Intermatic Smart Guard IG2240-IMSK whole home surge protector

Any opinions about the effectiveness of this style of surge suppressor with replaceable parts?
 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SBC0LTE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
 
 

The longer the wires are leading to the heavy ground, neutral, and phase conductors, the less effective it will be. Passing through lots of metal enclosure walls is another way to choke out and weaken high frequency suppression, which is usually mostly the problem, from lightning.
 
For a bunch of $0.25 MOVs,  the price and effectiveness is too scammy for a cool enclosure, to me. Something mounted right inside the panel without any metal passthroughs would be best, but now against wiring codes.

LarrylLix said:

The longer the wires are leading to the heavy ground, neutral, and phase conductors, the less effective it will be. Passing through lots of metal enclosure walls is another way to choke out and weaken high frequency suppression, which is usually mostly the problem, from lightning.
 
For a bunch of $0.25 MOVs,  the price and effectiveness is too scammy for a cool enclosure, to me. Something mounted right inside the panel without any metal passthroughs would be best, but now against wiring codes.

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Looks as though they also have type 1 rainproof enclosures, which I take to mean it could be wired on the "line side" between the power meter and the main panel.
https://images.tradeservice.com/9ETBOIYK8205G6UU/ATTACHMENTS/DIR100154/INTMATE00901_108.pdf
 
Would that address your concern about the location of it?
 
That said, I have a 200amp circuit breaker on my main panel, so maybe this would be undersized regardless.  The pictures show it having just a two pole 50amp breaker.
 
It looks to be a scaled down implementation of a more capable $1706 system that also uses replaceable modules:
https://www.instrumart.com/products/43016/mtl-zonemaster-surge-protectors?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgaKCztHs5AIVD9bACh0wYwLkEAQYBCABEgKcSfD_BwE

This was just discussed somewhat in the UDI forum. Here is a bit of a review on a blog that you might like.
 
https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/10/whats-the-best-whole-house-surge-protection/
 
 
There are units with plastic nipple that will connect right to the side of your panel into a double 50A breaker. I wouldn' try to connect anything to your raw bus. The 200A breakers would allow the wires to burst into flames on a continuous fault that could happen after lightning chars all the wiring. Many of these are about a third of the price.
 
The replaceable element sound like a cool deal but when lightning blows them clear, the wires are likely to be burnt or blown clear too. Garbage and you start over, anyway.

LarrylLix said:

https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/10/whats-the-best-whole-house-surge-protection/
 

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Interesting read.  Thanks for that.  I had assumed that an electrician would have the skills needed to install a type 1 without needing the utility to cut power to the house.  I guess maybe not.  Surely there are ways to do it (evidence: grow-ops), but maybe it's hard to find an electrician who can or who would be willing to, assuming that it's even legal to do.  I had thought that it would be, but maybe not.
 
Wow, so the winner, according to him, is the Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA.  I'm surprised.  Well, at least it's relatively inexpensive and easy to do.

LarrylLix said:

This was just discussed somewhat in the UDI forum. Here is a bit of a review on a blog that you might like.
 
https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/10/whats-the-best-whole-house-surge-protection/
 
 
There are units with plastic nipple that will connect right to the side of your panel into a double 50A breaker. I wouldn' try to connect anything to your raw bus. The 200A breakers would allow the wires to burst into flames on a continuous fault that could happen after lightning chars all the wiring. Many of these are about a third of the price.
 
The replaceable element sound like a cool deal but when lightning blows them clear, the wires are likely to be burnt or blown clear too. Garbage and you start over, anyway.

Click to expand...

 
Larry,
What kind do you have, if any?

NeverDie said:

Larry,
What kind do you have, if any?

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I don't have any. I probably should though. I live in the rural but we have underground distribution within about 3-400m up to and past the street transformer.
 
I did experience a lightning hit in my back yard once and the induction in the aluminum soffits blew the outside sensor input in my hydronic mixing panel. I had my back to a window and I could feel the concussion from the lightning hit on my back. I thought I was dead!.
I can live without the mixing panel, but my 5 zone stats all flash errors, not knowing the outside temperature now. One day I will replace the unit but I grimace every time I think about the $6-800 it will cost.
 
A whole house spike suppressor would not have helped this situation  and possibly even made it worse, providing a better ground path than the equipment, after travelling through the equipment.  Thinking about grounding all my exterior aluminum though.