A whole-house surge protector can be a smart investment if you want to keep your home’s appliances and other electronic devices safe.
Power surges often overload and damage electronic equipment by causing voltage spikes that exceed what many electronic items can handle, and a whole-house surge protector can help regulate voltage levels throughout your entire home.
Quick Answer – What Does a Whole-House Surge Protector Do?
This specific type of surge protector is designed to detect excess voltage that may damage electronic devices and wiring in your home and redirect the extra electrical energy into the ground before it does harm.
Whole-house surge protectors are particularly effective in protecting against lightning strikes, utility grid problems, and power surges that are caused by appliances cycling on and off.
A whole-house surge protector can be installed on your home’s electrical panel for comprehensive protection. For the best results, you should also have point-of-use protectors in place to provide your home with a layered defense system.
Key Takeaways
- A whole-house surge protector can act as your entire home’s first line of defense against power surges.
- The unit can protect hardwired appliances and internal wiring.
- These protectors reduce fire risk and can also save money on costly equipment repairs.
- The initial purchase and installation cost ranges from $200 to $800 on average.
- The protector isn’t 100% effective against direct lightning strikes, which is why layered protection is essential.
What Is a Whole-House Surge Protector?
A whole-house surge protector offers comprehensive protection from power surges for your entire home. Power strips with built-in surge protectors can safeguard nearby appliances and other electronic devices that are plugged into them directly, but a whole-house surge protector can keep all your electronic items safe from power surges regardless of where they’re located in your home.
Whole-house surge protectors come in three different types:
Type 1 – This panel-mounted protector provides a first line of defense against power spikes and can stop these surges before they reach your home. An electrician can install this protector between a utility cable and your home’s service panel to help prevent power surges caused by lightning strikes or other external factors.
Type 2 – Type 2 protectors are the most common for homes. By having one of these protectors installed on your main service panel or sub panel, you can have your appliances and devices protected against both internal and external power surges.
Type 3 – You’re probably most familiar with this type of surge protector and its power strip design. This protector doesn’t safeguard all home electronic equipment at once and only works for electronics that are plugged into it. However, this type of protector can act as another line of defense, and having multiple power strip protectors plugged in around your home is advised.
Panel-mounted units can offer surge protection throughout the entire home, whereas plug-in strips are more limited in their protection. However, the power strip style of surge protectors may still provide adequate protection if a panel-mounted unit ever fails and can also work well in safeguarding equipment that’s especially sensitive.
How Whole-House Surge Protection Works
When a whole-house surge protector is connected directly to your home’s main panel breaker, the protector can monitor your voltage and ensure that power spikes don’t exceed safe voltage limits at all times. This surge protector can sense voltage changes in a microsecond and divert any excess energy into the ground.
If a power surge occurs, the whole-house surge protector will reset itself immediately after it has detected and redirected the excess energy.
Core Components
The whole-house surge protector is made up of a system that works together to absorb and redirect excess energy.
The core components of a whole-house protector include the:
Metal-Oxide Varistor (MOV) – This component uses resistance to absorb energy and protect electronics from short power surges.
Gas Discharge Tubes (GDTs) – If a lightning strike or another factor causes an extreme power surge, these tubes can absorb the excess energy and divert it into the ground without harming the surge protector’s other components.
Clamping Voltage (VPR) – This mechanism works to keep voltage levels as low as possible during power spikes by ensuring that the voltage that passes through the surge protector doesn’t get too high.
Joule Rating – The joule rating determines the maximum level of surge energy the protector can absorb safely. Joule ratings often vary between surge protectors, so it’s important to review each protector that you’re thinking of buying so that you get the best unit for your money.
Pros of Whole-House Surge Protection
- All circuits and hardwired appliances are shielded around the clock regardless of where they’re located in the home.
- Small, frequent surges that often damage electronics are prevented.
- Power surge prevention means longer lifespans for HVAC systems, refrigerators and all other home appliances and electronic devices.
- Reduces electrical fire risk.
- Little maintenance is required.
Cons of Whole-House Surge Protection
- Upfront costs are usually higher compared to plug-in strips.
- It can’t protect against every surge, especially direct lightning hits.
- Components wear out over time and need to be replaced by a professional.
- Professional installation must be done to ensure safety and accuracy.
- Over-reliance on the system may cause you to forgo power strip surge protectors and neglect outlet-level protection.
Installation & Grounding Essentials
For a whole-house surge protector to work properly, a grounding electrode system must be in place so that the excess energy can be diverted into the ground instead of reaching your electronics and possibly causing damage. The grounding electrode system may consist of grounding rods, plates or conductors that are buried underground to channel the energy flows. The surge protector and grounding system must also be wired properly to be effective.
Setting up a whole-house surge protector and grounding system can be complicated if you haven’t received the proper training, and a knowledgeable electrician should be hired to do the job. Fortunately for you, Mister Sparky has a team of skilled electricians who can take care of all the installation work.
Layered Protection – Best Practices
To give yourself the most reliable protection, you should combine a Type 2 (whole-house) surge protector with Type 3 (point-of-use) power strip surge protectors so that you can have your own layered shielding system.
No system is completely foolproof, and power strip-style protectors can help shield your electronics against power surges if your whole-house surge protector ever fails because of damage, old age or other mechanical problems.
This layered protection can offer a better way to safeguard TVs, computers, gaming systems, and other sensitive electronics from damage. You can shield these sensitive electronics even better by using high-quality surge strips with a UL 1449 rating.
Cost & Lifespan
The cost of a whole-house surge protector ranges from $50 to $300 on average, but the exact cost will depend on the type of protector you buy and the brand and quality of the product. To have the protector installed by a professional electrician (recommended), you should expect to pay an additional for labor.
These protectors last two to five years on average before they should be replaced, but your unit could last you as long as 10 years. You might need to have your protector replaced sooner if you live in an area with frequent storms, grid instability or other problems that could shorten its lifespan.
FAQ – Common Questions
Do I still need surge power strips?
Yes, you should use Type 3 power strip surge protectors in your home so that you can have a layered protection system that’s more reliable.
Does a whole-house surge protector stop lightning damage?
It often protects against lightning strikes, but it’s not always 100% effective, especially when a direct lightning strike occurs.
How long does a whole-house surge protector last?
Your unit may last two to five years or possibly up to 10 years unless you live in a high-surge area.
Does insurance cover surge damage?
Standard homeowners insurance usually doesn’t cover surge damage, but your policy may allow you to add on this coverage.
Protect Your Home Now
If you want a whole-house surge protection for your home, Miami’s on-time electrician can deliver the results. Mister Sparky offers complete installation services, and you can arrange for one of our professionals to inspect your electrical panel and grounding in advance to make sure that your whole-house surge protector will be safe. We proudly serve Miami and the nearby communities.
Don’t put up with any malarky! Contact Mister Sparky today to get expert whole-house surge protection service.