| 260david437 - 3/19/2016 08:15
Talked to my electrician and he wants to put surge protector on those lines. Is this a good ideal and is there any thing else we could do. We do have lighting rods on the parlor
Depends on what 'surge protector'. The expression defines many ineffective magic boxes (ie what is sold in most retail stores), or defines what has done effective protection for over 100 years.
Destructive surges (ie hundreds of thousands of joules) can overwhelm superior protection that is already inside all electronics. How does a magic strip rated at hundreds of joules, absorb a surge that is hundreds of thousands of joules? It doesn't. How does its 2 cm protector part block surges that even 3 miles of sky cannot?
Franklin demonstrated how effective protection works. Surges hunt for earth ground. If that electric current path to earth does not enter a building, then nothing is damaged. If that current is connected to earth BEFORE entering any building, then hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate harmlessly outside.
No protector does protection. An effective protector connects low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to single point earth ground - where energy harmlessly dissipates. If a protector does not have that low impedance (ie wire without spliced) connection, then it does not claim to protect from destructive surges. In some cases, can even make damage easier.
Protectors are not protection. Effective protectors connect potentially destructive currents harmlessly to single point earth ground. Then no destructive currents would be in that barn. These devices come from manufacturers known for integrity including Intermatic, Square D, Ditek, Siemens, Polyphaser (an industry benchmark), Syscom, Leviton, ABB, Delta, Erico, General Electric, and Cutler Hammer. In each case, the protector connects to what does protection. Not just any ground - single point earth ground. With a connection that is low impedance - ie less than 10 feet.
If any wire enters without making that short connection to earth, then protection can be compromised. BTW, that single point earth ground should be the same earth ground that averts earthed currents that otherwise would reduce milk production.
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Lightning strike??
