Power conditioning / surge protection
Ptss, I have attended several Power Quality and Surge Protection seminars over the years. Proper grounding was always mentioned as being the most important. Not once was lifting the ground said to be good for power quality or surge protection. Especially not good for surges caused by near by lightning strikes. Food for thought.... The electrical service neutral conductor is intentionally connected to earth at the main service. ( The Grounded Conductor) So much for lifting the ground. Poor earth grounding and or improper earth grounding is the biggest cause of electronic equipment damage from surges due to near by lightning strikes. |
Doggydaddy, I would first start with a whole house SPD, (Surge Protection Device.), installed at the main service electrical panel. The closer the SPD is connected to the main breaker of the panel the better. Leads from SPD to mains should be as short as possible. The best SPD in the world is useless if the electrical earth grounding electrode system of your electrical service has a high Soil Resistivity. The lower the earth soil resistance, there in grounding electrode conductivity, (Ground rod/s, ect), the better the electrical service grounding system will be able to take a lightning strike to earth. A low earth soil resistance should be 5 ohms or less per IEEE. Deep earth grounding SPD protection at your audio equipment is the last line of defense against power surges. . |
As far as I know, the only product I know of that protects against a direct lightning strike is a homeowners insurance policy.That is correct. If a company says their SPD will protect your audio equipment from a direct lightning strike I suggest reading the small fine print. Discovery Wonders of Weather Lightning Phenomena. |
