Knew around the house - Surge Protectors

The last few days have brought a lot of rain so I thought about sump pumps and why so many homes around Kingston do not have them BUT I will have to save that thought for another rainy day. Last nights amazing lightening show sparked my interests towards surge protectors. A few years ago we returned from a weekend away to find that one of our TVs got "zapped" and no longer worked - subsequently we spent a small fortune buying surge bars for the electronic devices around the house. Certainly a good investment considering the cost of the television that we just lost but buying a new surge bar for every computer and television can total up - then I heard about protecting the entire home at the panel box - so I looked into it.

With special thanks to this home inspector (http://www.buyerschoiceinspections.com/surge-protection) I got a better understanding of the options available to homeowners. The device that I was thinking about is a Surge Arrester - it ties into the panel and takes the blow before it can travel through your home and does damage to your electronics. You can also consider running a suppression system that reduces the voltage change during an electric strike if you already have surge bars at your point of use.

What are my pricing options? - well off to the local big box stores to get a few quotes.

Back from the store and fortunately I found a very helpful man to give me some advice. Unfortunately he worked in the plumbing department but did help me with my new toilet problems. With my echoed screams for help in the electrical area I went about the search on my own and found two surge arrester products both priced between $185 and $190. They will require an electrician to install them into the panel but the price of the product was below my expectations when I consider the cost of one point of use surge bar.

I have a decision to make as I have already equipped my home with point-of-use surge bars but I would consider the Surge Arrester product if I was upgrading my panel or buying a home home.