FAQ

The data network in a home or business is the backbone of automation systems. Every piece of equipment is connected through this network. Once damaging surge energy enters the system it can continue on to any and every piece of equipment connected to the system. It is even more common with large networks to have ground loop surges during lightning events. With a correctly coordinated and grounded Transient Protection Design installed system electronic damage can be totally eliminated or greatly reduced. Surge energy can enter your home on power, phone, cable and/or any unprotected copper line that enters or leaves the building. Outdoor wireless access points and IP cameras located outside are other ways surge energy can enter directly into your network system. Once this damaging surge energy gets into the network it is hard to predict where it will go and what it will damage on its way to ground. See our Transient Protection Design for Phone, Cable and Data Networks for more information on how to surge protect your business’ or home’s network from transient surges.

Tim Fazio

Snow, ice or wind snap a tree branch which falls on a power line causing disruptions in power, and when the power comes back on, it comes on with a slam. You see the lights turn back on, what you do not see is the damaging effects to your sensitive electronics. Storms and power outages are uncontrollable, but with a surge suppression system protecting your home, you can control their destructive side effects on your equipment.

Tim Fazio

Today more than ever all homes need surge protection from externally and internally generated transient surges. This means every electrical breaker panel in the home or structure and not just at the service entrance panel. Disconnects feeding heating and air-conditioning equipment is also recommended. Protecting all the electrical panels protects the electrical system from anything coming from the utility in addition to surges created internally from the homes electronic equipment and loads. Think of the surge suppressors like a shock absorber.. TPD surge protectors protects all the appliances, extends the life of all electrical equipment, and should be the number one priority in protecting a home.

Tim Fazio

Savant’s Partners in Excellence initiative has been targeted to achieve global compatibility between Savant’s control systems and a diverse group of manufacturers from the audio, video, lighting control, HVAC, and security industries, as well as devices and subsystems from many related markets.

Tim Fazio

When you have an outdoor speaker system you have the potential for lightning to enter the home on speaker wires. Systems Integrators can easily understand and explain that once this unwanted energy gets on the line it is going to go directly through the amplifier on its way to the earth ground of your house unless we divert it around the amplifier. See an example design diagram here. Outdoor speakers are typically isolated from ground therefore it is not common to surge protect that end of the line in most installations. But, the amplifiers that power the outdoor speakers are another matter. Running speaker wire out to numerous outdoor speakers is like putting up a giant copper antenna and asking for nearby lightning to “hit me.” It does not take a direct strike to inject surge energy into the speaker wires. Strikes as far as one quarter mile away generate enough EMP energy for the surge to travel thought the air and inductively couple onto the speaker wire and travel into the home or other structure. And, once lightning finds itself inside the home it can easily destroy the amp and migrate to other equipment in the rack or home.

Tim Fazio

In certain commercial facilities the 2104 National Electrical Code requires that a surge suppressor be installed on all panels fed by emergency generators. The NEC recognizes that there is a need to protect the equipment fed by the emergency panel from surges or dirty power coming from the generator. This is true whether there is a storm or other event causing loss of power and generator operation, or whether the generator comes on during its monthly testing (generators need regular maintenance and testing to be reliable). Today’s custom homes have electrical and electronic equipment similar to the lighting systems and controls, automation systems, HVAC systems, etc. found in commercial facilities, so home electrical panels have the same need of protection from dirty power originating from the use of generators. Installing protection upstream from the ATS will protect the circuit boards and power supplies within the ATS. If a surge were to knock out the ATS, the generator will not come on at all. Click here to see sample design diagrams of protecting transfer switches.

Tim Fazio

Peace of mind! Safety! Security! Failure to surge protect gates and keypads can negate the security the gate was designed to provide. The power feeds to the gate also leave unprotected pathways back into the house. Clients should be given the option to protect both the gate and the house when the gate is being installed. It is the client’s responsibility to protect his or her equipment, whether it is a gate keypad or a computer or a home theater, and it is the system integrator’s responsibility to show the homeowner how to protect it.Driveway gates are notorious for having lightning and surge damage to their motors and keypads. Why is this? Having a gate connected to a home’s electrical system is about the same as having a lightning rod in the middle of the yard. It’s going to get hit by lightning, if not today, someday! The power from the house to the gate is a direct pathway to the unprotected gate motor. The further the gate is from the house the more potential for lightning, whether a direct strike or a nearby strike (up to a ¼ mile away), to get on to the power line from the house to the gate. These surges can go towards the house as well as the gate motor, so it is advisable to install a suppressor on the electrical panel in the house feeding the gate. Lightning surges can also get onto the communication lines to the gate damaging both the keypad and house end electronics. Ground loops are another potential disturbance that can damage the keypads and electronics in the home. Some gates have an even larger chance of getting struck by lightning because of the metal fence that is connected to the gate. That fence is another lightning attractor system. Gated communities are spending tens of thousands of dollars a year on service calls on gates for these unprotected pathways. See an example design diagram here.

Tim Fazio