How to Select Surge Protectors for a Whole House Protection Plan

An effective plan consists of a primary surge protection device with secondary plug-in protectors. The main features required for both types of protectors are safety and performance.

Primary Protection

Protection for the home starts at your service entrance (where your electrical panelboard resides). A robust surge protection device needs to be installed either at your meter base or breaker panel. Minimum performance and safety features include:

• UL 1449 2nd Edition* Listed
• Surge current ratings of between 40kA to 80kA per phase
• UL 1449 2nd Edition* Suppressed Voltage Ratings (SVRs) for 120V systems between 330V and 400V.
• Modes of protection: Line to Neutral and Neutral to Ground or Line to Neutral, Line to Ground, and Neutral to Ground
• Status indicators

Secondary Protection

Plug-in protectors with telephone and coaxial protection go to work inside your home to help guard against damage from high voltage surges passing through electric, telephone, and cable lines. We have listed plug-in type protectors per their specific application:

• Home Theater Plug-in Protector Features: 
  • Enough outlets to power all pieces of home theater equipment including TV, stereo, cable box, VCR, DVD, etc…
  • Cable TV line protection
  • Telephone line protection for satellite applications
• Home Office Plug-in Protector Features
  • Enough outlets to power all pieces of home office equipment including computer, monitor, printer, fax machine, etc…
  • Telephone line protection
• Single Outlet Protector applications
  • Microwave Oven
  • Garage Door Opener
  • Security System power protection

Applying primary and secondary surge protection devices will protect most of the equipment in the home. But equipment utilizing low-voltage wiring can be extremely difficult to protect. 

Examples include security and alarm systems, intercoms, electronic lawn sprinkler timers, low-voltage landscape lighting and outdoor speakers. Lightning-induced surges can flow back through the low-voltage wiring leading to the master control units and cause damage despite the presence of a primary and secondary surge protector at the power source. To provide surge protection at these locations, contact the equipment manufacturer for surge protection solutions. 

*(Note: UL 1449 Third Edition went into effect September 2009.  Updates pending.)

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