Everything You Need to Know About Home Surge Arresters

Home surge arresters are devices that keep electrical transformers from spinning at high speed when there’s an influx of electricity in a home. They do this by redirecting and confining the current so it doesn’t flow into walls, floors, or other electrical equipment. 

These devices are typically found on electrical circuits that feed homes, hotels, office buildings, and other large structures. But they can be used in homes as well, especially if those homes have wiring upstairs and downstairs instead of just one path. 

You can easily install a surge arrestor without being an electrician or a professional electrician. All you need is some small metal objects — table salt, for example — and wire. Follow these steps to erect your very own home surge arrester:

Disadvantages of Surge Arresters

Surge arresters have several disadvantages compared to more conventional electrical devices, such as breakers and circuit breakers. Specifically, these are: 

More expensive — Surge arresters are heavy, require special wiring and are expensive. They’re usually meant for use in large commercial environments where space is at a premium. 

More complicated to install — Surge arresters are usually pretty straightforward to install. But, if you’re not an electrician or a pro, it can be a bit challenging. 

Noisy — As the current is redirected through the metal plates, it’ll create a whooshing sound that can travel up and down the house. This sound can travel up to 24 feet and may bother some people. And it can also travel through walls, floors, and other materials in your home. Not effective in all situations — While surge arresters work best when there’s an electrical surge in the home, they don’t work at all when the power is out.

How to Build Your Own

You can purchase surge arresters at hardware stores and home centers. If you’re unsure about which one to buy, just look for a heavy item with arms. If you’re installing a homemade surge arrestor, follow these steps: 

Use a heavy object like a table salt shaker to create a mounting platform. Place the object so that it’s perpendicular to the outlets and on which you want the surge arrestor to sit. Use 2-3 feet of wire to secure the mounting platform to the wall. 

Next, use an electrical staple to secure the wire to the wall. If you want to strengthen the wire, use twine, pipe or even power barbs.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need the following items for your surge arrestor: 

Wire — Make sure it’s at least 1/4-inch tubing (twine, copper wire, etc.) and at least 18AWG (American Wire Gauge). 

Electrical staple — You can use an electrical staple or a bungee cord. Use at least 18-gauge wire to maximize the effectiveness of the staple and bungee cord. 

Plumbing wrench — A small, lightweight wrench is ideal for hanging wire and other objects from a surge arrestor.

Wiring and Plumbing Requirements

You’ll need to wire your surge arrestor according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Wiring a surge arrestor is similar to wiring a normal electrical device, with the exception of one key difference: the surge arrestor’s wiring. When wiring a surge arrestor, you’ll be using a combination of heavy-duty electrical cable, standard wiring, and battery power.

The heavy-duty electrical cable is rated for higher-amperage wiring, so it’s ideal for surge arresters. However, it’s more expensive than standard wiring. A better option is heavy-duty wiring. Like heavy-duty electrical cables, heavy-duty wiring is specifically designed for surge arresters. 

Standard wiring is cheaper, but it doesn’t have the protection or correct polarity-return characteristics of heavy-duty wiring. That’s why you have to be careful when using it — overuse of the standard wiring can damage your surge arrestor.

Installing the Device in Your Home

If you want to use a surge arrestor in your home, follow these steps: Use an electrical staple to secure the wire to the wall. If you want to strengthen the wire, use twine, pipe or even power barbs. 

Run the wire from the staple through a hole in the control box or through the wall. If your control box is on the electrical panel, you may have to remove the box to run the wire. If not, you can simply run the wire from the control box to the surge arrestor. Decide where to locate the surge arrestor. 

Place the surge arrestor where it’ll be closest to where the electricity enters your home. Run the wire from the surge arrestor to your electrical panel. If you’re not using a surge arrestor for a long time, simply unplug it from the wall and store it in a safe place.

Conclusion

Surge arresters are great when you have an electrical surge in your house. They prevent your electrical equipment from getting damaged by excessive current flow. However, before you build a surge arrestor, be sure to know what you’re doing. The wiring and plumbing requirements, along with the device itself, need to be considered.