transcient voltage protection

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Last week in Jarabacoa there was a huge voltage spike that caused several house fires and did in a couple of computers in my wife's school. I want to install a whole home surge suppressor in the school. My question is: The power wire coming in, is it three wires, single ac as here in Canada or the USA? a surge suppressor is useless if not hooked up with a ground.
 

DOMINCAN JOE

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Aug 15, 2006
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Last week in Jarabacoa there was a huge voltage spike that caused several house fires and did in a couple of computers in my wife's school. I want to install a whole home surge suppressor in the school. My question is: The power wire coming in, is it three wires, single ac as here in Canada or the USA? a surge suppressor is useless if not hooked up with a ground.

BOB Here is a man who i think could tell you !
http://www.dr1.com/forums/members/rocky.html
 

granca

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Aug 20, 2007
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Of course Bob I do not know what type of accommodation you have but I overcame this problem by having the power company, Luz y Fuertza (LT) put in a new supply to my house from a new pole they put in just down the road. They connected their usual 2 wire positive and negative and also put in an earth/ground. I had my local electrician rewire the the house to the meter using good quality cable 6 or 8 and also put in a really good earth/ground. Between the mains and the computer set up I installed a U.P.S. and a voltage regulator. The latter purchased from the Americana Ferreteria: An Avtek, RPC Plus 600. They do supply bigger ones. Since then I have had no problems. Good luck.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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I didn't har about the spike. When? Where?

My house in Jarabacoa is wired so the inverter acts as a surge suppressor/main breaker.
 

Adrian Bye

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Jul 7, 2002
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having an inverter can be a cheap way to protect the electrical appliances in your house. not sure if it would withstand a spike as strong as you describe, but i've had very few electrical appliances blow up in my 7 years in the DR and always have an inverter
 

bob saunders

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having an inverter can be a cheap way to protect the electrical appliances in your house. not sure if it would withstand a spike as strong as you describe, but i've had very few electrical appliances blow up in my 7 years in the DR and always have an inverter

No there is an inveter in the school and APC on all the computers, photocoper....etc. Half the light bulbs (energy eficient type)were blown, several wooden houses burnt down...etc so it must have been a powerful surge.
 

Olly

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Mar 12, 2007
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Bob ,
I think you post on an earlier thread in early December. You might want to go and looked at the posts.

http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/82488-spike-protection-electrical-items.html

Sorry to hear that you got zapped. If you look at your electric bill it shows you what type of connection you have - it is probably Baja "120/240 Doble Monofasica"
This would be three wire - two hot and one neutral.

I have recently fitted a Square D surge protector, four THQLSURGE units by GE , and one THSASURGE60 also by GE that is good for 30,000 amps surge. These are all available in the US and on line. Not very expensive really.
Square D required an earth as does THSASURGE60, but in the instructions for fitting them there are alternatives in no "earth" is available. THQLSURGE fits directly into any GE Load centre so is easy to fit.

The experience so far has been good with these and noticeably reducing the effect of surges.

HTH

Olly