Whole House Surge Protection

polktiger
polktiger Posts: 556
edited November 2009 in Electronics
I was wanting to get some input especially from the electricians in the group on a couple whole house surge protection units.

I am looking at having a whole house device installed at the panel, and I have been quoted 2 different devices

Leviton 52120.M2

Panamax GPP8005

To my lay person eyes they seem to do the same thing, but the Leviton device is 4x more than the Panamax. All other costs labor/install the same. Any suggestions??? Any alternatives?
Post edited by polktiger on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,959
    edited November 2009
    Contact Richard Grey.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dcmartinpc
    dcmartinpc Posts: 844
    edited November 2009
    The equitech ones look like they only have 240 joules of protection, so take that into consideration. I only filter my audio equipment. Whole house might be nice for minimal protection, but I would still prefer to have secondary protection on my gear. Not sure if that was your plan or not, but I thought I would throw it out there.

    Don
    Living Room: Adcom GFP-750 (Upgraded), Squeezebox Touch, Oppo BDP-83, Pioneer DV-79AVi, Parasound HCA-3500 (Upgraded), SDA SRS 2 P/B (Gimpod, Sonicaps, & Mills)

    Theater: Denon 4311ci, Oppo BDP-93, Parasound HCA-2205+HCA-2200II, Polk LSi9, LSiC, LSiFX, LSi7, Custom 18" TC Sounds sub with 2 18" PR, Sharp XV-Z12000, Pioneer Kuro KRP-500M (isf Enabled)

    Bedroom: HK AVR354, Pioneer DV-47a, Parasound HCA-1500a, Polk LSi9
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • polktiger
    polktiger Posts: 556
    edited November 2009
    dcmartinpc wrote: »
    The equitech ones look like they only have 240 joules of protection, so take that into consideration. I only filter my audio equipment. Whole house might be nice for minimal protection, but I would still prefer to have secondary protection on my gear. Not sure if that was your plan or not, but I thought I would throw it out there.

    Don

    Not not looking at this for audio gear. They all have their own "component" pieces. This is purely for general household protection - HVAC, Range, Fridges, etc.

    While that equitech gear looks really nice, I think its a little overkill for protecting appliances, etc.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Disc Jockey
    Disc Jockey Posts: 1,013
    edited November 2009
    Don't get too hung up on joule ratings, that's not a reliable way to judge surge protectors, except maybe within a single manufacturer. You need to look at surge current, clamping voltage, and clamping speed.

    I bought and installed the Sycom SYC-120/240TC. Inexpensive, good specs, lifetime warranty on the unit and 25K on appliances. (If installed by electrician) From what I could see it's a better unit than the Panamax, haven't looked at the Leviton.
    "The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage." Thucydides
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter