Whole House Surge Protector Installation in Houston
Whole-home surge protection since 2005. Shield from lightning & power surges. Serving Houston and surrounding areas. Licensed & BBB A+ rated. Free quote!
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How it works.
- Protection Against Power Surges Surge protectors act as a barrier between your devices and sudden voltage spikes caused by lightning, electrical storms, or utility grid fluctuations, preventing damage and premature failure.
- Peace of Mind Investing in surge protectors is a cost-effective way to protect your valuable electronics, offering an added layer of defense against potential damage and downtime.
- Extended Lifespan By diverting excess electrical energy away from your devices, surge protectors help extend their lifespan and reduce the risk of costly repairs or replacements.
- Easy Installation Our expert technicians will install surge protectors quickly and seamlessly, ensuring proper placement and functionality for maximum protection.
Safeguard Your Electronics with Surge Protector Installation
Protect your devices and appliances against damage from power surges. Electrical surges ensue during power grid switches at electric utility companies or more commonly during lightning strikes. Power surges occur too frequently to be taken lightly and could lead to property damage. Our licensed electricians at Wired Electrical & Generators can help protect your home or business with expertly installed surge suppressors. Surge protectors work to shield your belongings from the effects of a power surge. Without a surge suppressor, major electrical appliances and devices are at risk for damage. Our surge suppressors protect TVs, refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers, computer systems, and more from major damage. They also help keep audio and video components as well as telecommunications systems from being disrupted. Call Wired Electrical & Generators to ask about pricing for a surge suppressor and for more information about how we can set up one of these systems in your home or business.
How a Whole House Surge Protector Works
A whole house surge protector guards everything wired into the home, not just what is plugged into a power strip. Here is what it does and where it goes.
What a whole house surge protector is
A whole house surge protector, also called a surge protective device or surge suppressor, is a small unit wired to your main electrical panel. When a voltage spike comes in, it sends the extra energy to ground before it can spread through the circuits in the house. It protects things that cannot plug into a power strip, such as the AC, the water heater controls, the oven and the garage door opener.
Where a whole house surge protector is installed
Most are mounted right next to the main panel, or inside it, and connected to their own breaker. That spot lets the device catch surges as they enter the house. In some homes the meter or the incoming service is also an option. We look at your panel, its brand and its grounding and choose the location that gives the best protection for your setup.
Where surges come from
Lightning is the surge most people think of, and Houston storm season brings plenty of it. Many surges are smaller and more frequent, though. They come from utility switching, power coming back after an outage and large motors cycling on and off inside the house, like the AC compressor. Small repeated surges can wear down electronics over time even when nothing fails right away.
Do You Need a Whole House Surge Protector?
It is a fair question. Here is how we think about whether surge protection for your house is worth it.
What is at risk in a modern home
Today almost everything in a house has a circuit board, including the AC and furnace, the refrigerator, the washer and dryer, the dishwasher, smart thermostats, the security system and the TVs. Those boards are sensitive to spikes and expensive to replace. A whole house surge protector puts one layer of protection in front of all of them at once.
Is a whole house surge protector a good idea in Houston?
For most Houston homes, yes. Frequent thunderstorms, hurricane season and outages that end with power snapping back on all create surges. A surge protector is a small device compared with the value of what it protects. It is not a guarantee against every event, especially a direct lightning strike, but it lowers the risk from the surges that happen most often.
Whole house protection vs plug-in surge strips
Plug-in surge strips still have a job. They protect one outlet's worth of electronics, like a computer or a TV, from surges that start inside the house. A whole house unit handles surges entering from outside and protects hardwired equipment strips cannot reach. The best setup uses both: whole house protection at the panel and good surge strips at sensitive electronics.
Surge protection for your AC unit
Your air conditioner is one of the most expensive things on your electrical system, and its control board and compressor are exposed to surges from both directions. A whole house surge protector covers the AC circuit along with everything else. In some cases a separate surge device at the outdoor unit makes sense as an added layer, and we tell you when it does.
Choosing the Right Whole House Surge Protector
Surge protectors are not all the same. The right one depends on your panel and on what you want to protect.
What size whole house surge protector do I need?
Surge protectors are rated by how much surge current they can handle, usually listed in kA, and by how low they hold the voltage that gets through. Bigger is not always better. The right rating depends on your service size, your panel and how exposed the house is to lightning. We size the device to your home and explain the rating in plain terms instead of selling you the largest number.
Panel-matched surge protectors
Many panel makers, such as Square D, Eaton and Siemens, make surge protectors designed to plug into their own panels like a breaker. Others mount beside the panel and work with any brand. A panel-matched unit is often the cleanest installation. We check your panel brand and the space available and tell you which options fit.
Status lights and what they tell you
Most whole house surge protectors have indicator lights that show whether the device is still protecting the house. Get in the habit of glancing at them when you are near the panel, and especially after a big storm. If a light is out or shows a fault, call us. Photos of the device and its lights help us tell you what is going on.
Do Whole House Surge Protectors Go Bad?
Surge protectors wear out as they do their job. Knowing that helps you get the most from yours.
How surge protectors wear out
The parts inside a surge protector absorb energy every time they clamp a spike. A large surge can use them up all at once, and many small ones wear them down gradually. That is why surge protection is not a set-and-forget item. When the device reaches the end of its life, it stops protecting the house even though your power keeps working normally.
Are whole house surge protectors one time use?
No. A good whole house surge protector handles many surges over its life. A very large surge, such as from a nearby lightning strike, can use it up in one event, which is exactly what it is there for. After a strike or a surge that damaged appliances, have the device checked. We look at the status lights, test the circuit and tell you whether the device is still protecting the house.
Can you reset a whole house surge protector?
The surge protector itself does not reset the way a GFCI outlet does. If its breaker tripped, a homeowner can reset that breaker once, the same as any other. If the breaker trips again, or the status light still shows a fault, the device likely needs to be replaced. Call us rather than resetting it over and over.
Whole House Surge Protector Installation and Cost
Installation is a short visit for most homes. Here is what goes into it and what affects the cost.
Can you install a whole house surge protector yourself?
We do not recommend it. Installation means working inside the main panel, where the service wires stay energized even with the main breaker off. The device also has to be connected with short, direct leads and proper grounding to work well, and a poor installation can leave the house unprotected without you knowing it. This is a job for a licensed electrician.
What happens on installation day
We check the panel, the grounding and the bonding first, because a surge protector is only as good as its path to ground. Then we install the device, connect it to its breaker and confirm the status lights show it is protecting the house. The power is usually off only for a short part of the visit. Where a permit is required, we handle it.
What drives whole house surge protector cost
Cost depends on the device you choose and its rating, whether it is a panel-matched unit or a separate one, where the panel is and how easy it is to reach, and whether the grounding needs correction. Adding protection at the AC or other equipment also changes the total. Every house is different, so a free visit gets you a written estimate.
Pairing surge protection with other work
A panel upgrade, a rewire or a standby generator installation is a good time to add surge protection, since we are already working at the panel. As a Generac Prestige Dealer, we can plan surge protection alongside a generator and transfer switch so the whole system is covered. Ask about it when you call (713) 467-1125.
Surge Protector Types and Houston Storm Season
Surge protection comes in layers, and Houston weather tests every one of them. Here is how the pieces fit together.
Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 surge protection
Surge protective devices are grouped by where they go. A Type 1 device can sit on the utility side of the main breaker, near the meter. A Type 2 device mounts at the main panel and is the usual whole house protector. A Type 3 device is a plug-in unit at the outlet, close to the equipment. Most homes do well with a Type 2 unit at the panel plus plug-in protection for sensitive electronics.
Surges when the power comes back on
In Houston, the power often goes out with a storm and comes back hours later. When the grid is switched back on, voltage can spike and dip before it settles. Every appliance that was left on sees that spike at once. A whole house surge protector helps absorb it. It also helps to switch off sensitive electronics during a long outage and turn them back on once power is steady.
Surge protection with a standby generator
A home with a standby generator sees extra switching every time the transfer switch moves from utility power to the generator and back. A whole house surge protector at the panel protects the house during those changes. Generac also offers surge protection designed for generator installs. If you have a Generac or Kohler generator, or are adding one, we plan surge protection with it so the panel, transfer switch and generator are covered together.
Cable, phone and internet lines
Surges do not only arrive on the power lines. Cable TV, phone and internet lines can carry a surge into the house too, straight to the TV, router or modem. A good plan looks at every line entering the home and whether it is properly grounded at the same point as the electrical service. Plug-in protectors with coax and network ports add another layer for home office and entertainment gear.
Whole house surge protector installation
A surge comes in from the grid or a lightning strike and hits everything at once.
Whole house surge protector
It goes at the panel and protects the whole house, not just what is plugged into a power strip. Pair it with plug-in protectors for the sensitive stuff.
Generator and surge
A surge protector also protects the generator's electronics during storm season.
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