Best Place to Mount Whole House Circuit Breaker
It'due south well known that console mounted surge protectors provide a much higher level of prophylactic for the appliances in your domicile, but these devices aren't nearly as user-friendly. While stand-alone surge protectors are literally a plug and play functioning, panel mounted solutions require yous to open your billow box and modify the master power feed.
Many consumers are wary of performing this installation on their own. And rightly so! Working on loftier-chapters power circuits can be unsafe if you don't know what yous're doing, and many manufacturers recommend hiring an electrician to perform the installation.
That being said, installing your own surge protectorcanbe condom. You just take to follow the correct condom procedure. In this guide, we'll show you everything yous need to know before y'all suspension out the screwdriver, so y'all can keep your house protected quickly and easily.
The Steps to Install a Panel Mounted Surge Protector
Before you lot brainstorm, you'll need a few different things. For tools, you'll want a flat caput screwdriver, a pair of wire strippers, some pliers, and a little electric record. Nosotros'd also recommend grabbing a battery-powered flashlight or lamp, every bit yous'll be disconnecting the power before y'all first work.
Pace 1: Fix the Panel
Locate the main billow panel for your house. Earlier you go whatsoever further, yous're going to want to flip the main breaker switch. This will disconnect all ability to your house. Opening a panel that is energized can be unsafe, so this step is crucial. Nosotros highly recommend using a voltage detector to ensure that the console is completely de-energized. Only bear on the tip of the detector to the three main power feed wires. If the detector lights upwards, your panel is still energized.
Adjacent, yous'll want to open the enclosure and detect an empty knockout. This should be a circle punch on the metal back console. Push the guard back and abroad from the console to create a mounting point for your surge protector.
Step 2: Mountain the Surge Protector
Once you've created an opening for the surge protector, you can feed its wires in through the opening. You can loop these wires out the front of the panel for now, as it's good practice to isolate the cables until you're prepare to connect.
Well-nigh surge protectors take a few screws you need to tighten on the bottom. Others take a threaded mount that screws into your console. Refer to the specific instructions that came with your device if your mounting organisation looks unlike than what we've described. In that location are many types!
The surge protector can be mounted either within the console, or exterior. Because these devices have a limited lifespan, we'd recommend mounting it outside. Most models accept an indicator on the front that confirms proper operation. Past mounting the head outside the panel, you'll be able to bank check information technology without opening the panel.
Have You lot Selected The Right Surge Protector?
If yous've already purchased your whole-house surge protector, y'all can simply move on to the next step. But if you're doing research for a future buy, take the time to make sure you select the correct model for your dwelling. Click below to see our complete guide to selecting and sizing surge protectors.
http://shedheads.cyberspace/whole-house-surge-protectors
Step 3: Connect the Wires
Panel mounted surge protectors take four wires that need to be connected. Light-green is your basis, white is your neutral, and finally, you have ii black wires to complete the circuit.
Earlier y'all can connect these wires, y'all need to remove some insulation from the end in order to expose the conductor. Your wire strippers should have a number of different sized holes. Brand sure you lot use the 14 AWG part of the stripper. Electric current travels around the outside of the wire. If you employ a size that'south too minor, you'll scar the cable and reduce the effectiveness of your surge protector.
In one case you've got the wires stripped, you can commencement by connecting the easiest wires. Yous'll observe ii large metal strips on either side of the breaker panel. These strips accept holes punched through them horizontally, with a screw on top. You tin can feed the wire through the hole, and then tighten screw to hold in in place. Your green wire connects to the ground bus bar on the correct, while the neutral goes on the correct with all of the other white wires.
The two black wires need to be continued to a di-pole breaker. This is a iii-phase power feed that provides both 240V and 120V service. It doesn't affair which wire is connected to which concluding. Only feed them into the port on the side of the billow, and tighten the terminating screw.
Step four: Re-assemble The Panel
Advisedly life the console cover and hold information technology in place. Make sure you are careful when doing this, taking care non to flip any of the breakers. You should commencement reinstall the screws in each of the 4 corners to hold it in place.
Later, y'all can go through and tighten all of the balance of them. Once yous are sure that the panel is tight and there are no gaps, yous can go ahead and flip the main breaker.
Pace five: Ostend Operation
The last thing that you need to practise is flip the dual breaker you connected in step 3. You should now run into the indicators illuminated on the front of the surge protector. Cheque with your user manual to verify that the surge protector is fully operational.If the surge protector doesn't illuminate, you'll want to plow the power back off and verify that your dipole billow is installed correctly.
Postal service-Installation Tips
Surge protectors have a finite chapters. Every fourth dimension they are exposed to a surge, this chapters drops. Although a single lightning strike could utilize up the entire chapters of your surge protector in ane shot, these kinds of events are rare. In reality, dozens of smalls urges can slowly use upwards your surge protector over several years. Brand a monthly addiction of checking the indicators to ensure your house is still protected.
It'southward likewise of import that you brand sure y'all take the correct types of surge protectors for your home. A whole house model will protect confronting serious harm, merely we withal recommend that you place an inexpensive standalone surge protector on all of the about valuable electronics in your home such as your calculator, television receiver, and cellphone.
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Hello ShedHeads readers! My name is James Kennedy, and I've certainly enjoyed writing about my favorite outdoor gear over the years. While I've only been writing this weblog since 2017, I've been an outdoor enthusiast my entire life. And while I certainly love sharing my opinions with all of you, I bask information technology even more than when I get to hear your feedback! If you want to get in touch on with me virtually something I wrote, delight achieve out to me on Facebook or on our contact folio up top!
Source: https://shedheads.net/whole-house-surge-protectors/installation/