other white wires.The two black wires need to be connected to a di-pole breaker. This is a three-phase power feed that provides both 240V and 120V service.

It doesn’t matter which wire is connected to which terminal. Simply feed them into the port on the side of the breaker, and tighten the terminating screw. Step 4: Re-assemble The PanelCarefully life the panel cover and hold it in place. Make sure you are careful when doing this, taking care not to flip any of the breakers.

You should first reinstall the screws in each of the four corners to hold it in place.After, you can go through and tighten all of the rest of them. Once you are sure that the panel is tight and there are no gaps, you can go ahead and flip the main breaker.

Step 5: Confirm OperationThe last thing that you need to do is flip the dual breaker you connected in step 3. You should now see the indicators illuminated on the front of the surge protector. Check with your user manual to verify that the surge protector is fully operational.If the surge protector doesn’t illuminate, you’ll want to turn the power back off and verify that your dipole breaker is installed correctly. Post-Installation TipsSurge protectors have a finite capacity. Every time they are exposed to a surge, this capacity drops. Although a single lightning strike could use up the entire capacity of your surge protector in one shot, these kinds of events are rare. In reality, dozens of smalls urges can slowly use up your surge protector over several years. Make a monthly habit of checking the indicators to ensure your house is still protected.It’s also important that you make sure you have the right types of surge protectors for your home.

A whole house model will protect against serious damage, but we still recommend that you place an inexpensive standalone surge protector on all of the most valuable electronics in your home such as your computer, television, and cellphone.

This entry was posted in and tagged on by (updated 1867 days ago)You probably haven’t stopped and really thought about exactly how many devices you have in your home that plug into a power outlet. So do it now. I’ll wait.Now, think about how many of those devices have some sort of electronic or digital component.

It’s probably way more than you realize. The obvious ones are TVs, video game consoles, Blu-ray and DVD players, audio and home theater equipment, satellite receivers, alarm systems, and computer equipment (including routers, modems, and printers). Blown surge protectors — they sacrificed themselves but did their job! Why Power Surges SuckWhat first got me interested in this subject was when my fancy. I traced the problem to a fried relay and capacitor on the (impossible to replace) control board.

And while there’s no way to prove it, I suspect the fried components were caused by a power surge from a nearby lightning strike (which can occur pretty often at certain times of the year in Utah). In fact, they’re pretty common in many parts of the world, as shown by this “lightning map” compiled by NASA ( for more details on how NASA generated this image). NASA Lightning Strikes MapI also blame power surges (possibly lightning again) for causing my (before I put it on its own surge protector).

I was already using surge protectors on all my computer and audio/video equipment, but I never thought to protect all the other electronics in my kitchen, or laundry, or garage, or wherever else. That’s when I started researching whole house surge protection options.Why Whole House Surge Protection Alone Isn’t EnoughWhile the main purpose of this post is to compare a few whole house surge protection options and give you my recommendations, I don’t want you to come away with the notion that a whole house surge protector, by itself, is enough for you to feel totally protected. It should help you feel safer, but a perfect comprehensive power protection strategy should incorporate a “cascading” approach — meaning you’ve got a “first-tier” of surge protection at your power meter, then a “second-tier” of protection at your distribution panel, and then a “third-tier” of protection where your devices plug in. Not coincidentally, these three tiers correspond to the three standard classifications of Surge Protective Device (SPD) types: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3.

Three Surge Protective Device TypesFor a quick rundown of the three types of SPDs, check out this admittedly cheesy short video from Leviton:Type 1 Surge Protective DevicesA Type 1 SPD protects against external power surges, such as those caused by lightning or when your power company switches capacitor banks on your power grid. Type 1 SPDs are installed on the “line side” of your main service entrance, between the utility pole and your power meter, right where power comes into your house. My favorite Type 1 SPD is meter socket surge arrester. Leviton 50240-MSA Type 1 Surge ProtectorType 1 SPDs are the best first line of defense against power surges from the grid.

Eaton Whole House Surge Protector

But the big drawback to a Type 1 SPD is that your power company has to get involved in the installation process, since power to your service panel has to be shut off during the installation of a Type 1 device.I wanted to install the above Leviton unit at my Seattle house, so I contacted Puget Sound Energy to ask them what I needed to do but they informed me that they don’t allow Type 1 SPD devices at all. Bummer.When I contacted Provo City Power (who serves my Utah house), I was glad to learn that they do allow them but they require a special permit, plus I’d have to schedule two separate service calls: one to shut off my power, and another one to turn it back on after the Type 1 SPD was installed.So while I’d love to have a Type 1 SPD, I can live without it for now and just run with Type 2 and Type 3 devices for now. But if you live in a part of the world that makes it easier for you to have one (or you have an awesome utility company that provides them), I highly recommend it. Type 2 Surge Protective DevicesA Type 2 SPD is installed at your “branch panel” (more commonly referred to as your breaker panel). It’s called your branch panel because it “branches” the power coming from your service panel out to all the circuits in your house. A Type 2 SPD (sometimes called a “panel protector”) wires directly to a dual-pole breaker in your panel, and can protect all the circuits in that panel, as well as any sub-panels that might be connected “downstream.” Here’s Type 2 surge protector. Leviton 51120-1 Surge ProtectorOne major benefit of a Type 2 SPD over a Type 1 is that they also protect against surges that originate inside your house, like when a large electrical load is switched on (such as a pump, garage door opener, or air conditioner).

Type 2 SPDs are what I’l compare and recommend below. Type 3 Surge Protective DevicesA Type 3 SPD is the one you’re probably already familiar with, such as a surge strip or battery backup unit with surge protection. Type 3s are used at the “point of use,” meaning you plug the device(s) you want to protect directly into an outlet on the Type 3 surge protector, then plug the surge protector into a standard power outlet. Most people use Type 3 devices as their first and only protection for your devices against power surges, but (as their name suggests) they’re actually designed to be the third and final chance to protect your device against a power surge before your device takes the hit.I can think of two primary benefits to combining a a Type 3 device (like a surge strip or a UPS unit) with a Type 2 device and/or Type 1 device. First, their effectiveness at preventing damage to your equipment is dramatically increased, because any surges on your system will be partially suppressed by the Type 2 device before it even reaches the Type 3. Second, your Type 3 surge protectors will last longer, because they’ll be required to kick in far less often, and under far less severe conditions, which will extend their service life.Because they’re so inexpensive, I recommend using some sort of Type 3 device for all your major appliances, as well as for any and all other electronic devices in your house whose cost or inconvenience to repair or replace outweighs the minor cost of the Type 3 surge protector.

Here, for example, is the I now use on my fridge. You can scroll to the bottom of to read all the details. RCA Appliance Surge Protector plugged inI’ll only be focusing on Type 2 surge protectors for the rest of this blog post, so I recommend from TheWireCutter for Brent Butterworth’s recommendations on a Type 3 device.

Comparing Type 2 Whole-House Surge ProtectorsBecause I won’t be installing a Type 1 SPD, I wanted to choose a high quality Type 2 whole-house surge protector to act as my first line of defense. During my comparison, I focused my analysis on ten important criteria that should always be considered when evaluating a whole-house surge protection device:. Most importantly: is the unit UL Certified under the UL 1449 3rd Edition and listed as a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor (TVSS) on the equipment label?. What Modes of Protection does the surge protector provide? Ideally, a good whole-house suppressor should protect, at the very least, Line to Neutral (L-N), Neutral to Ground (N-G), and Line to Ground (L-G) on both incoming lines. What is the Maximum Surge Current Capacity of the surge protector?

This number should be measured in kA (thousands of amps) per phase, and essentially represents how big a jolt the unit can survive. It’s an important rating, but it’s not the only number to consider when evaluating a surge protector’s true capabilities (more on this later).

What is the unit’s Short Circuit Current Rating (SCCR)? This represents the maximum level of short-circuit current that surge protector can withstand. What is the Voltage Protective Rating (VPR) for each Mode of Protection? This is sometimes also referred to as clamping voltage.

VPR is like a golf score — lower is actually better. The VPR represents how much voltage is still “let through” to your equipment after the surge protector has done its job.

When comparing surge protectors head to head, this rating should be compared based on the same Modes of Protection, and taking the Max Surge Current Capacity into consideration. What is the Maximum Continuous Operating Voltage (MCOV)? MCOV is probably the most important factor to consider when evaluating a surge protector. Higher is better, and it should never be lower than 115% of the system’s nominal voltage for both L-N and L-L. For example, if evaluating a 120V/240V unit and following the 115% rule, the L-N MCOV should be at least 138V and the L-L MCOV should be at least 276V. If it’s not, the surge protector isn’t any good. What is the surge protector’s?.

What type of warranty is offered?. What additional connections (phone, coax) are supported? Even if all your power cords are surge protected, surges can still travel through the coax cable that delivers your cable TV/Internet and satellite signal, or phone lines. A comprehensive power protection strategy should also include protection for these connections, too. Does the unit’s price represent a good value? If one unit is more expensive than another unit, is the increased price justified based on the increased features and/or performance?After a lot of research, I narrowed my choices down to a final four.

I’ve included their photos below, along with a link to their manufacturer spec sheets, which is where I gathered the comparison information. Square D (by Schneider Electric). Leviton 51120-1 Panel ProtectorI’ve used Leviton products with great success in the past, and this unit is a big seller for them.So let’s compare these final four head to head in each category, and see who comes out the winner. UL ListingAll four finalists are UL Certified under the UL 1449 3rd Edition and listed as a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor (TVSS).Winners: Four-way tie 2. Modes of ProtectionAs I said above, a good whole-house suppressor should protect at least, Line to Neutral (L-N), Neutral to Ground (N-G), and Line to Ground (L-G) on both incoming lines.Square D: L-N / L-G / L-L / N-GEaton: L-N / L-G / L-L / N-GSycom: L-L / L-GLeviton: L-N / L-LI was really surprised, and disappointed, that the Leviton unit didn’t support Neutral to Ground or Line to Ground protection modes.Winners: Square D SurgeBreaker Plus & Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA 3. Maximum Surge Current CapacityOne of the minimum requirements of my final four was that they have a max surge current capacity of at least 30kA (30,000 Amps). I chose this number because an investigation by the author of a (NIST) guide on power surges found that a 100kA lightning to a pole adjacent to a house would result in a maximum probable power surge into the house of 10kA per wire.

Based on those findings, the recommends that a service panel protector have a minimum rating of 20kA to 70kA (or for high lightning areas 40kA 120kA) per hot wire. Those recommendations are many times over the maximum current that a whole-house surge protector will likely ever be called upon to suppress in any single power surge, but that recommended rating rating will assure that the surge protector live a long service life as it suppresses multiple smaller surges.Here’s how the finalists did:Square D: 80kAEaton: 108kASycom: 100kALeviton: 50kAAll four are above my 30kA minimum, and well within the IEEE’s recommended capacity ranges. But the Eaton and Sycom units are at least 20kA higher than the third place Square D, which is 30kA above the Leviton.Winner: Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA (followed closely by the Sycom) 4.

Short Circuit Current RatingThe SCCR is the the maximum level of current that the whole-house surge protector can handle in the event of a short-circuit condition in the building’s wiring. These ratings don’t need to be anywhere near as high as the surge current ratings, because short-circuits won’t produce currents anywhere near as high as power surges.Square D: 25kAEaton: 22kASycom: 10kALeviton: 10kAWinner: Square D (followed closely by the Eaton) 5. Voltage Protective RatingNow we’re getting to the really important specs. Often referred to as a surge protector’s clamping voltage, a Voltage Protective Rating (VPR) represents how much voltage is allowed through the surge protector after it’s done its job.

VPRs are given for each Mode of Protection supported by the surge protector.Square D: L-N: 600V / L-G: 700V / L-L: 1000 V/ N-G: 1000VEaton: L-N: 600V / L-G: 600V / L-L: 1000V / N-G: 800VSycom: L-L: 1200V / L-G: 600VLeviton: L-N: 800V / L-L: 1200VBy looking at these numbers alone, it appears that the Eaton barely ekes out a win over the Square D unit. But what makes it an even more impressive victory is that fact that while the Eaton allows 100V less through in L-G mode and 200V less in N-G mode, the Eaton’s max surge current capacity (compared above in #3) was 35% higher than the Square D meaning the Eaton is doing a massively better overall job at handling surges; it can take a bigger “hit,” but still allows less voltage through after the fact.Winner: Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA 6.

Maximum Continuous Operating VoltageAs I said before, the MCOV is probably the most critical factor when evaluating a whole-house surge protector (or any surge protector, for that matter). In this case, higher is better, as it represents how much voltage the unit can handle in a continuous overload condition (vs. Just a momentary surge) and still remain operational. A surge protector’s MCOV should always be at least 15% above the of the system’s nominal voltage for both L-N and L-L modes. For example, on a 120V/240V unit, the L-N MCOV should be at least 138V and the L-L MCOV should be at least 276V.Square D: L-N: 150V / L-G: 150V / L-L 300VEaton: L-N: 150V / L-G: 150V / L-L: 300VSycom: L-G: 150V / L-L: 300VLeviton: L-N: 150V / L-L: 300VSo, ignoring the fact that the Square D and Eaton units support more protection modes (which was compared in #2 above), all four units share the same ratings for their respective modes, and all of them are comfortably above the 138V and 276V minimums.Winner: Four way tie 7. NEMA enclosure typeThe (NEMA) provides rating standards for electrical enclosures. The higher the NEMA enclosure type, the better they are at keeping out dirt, water, and other elements.

A unit’s NEMA rating determines whether or not it can be mounted outside a building. If you’re really interested, you can check out NEMA’s full descriptions of their enclosure types.Square D: NEMA Type 1 (indoor only)Eaton: NEMA Type 4 (indoor or outdoor use)Sycom: NEMA Type 4 (indoor or outdoor use)Leviton: NEMA Type 1 (indoor only)It’s unlikely that you’d want to install any of these units outdoors, but I still value a higher NEMA enclosure type as better in this comparison.Winners: Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA & Sycom SYC-120/240-T2 8. WarrantyMany surge protector manufacturers will try to impress and distract you with their “warranty.” Some will even go so far as to offer a cash equipment replacement guarantee of a certain dollar amount (often between $25K – $75K) in the event that your downstream equipment gets fried.However, if you read the fine print (and especially if you search for online accounts of customers who’ve tried to cash in on those replacement guarantees), you’ll find that there are plenty of loopholes that allow the companies to get out of paying you a dime. Didn’t have an electrician install it?

Didn’t get a permit to install it? Violated some local electrical code in even the smallest of ways? The equipment is “commercial” or “industrial grade” not commonly found in a home? Don’t have a receipt for the oven, or TV, or computer that got fried? Didn’t have a separate surge protector on your coax cable to the TV? Well you get the idea. And here’s a classic taken straight from one of the warranty sheets: “Failure due to direct lightning strikes and temporary over-voltage are not covered.” Sigh.And in the unlikely event you do happen to get them to cough up some money, they won’t pay the full amount.

They’ll pay the lesser of their guarantee amount and your homeowner’s insurance deductible (which is probably lower than $25K). So I didn’t take into account any of the cash guarantees when comparing the warranties, since they’re probably all equally unlikely. Instead, I compared the units’ warranties against defects in workmanship, which is pretty much the standard by which any company warranties its products. In this case, the unit would only be “defective” if it failed toKeep in mind that surge protector warranties almost never cover damages to a surge protectors after they’ve done their job. If they die after getting fried, that’s not a “defect.” When up against a maximum surge event, their job is to “sacrifice” themselves and burn up so that your more expensive devices will have a better chance of survival. So with all that understood, here’s how the warranties break down (I included a link to each of their warranties, too).Square D: (but up to 5 years if you’re also using certain additional Square D products in the chain)Eaton:Sycom:Leviton:The bottom line is that these warranties are probably only applicable if you can prove the unit malfunctioned and you probably can’t. So in that case, there are no winners here, and the real loser is the homeowner.Winner: Not you 9.

Additional ConnectionsIt’s important to keep in mind that power surges can travel down any wiring not just electrical wiring. In fact, the NIST suggests most damage to electronic equipment is from high voltage between power and phone, cable TV, and satellite wires.

All buttoned up!Again, the above photos are just for illustration. If you don’t know what you’re doing in your electrical panel, this isn’t the project on which you want to learn. Hire an electrician and watch him (or her) install it.

Feel free to ask them questions as they do it. You’re paying them to be there — so maybe you can treat the expense of the service call as “tuition” to learn as they show you. Don’t Forget Type 3 Point Of Use Surge ProtectorsIf you can remember all the way back to the cheesy videos at the top of this article, you’ll know that a “tiered” approach is the best way to provide maximum protection to your home’s expensive electronic components (including the ones you probably didn’t realize were “electronic”). A Type 2 whole-house surge protector is a good first line of defense (and a great second one if you can swing an install of a Type 1 device, too), but you should also use Type 3 “plug-in” surge protectors placed strategically around your house on your most expensive and sensitive electronics. Type 1 and Type 2 Units Should Take Multiple HitsOne of the early questions posted on this article asked whether Type 1 and Type 2 surge protectors will need to be replaced following an “event” — as is the case with most Type 3 devices? I figured it was a good enough question to update the article and include an answer here.Of the four above units I researched, three have two LEDs indicators that show their protection status for each line (the Sycom has only one). Because their max surge current ratings all exceed what’s likely to be the biggest single hit they’ll ever see, they are designed to suppress multiple events below their max thresholds before they “fry and die.”If a power event hits your surge protector that either exceeds its upper limit (unlikely) or a smaller hit acts as the final “killing blow” after taking multiple hits over its lifetime (more likely), the surge protectors I researched are all designed to sacrifice themselves to protect everything downstream.

At that point, the unit’s LEDs will not light up, indicating that it’s no longer protecting anything “downstream.”So the answer to the original question is “After a single event? Probably not. But after repeated events (which could take place over weeks, months, or years — depending on your location), then eventually, yes.” That means it’s a good idea to periodically check your Type 1 and Type 2 devices as part of your standard home maintenance schedule especially after a nearby thunderstorm. Your LEDs will tell you when it’s time to replace it. Final ThoughtsYour investment in electronics (and appliances with electronics) in use in your home is probably greater than you realize. For a few hundred dollars (which includes installation by an electrician), you can protect those devices against power surges, which are far more common that you think.Out of the four finalists I compared, I’d be happy with either the or the connected to my electrical panel as a whole-house surge protector and as part of my overall power protection strategy.But I’m happier with the Eaton, because it’s a way better deal.As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback below! Further Reading.