Insteon Devices Dying

[Burrington]

For anyone interested in adding a Whole House Surge Suppressor, here are some things to think about:

1) Be sure to get one that protects all 3 surge modes - Line to Neutral, Line to Ground, and Neutral to Ground. Many of them only protect line to neutral, which doesn't help much for a lightning strike. If they don't say they protect all 3 modes, they don't. There are sort of two ranges of prices and that's the difference.

2) The surge current rating is the amount of energy that can be absorbed by the suppressor. Whatever isn't absorbed gets through to your devices. The higher the surge current rating the better.

3) All surge suppressors use Varistors (MOV) to absorb the surge. MOV's degrade slightly as they absorb surges, so must be replaced eventually. The higher the Joule rating, the higher the MOV sizes/ratings, so the more energy it can absorb and the longer it will last. Again, cheap units usually have smaller joule ratings so won't last as many years as a better one.

4) Any surge suppressor can handle the surge from a motor start/stop. But lightning is whole different ball of wax. I read once that there is enough energy in one lightning strike to power New York City for 30 seconds. So you need a good surge suppressor to dissipate that energy if there is a lightning strike nearby.

This looks like quite a good one that ticks all the boxes. I also like that it has sensors to indicate when it has stopped working properly. Its not cheap, but it doesn't have to save many Insteon devices, computers and TV's to pay for itself...
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Siemens-...oduct-overview

[baudi]

This looks like quite a good one that ticks all the boxes. I also like that it has sensors to indicate when it has stopped working properly. Its not cheap, but it doesn't have to save many Insteon devices, computers and TV's to pay for itself...
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Siemens-...oduct-overview

Do you have one?

[Burrington]

Do you have one?

I installed a different one years ago in both my home and RV. Mine is no longer available. But, I'm quite sure it is the reason I have so few failures of Insteon and other electronic devices in my home and RV. They are well worth the price. They are very easy to install, so even if you need an electrician to install it, it is not expensive.

[AllHailJ]

I have the Siemens on my Main panel outside. I can attest that it is of good quality. Relatively easy to install. Finding room in the panel was the hardest problem. Had to change a tandem to a quad. This I use to protect against incoming surges although it does not care where the surges . I have three sub-panels on the inside of the house. I chose this surge protector for two of the sub panels. For the one for the garage I used a Square D 35KV

https://www.intermatic.com/en/surge-...ge/ig2240-imsk

Here's the marketing literature. Remember there are more surges created internally than externally. This is why I protect every panel. The intermatic are expensive but they are easy to replace making it easier for the next owner. I have noticed a big improvement in the life of z-wave switches. Since installing have fewer problems and all appliances are now protected. Attached is the pdf for the device. [ATTACH]n1438338[/ATTACH]

When you add the cost of appliances, big screen TV's, Home automation and computers, The cost is not that extreme.


I really like the Intermatics and would have installed one outside except they had not release their weatherproof version yet and I didn't want to have another box to mount the SP in.