Homes Plus
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HOMES PLUS MAY 2015 6 REMODEL • REPLACE • RETHINK REMODEL. REPLACE. RETHINK your windows. Bliffert Lumber offers quality products from Marvin ® . Call or visit us today to learn more. 548 W. Sunset Dr. Waukesha, WI 53189 (262) 542-6666 www.bliffertlumber.com Marvin Windows and Doors, Warroad, MN 56763 ©2011 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. ® Registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors 242416007 Dear Jim: I have had a couple of elec- tronic items burn out from lightning dur- ing thunderstorms. Other items don't seem to last as long as they should. Will a whole- house surge suppressor protect them? — Mark M. Dear Mark: The strongest high-voltage electrical surge your house wiring will ever experience is from a lightning bolt, but there are many other smaller surges that also cause much damage to electrical items. This damage may be instantaneous as with lightning or gradual from smaller surges. More of the items in a typical house are at risk from electrical surges than just com- puters, televisions, etc. Almost every mod- ern electric appliance (clothes washer, dishwasher, range, etc.) is full of electron- ics which high-voltage electric surges may damage. A whole-house surge suppressor can pro- tect your electronic items from most surges, but don't expect it to protect against a direct lightning strike. The amount of energy in one lightning bolt is tremendous and there is very little that can withstand its surge. The energy from a lightning strike can even jump across a switch turned off and destroy electronics. The majority of the voltage surges are smaller ones created when an electric motor switches off. These may come from a commercial business nearby or even from your own refrigerator or vacuum cleaner motor switching off. They slowly degrade the wire insulation or electronics until they fail. There are many types of whole-house surge suppressors available for use with residential wiring. They are wired into the electrical system and automatically detect and dissipate a surge before it reaches a high enough level for damage. One very effective type of surge suppres- sor mounts under the electric meter. This type has to be install professionally and is often sold by the utility company because the electric meter is removed during instal- lation. Another type, which I use in my house, mounts under the circuit breaker box. This is connected to the house wiring by just a couple of wires and will protect the entire circuit. A whole-house surge suppressor built into a circuit breaker to fit a standard panel is also available. Various surge suppressors provide differ- ent levels of surge protection. Most use the same technology of MOV's (metal oxide varistors) to absorb a voltage surge and slowly dissipate it. A physically larger MOV can handle a larger surge without burning out. If the MOV gets fried, it just becomes ineffective and will not affect your electric power. The key performance specifications to consider when selecting a whole-house surge suppressor are the maximum surge current in amperes and the total energy dissipation in joules. A higher number for both is better. There often is an LED indica- tor to indicate if a surge has burned out the MOV. The following companies offer efficient surge suppressors: Eaton, 800-386-1911, www.eaton.com; Emerson Network Power, 800-288-6169, www.emersonnetworkpower. com; Intermatic, 800-391-4555, www. intermatic.com; and Meter-Treater, 800-638- 3788, www.metertreater.com. Dear Jim: I used my fireplace often this All electrical surge suppressors aren't created equal or meant for the same jobs JAMES DULLEY See Dulley/Page 11 A house's voltage surges often come from appliance motors switching off