Power outages, brownouts, and voltage drops can all affect the electrical supply to your home. Faulty equipment is also responsible for sudden power failures. Although this is a great inconvenience, the more pressing issue is what happens when the power comes back on. That’s when you can experience a voltage surge that essentially brings too much electricity to your appliances and electronic items causing serious damage in the process. Although these power surge events don’t happen too often, they can strike suddenly without warning. For reliable protection, it’s recommended to invest in a whole house surge protector. Take a look at your best picks for the money.
1. Siemens FS100 Whole House Surge Protector
Siemens is a highly trusted brand when it comes to SPDs (Surge Protective Devices). Take a look at the FS100 model that provides a reliable barrier against the danger of a power surge for your entire home. The device is UL and cUL listed to ensure that it can perform its job as expected. It’s designed to deliver 100,000 Amp of surge current to maximize protection.
The unit needs to be installed at your electrical panel where it can quickly stop surges in their tracks before they wreak havoc on your devices. The whole house surge protector is equipped with special alerting systems including a flashing LED and an audible alarm. You don’t need to worry about losing protection because you’ll always be aware of the moment when the surge protector did its job and needs to be replaced. The Siemens FS100 features a commercial-grade NEMA enclosure for weatherproof outdoor mounting.
2. Square D HEPD80 Whole House Surge Protector
If you’re searching for an advanced whole house surge protector, consider Square D HEPD80. This model is rated at 80kA which means that it can stop surges up to 80,000 amps. It’s CSA and UL certified while enabling a simple installation to pretty much any electrical panel. There’s a simple green LED provided that lets you know whether the surge protector still performs its job. The front panel will also indicate through another LED when it’s time to replace the unit.
When it comes to construction quality, this whole house surge protector is sturdy enough to handle both indoor and outdoor installation. Considering the risk of a strong surge causing damage to it, it’s usually recommended to keep it on an outside load center. The downside of this solution is that the LED of the surge protector can be more challenging to read in bright light conditions.
3. Eaton CHSPT2 Whole House Surge Protector
Designed for universal compatibility and user-friendly installation, the Eaton CHSPT2 represents a great option for a surge protective device that covers the entire home. It’s rated at 36,000 amps of surge protection which should be enough for most extreme electrical events. Similar to other more expensive units, the surge protector includes a convenient LED status light that lets you know if the protective effects are still in place.
The LED light is very bright and offers superior visibility compared to others. Although connecting this unit to the electrical panel isn’t particularly difficult, it’s still recommended to rely on the services of a professional technician to hook it up to your load center. Thanks to a NEMA 4X enclosure, the whole house surge protector can be safely installed outdoors. Eaton ensured that this model is UL listed for certified AC power protection against dangerous surges.
4. Siemens Whole House Surge Protector
Another great model from Siemens, this whole house surge protector has all it takes to become an excellent option if you’re on a budget. It’s a fairly affordable device that’s only compatible with Siemens electrical panels. Although this reduces its versatility, it’s worth considering if you have such a panel and want to add a reliable layer of safety to your home.
Once connected to the load center of your house, the surge protector activates a simple LED light to keep you informed regarding the operating status of the device. Any disruptive power surges will be prevented from damaging your appliances or electronics. In terms of construction, this is a really compact unit that occupies as much space as two single pole breakers. It’s particularly easy to install compared to others. The only notable drawback is that it doesn’t have advanced protective features. It takes care of regular surges but can’t stop the effects of lightning strikes entering through the data line.
5. Leviton 51110-SRG Whole House Surge Protector
The Leviton 51110-SRG can be considered a budget-friendly pick if you need a whole house surge protector. It offers decent protection when taking into account its rating of 26,000 amps. To know when the surge protector works as expected, the manufacturer installed LEDs for each phase. With the help of its NEMA 4X design, the device can handle outdoor elements while working without problems in both commercial and residential settings.
Installing this whole house surge protector is pretty straightforward as it requires a connection to the electrical panel of your home. If you feel uncomfortable following its installation instructions, all the proper wiring can be handled more easily by a professional technician. This device is compatible with any standard electrical panel and can truly save your expensive electronics if your area is often affected by storms or voltage drops that lead to surges.
6. Intermatic Smart Guard Whole House Surge Protector
With powerful TPMOV surge protection technology, Intermatic Smart Guard brings some advanced innovations for your peace of mind during surge-causing events. This is a whole house surge protector designed with special modules for more convenient replacement when protection has been compromised. TPMOV stands for Thermally Protected Metal Oxide Varistor and attempts to remove hazardous issues with the standard MOV technology.
The LED lights on this surge protector indicate when protection is in effect as well as when a replacement is needed. Thanks to a versatile installation design, the Intermatic Smart Guard is suitable for both Type 1 and Type 2 applications. It’s great for mounting outdoors due to its durable metal enclosure. Although it’s more expensive than others, this whole house surge protector brings excellent performance against surges with the added convenience of quick module replacement making it worth the investment.