Is My System Toast?

Can you recommend any whole-house devices for these prolonged spikes?

Just what I mentioned in my last post. 

@tcutter 

There are two  whole house Type 2 SPD that draw a lot of attention on audio forums. 

The Eaton 108kA Whole Home Surge Protection Device (CHSPT2ULTRA)

From their warranty:

Failure due to direct lightning strikes and temporary
over-voltage are not covered

I have the Eaton (CHSPT2ULTRA)

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Siemens

Boltshield FSPD 140kA, Single Phase, Type-2 Surge Protective Device

1. Siemens Surge Protection Device (“SPD”) Limited Warranty
During the period stated below in Table 1 (the “Warranty Term”) and subject to the terms and conditions contained below, Siemens Industry, Inc. (“Siemens”) warrants that the SPD is free from any material defects in design, manufacturing, materials and workmanship and further
warrants the SPD against damage incurred by an electrical surge as defined by IEEE C62.41
(except and excluding any sustained over-voltage and any direct lightning strike).

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Note, neither will protect from an overvoltage event. 

Usually what happens a temporary overvoltage will fry a type 2 whole house SPD. Point of use Type 3 as well. 

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What Are Surges

In general a surge is a transient wave of current, voltage or power in an electric circuit.  In power systems in particular – and this is likely the most common context that we relate surges to – a surge, or transient, is a subcycle overvoltage with a duration of less than a half-cycle of the normal voltage waveform.  A surge can be either positive or negative polarity, can be additive or subtractive from the normal voltage waveform, and is often oscillatory and decaying over time.

Surges, or transients, are brief overvoltage spikes or disturbances on a power waveform that can damage, degrade, or destroy electronic equipment within any home, commercial building, industrial, or manufacturing facility. Transients can reach amplitudes of tens of thousands of volts.  Surges are generally measured in microseconds.

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Overvoltage Therein a temporary overvoltage.

 

People will blame a whole house SPD for not protecting electronic devices in the  home when there is a Utility Power Failure. The SPD is not designed to protect if there is an overvoltage event that lasts for more than milliseconds in duration. 

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@jea48 

I apreciate the limitations of my EP and your Eaton devices. Could you be more specific in terms of a recommendation for a whole house prolonged voltage spike protector? That is, do you have a manufacturer and a model number?

Could you be more specific in terms of a recommendation for a whole house prolonged voltage spike protector? That is, do you have a manufacturer and a model number?

I am not aware of one that would work like a whole house Type 2 SPD, (Surge Protection Device). 

How would you clamp a temporary, sustained, overvoltage? The overvoltage surge is real available power... A temporary, sustained, overvoltage event could last seconds, minutes or longer... It’s not like a high voltage transient surge that has a life span in microseconds. (Going from memory the Eaton Type 2 SPD reacts to a high voltage transient surge in one nano second or less. That’s fast!  And that’s why the big name manufacturers use Multiple MOVs in their Type 2 SPDs. 

Not all temporary, sustained overvoltage events are caused from Utility Power coming back on Line. (And that doesn’t happen every time.) Some overvoltage events are caused by high voltage power lines coming down on low voltage power lines. Causes? Wind, fires, falling big tree limbs, vehicles hitting power poles.

Then another, more localized temporary, sustained overvoltage event is a loose and or corroded, or open, neutral service conductor. This can be at the secondary side of the Utility Power Transformer, at the overhead service weather head connection, in the meter socket, or at the main electrical service equipment panel. A loose and or corroded, or open, service neutral can take out audio equipment pretty quick. Along with any other electronic devices on the higher voltage Hot leg.

 

The electricity in my town went out the other day for a short time.

Town ? Not City? Small town? May be with its own Generating Power Plant? 

@jea48 

So it appears that this kind of protection is only available for an individual outlet.

I continue to suggest a whole house and individual surge protectors are better than nothing,

 

 

I agree on a whole house Type 2 SPD 

I use Tripp-Lite Ultra Type 3 point of use SPDs on the PC computer and Home theater system. Various other LED TVs I use Tripp-Lite Type 3 SPD power strips. 

(FYI,The branch circuit wiring length must be a minimum of 30ft to use a type 3 point of use SPD. That is now a requirement in the 2023 NEC. It has been a UL requirement for at least a few years. Impedance and inductance matters in the branch circuit wiring when using a plug in Type 3 point of use SPD.)

 The whole house Type 2  SPD must be installed per best practices.

The majority of high voltage transient surges in a home are caused by electrical appliances and electrical equipment found in the home.

For lightning protection a low resistance Grounding Electrode system is also needed. IEEE recommends 5 ohms or less for commercial and industrial facilities. 

NEC just says if the electrode to soil resistance "is measured" it shall be 25 ohms or less. Way to high... The lower the grounding electrode to soil resistance the quicker the high voltage lightning transient is diverted to Mother Earth. Simple Ohms Law.  

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