Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [surge-suppression]

Electricity can sometimes experience voltage and frequency shifts that can damage sensitive electronics. A surge suppressor prevents this by bleeding off excess voltage and sending it to ground. Use for questions about these devices. Use with the [electrical] tag

95 questions
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Extension cord and power strip safety

I've heard that there are some safety and building code issues involved with using extension cords or power strips (surge protectors) for anything other than temporary use. What are the issues, and how can extension cords be used safely?
jrdioko
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How can I overcome the 30 ft distance requirement of a surge protector?

I bought a new surge protector and the included specification material says I need 30 feet between the outlet and the service panel. My situation is probably about 5 feet. The outlet I want to protect is on the first floor and almost directly over…
Bob Gio
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2 answers

What does a surge protector do that a breaker doesn't?

The circuit breakers in my home are 120VAC, 15A or 20A breakers. What would a surge protector (e.g. this or a power strip with surge protection) do that a breaker wouldn't do already?
Jason C
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4 answers

How to add a gfci and surge protector to pool pump line?

I want to add a gfci and surge protector to the 240v circuit for my pool pump. The 12 guage power wires (red and black) and ground (green) run from the corner of yard directly to the main breaker panel on the house, to a thin 20 amp double pole…
DOC
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Should I tin wires prior to installation in the panel?

My new whole-house surge protector comes pre-wired with four 12 gauge stranded wires 36 inches long. Should the wire ends be tinned before installing to terminal bars and breakers?
Donald Cassell
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Should I keep this surge suppressor in my main load center?

I found this curious item in my main load center (circuit breaker box), marked "SQUARE D COMPANY / SECONDARY SURGE ARRESTER / J9200-10". It has been there for at least 20 years, attached to the ground/neutral bar and the load side of the main…
RustyShackleford
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Is is safe to plug a surge protector into a 2-prong outlet using a 3-to-2-prong adapter?

I live in an apartment that has essentially no 3-prong electrical outlets. I need to plug in a modest amount of computer equipment (which has a mix of 2- and 3-prong plugs), and I want to plug this equipment into surge protectors. Physically, I can…
Reid
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When installing a whole home surge protector, is it better to have short wires or to use a breaker at the top of the panel?

I would like to install a SquareD HEPD80 whole house surge protector. My electrical panel has the main line feeding in from the top, and all accessible knockouts are on the bottom of the panel -- the knockouts on the side are either in use or…
I Like Broccoli
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Problem plugging surge protected power strip into gfci outlet?

In my science classroom all outlets on the lab benches are gfci protected--that's great. I plug in multiple computers into some of these outlets and use power strips to do this, but it seems there might be a problem occasionally with this. It seems…
David G
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Should I ground outdoor speaker wire? If so, how?

[I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask or if I should ask over in the electrical SE but…] I have outdoor speakers in my backyard that are all connected via the same copper run (speaker wire 14/2 iirc), which comes into the house and…
Zero
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Can I add a breaker to this external main shutoff

Our neighborhood and my house has Square D QO equipment. There is the external main shut off with a 200 amp breaker. It goes straight to lugs and then the wires that go to the main panel in the house with all the house circuit breakers. I took a…
hometech99
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Can I route the neutral wire from a surge protection breaker across the panel busbars?

I plan to install a whole-house surge protective device (SPD). Its instructions state that you should place it as close as possible to the connection of the mains with the busbars. Also it has a neutral wire which is supposed to be made as short as…
StayOnTarget
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Whole House Surge Protection at Main Panel

I am planning on installing the CHSPT2ULTRA Type-2 surge protector on my outside main panel. I am planning on: turning off main being careful to note that the utility service lines and the terminals they connect to inside the panel remain…
james_m
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ADSL + Ethernet Surge Protection. What is chaining?

I would like to protect my home network setup with surge protectors. The products I am looking at are: APC Essential SurgeArrest 5 outlets 230V APC ProtectNet standalone surge protector for 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet lines APC ProtectNet standalone…
dequadin
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Whole-house surge protection: "intramural" surges

Is there such a thing as a whole-house surge protector installed at or near the panel that can shield devices inside the home from surges originating on the mains, as well as shield devices inside the home from surges caused by other devices inside…
mr blint
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