[Elecraft] [OT} Whole House Surge Protection

[Erik Basilier]

I am aware that the surge protected power strips I use are poor protection,
because the shack uses more than one circuit from the panel, and I also have
one power strip chained from another. The solution, I understand, is whole
house surge protection located at the service entrance. I am currently very
busy building a room addition to the house. This includes electrical
installation work, and I had the idea of getting whole house surge
protection installed at the same time. 

 

Busy as I was, I didn't take enough time to make sure to buy the correct
unit. My house has a kind of 3-phase system called "Split Phase High Leg
Delta". This system adds a 3rd phase to the residential wiring that normally
doesn't have it. The purpose in my case is for a 3-phase air conditioner.
With this system, the 3rd leg coming into the panel has a higher voltage,
208 V, relative to the neutral. Not taking this into account I bought a
protector Leviton 51120-3  that is designed for regular 3-phase wiring,
which has only 120 V between each phase and neutral. I believe if I hooked
it up to all 3 phases coming into the panel, it would fry the protector. 

 

I have now identified another protector 32412-DS3 from Leviton that I
believe is right for my application. It costs about $600 vs. only $225 for
the one I bought. There is another difference. The one I bought includes a
warranty not only for the device but also for a high dollar amount worth of
electronics such as ham gear. The unit I should have bought has a warranty
only for the device itself and not for connected electronics.  

 

My questions for the group: Do you have whole house surge protection
installed, especially with a high leg electrical system? If so, what
particular device did you install? Is there any manufacturer out there that
offers a protector for high leg installations with a warranty that covers
connected electronics? Maybe at a price better than $600? I plan to put the
unit I bought up for sale and hope to get $150 (never hooked up, still in
shrinkwrap). However, another possibility comes to mind. The electrical
service panel where I intend to install the new protector actually feeds
another older panel inside the house that runs the older wiring, including
most of the shack. Would it make sense to install the unit at the old panel
instead of selling it? The benefit would be added protecton for ham
equipment, but I see two reasons not to do it. First, this 3-phase protector
would be wired up to only 2 phases at the old panel, and that means it would
not be installed per the instructions, so that warranty of connected
equipment  would be voided. Second, my linear and a few smaller ham devices
are fed from a newer circuit from the main panel, bypassing the old panel. I
concluded earlier that this situation will make the protection in the power
strips useless. I also believe it would make a protector located at the old
panel useless. So I am pretty sure I should sell the protector I bought. It
is too late to return it to the vendor.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

73,

Erik K7TV