SPD (Surge Protection Devices) and Insteon

[MFBra]

It may be a little off topic but i'd like to know if someone have experience with SPD and any effect on Insteon (wired) communication.

 

The reason for doubt is that I'll connect all the phases in my central electrical switchboard to the ground, It will only "close" this connection in case of a lightning (for instance) but not sure if it may interfere (pros or cons) in the quality of communications.

 

Thanks

[Teken]

It may be a little off topic but i'd like to know if someone have experience with SPD and any effect on Insteon (wired) communication.

 

The reason for doubt is that I'll connect all the phases in my central electrical switchboard to the ground, It will only "close" this connection in case of a lightning (for instance) but not sure if it may interfere (pros or cons) in the quality of communications.

 

Thanks

 

Is this SPD being used in Australia / UK?

[MFBra]

Teken, I live In Brazil. The picture isn't exactly the one I'll buy, but it's similar "visually". As you may know here we have a lot of lightning and recently I had a problem in a Monster protection device, I don't want to stay at risk.

 

 

Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk

[Teken]

Teken, I live In Brazil. The picture isn't exactly the one I'll buy, but it's similar "visually". As you may know here we have a lot of lightning and recently I had a problem in a Monster protection device, I don't want to stay at risk.

 

 

Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk

Well, the first step is to ensure your homes electrical meter & panel is properly grounded and has a low resistance. The ground rod(s) should be below 25 ohms to be effective in shunting to ground high voltage.

 

A SPD are rated in six categories but for the average home owner there are really only four. Type 1 is considered a *Primary* device which is installed at the meter base which protects the home from the POCO.

 

Type 2 are considered *Secondary* devices which protect the service entrance panel. Type 3 are also considered *Secondary* devices but are used and installed at the local area *Point of Use*.

 

These can be anything from a UPS, Surge Strip, Surge Outlet, Isolation Transformer, Power Conditioner, etc.

 

In all cases all three should be used because each has a *Let Through* rating which only clamp down at a specific voltage level. Meaning just because you have a Type 1 at the meter base will not protect your home or the appliances from *Induced Home Surges* which come from fridges, sumps, HVAC, compressors, etc.

 

This is the same for Type 2 Secondary SPD's as they too are set to capture, absorb, and shunt the voltage based on a much higher threshold then Type 3 point of use SPD's.

 

Whether or not a SPD will impact Insteon signals comes down to the type of filtering employed. Generally speaking not very many will impact power line signals when compared to power conditioners which are Type 3 variants.

 

In my home I employ all of the above and much more to ensure my home and its appliances are not only protected but fully isolated from the POCO. I would suggest you review what kind of filtering is in these DIN style SPD's and report back.

[MFBra]

Thanks for The detailed Information.

Here is a building with 25 floors, not sure if we have a DPS 1 in the main entrance, probably not. The ground<->neutral impedance

(by my checks) is below the 25.

The SPDs available here are Metal oxide varistor (MOV) in a larger range of "capacity" (protection level) and also Silicon Avalanche Diode (SAD) in a smaller range and more expensive. probably will go to MOVs due to the the level recommended here ~40k, but really not sure. And also trying to not mess insteon comm due to eventual noise increase.

 

Again, many thanks!

 

 

Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk

[Teken]

Thanks for The detailed Information.

Here is a building with 25 floors, not sure if we have a DPS 1 in the main entrance, probably not. The ground<->neutral impedance

(by my checks) is below the 25.

The SPDs available here are Metal oxide varistor (MOV) in a larger range of "capacity" (protection level) and also Silicon Avalanche Diode (SAD) in a smaller range and more expensive. probably will go to MOVs due to the the level recommended here ~40k, but really not sure. And also trying to not mess insteon comm due to eventual noise increase.

 

Again, many thanks!

 

 

Enviado do meu iPad usando Tapatalk

 

Both MOV / SAD work equally well depending upon use case. There are other technologies which provide more protection and are not considered sacrificial in nature.

 

Those are SSR (solid state relays) which use optical isolated relays. The other are those that use electronics to detect a over / under voltage condition and remove power when present.

 

Panamax is such vendor, and their gear has saved millions of devices over the years. The Panamax MFP-400 for TV's, MIW-Surge 1G point of use outlets. Both of these devices use their proprietary *Protect / Disconnect* upon dangerious voltage conditions.

 

Other none sacrificial technologies are SurgeX *Series Mode* protection. These use a combination of transformers, coils, capacitors, chokes, etc. 

 

The reality is nothing can stop a direct lightning strike from harming your home unless it was designed to act like a Faraday cage. The closest to that is installing a lightning pole arrest-or which is properly grounded. Keep in mind lightning does not have to strike directly just the *induced* voltage can damage your home.

 

This is where sometimes having longer runs of copper from circuit to circuit is helpful because the resistance of the wires lowers the overall voltage levels from the meter to the point of use devices. For point of use Type 3 I use Tripp Lite ISOBAR Ultra power bars, Panamax MIW-1G, Leviton Surge Alarm Outlets, and several isolation transformers.

 

All of this is powered and backed by a pure sine wave whole house APC Symetra 120/240 UPS system. Most people can't afford lots of this gear but everyone can leave things unplugged, or close a breaker.

 

These two simple steps can protect less often used devices / circuits. I do this for our dishwasher, clothes washer, and dryer. During the summer time I turn off the furnace which coincides with our summer thunderstorms. Anyone who has ever replaced a furnace knows even the cheapest one costs thousands of dollars!

 

The above measures are what I call *Just in time use* and is simple, effective, and free! 

[MFBra]

Thanks for teaching and sharing your experience.