Whole-House Surge Protection: Why It’s Important to the Residents of Lake Tahoe … and You

Northern California is a popular ski destination for many, but the mountainous region creates problems for those living near Lake Tahoe communities. Harsh weather coming in over the mountains, ski lift operation, and an outdated power infrastructure all contribute to frequent surges and poor power quality that puts technology in nearby homes at risk.

Regional integrator Powersurge Electric and Integration protects its customers against these threats with wiring and surge protection. The company’s owner, Igor Reoutt, explains; “High winds and heavy snow or rain are usually a recipe for power troubles in our area. The second challenge is the old infrastructure and utilities but a lot of that is because we’re up in the mountains, it’s a challenging environment and something we need to find work arounds for often.”

Blizzards Blamed for Surges

Jimmy Paschke, manager, residential sales for surge elimination company SurgeX, explains the effects that weather can have on power quality: “Harsh weather and high winds can absolutely impact power conditions. Electrical lines can be at the mercy of high winds and if the force is great enough to whip them around or cause downed trees, those can cause surge events within an environment.”

Ski Lifts Put a Strain on the Electrical Grid

An outdated power infrastructure is a common, understandable culprit for poor power quality, and operation of the large ski lifts at resorts is a contributing issue. “These places require a lot of power, more than I’ve ever seen,” comments Reoutt. ”When these big ski lifts fire up and start moving, they can create power imbalances that affect the surrounding area.” Paschke explains how this occurs, “We’re all sharing the same power grid. The motors used to get the chairs up and down the mountain are heavy duty and cause in-rush current. When these motors turn on, they can suck voltage away from other equipment, resulting in a voltage sag. While it eventually equals out, they could definitely cause surge events to a surrounding area sharing the same power grid.”

Surges Suppressors a Necessity in Snowy Areas

To combat these unstable power conditions caused by the lifts and high surge activity from storms, Powersurge Electric and Integration installs surge protection in many of the homes in the area. Reoutt explains one instance, “My company was contracted for an install where we were responsible for the wiring and surge protection of one house, and another [integrator] took care of the wiring and protection of the house next door.”

Both homes were connected to the same power pole. For their installation in the mountains of Lake Tahoe, Powersurge Electric and Integration chose to equip the house with the SurgeX XR315 — outfitted with Advanced Series Mode technology and Impedance Tolerant EMI/RFI filtering. “As far as I am aware, the SurgeX technology is the only one out there capable of eliminating the surge energy and capable of doing so over and over and over again without degradation,” Reoutt explains. The patented technology enables SurgeX products to completely eliminate surge energy up to 6,000 volts without degradation, and without producing harmful side effects such as ground contamination or common-mode disturbances.

A Tale of Two Protected Homes

Shortly after Powersurge Electric and Integration completed the installation, the SurgeX equipment was put to the test by a storm that came through the mountains. “A surge event hit the house that wasn’t protected with SurgeX equipment and smoked the whole system, resulting in the customer losing their entire Savant (home automation) system,” says Reoutt. Coincidentally, the home with SurgeX installed by Powersurge Electric and Integration and the one without had the same owner, and both houses were hit by the massive storm surge. “Not too long after the storm destroyed his Savant system, that same client contracted us to go back [to] replace all of his Savant equipment and install SurgeX to protect it once he realized that one of his properties was okay but the other one wasn’t,” says Reoutt.

Professionally Installed Surge Suppression: A Clear Choice for High-Tech Homes

The importance of installing non-sacrificial surge elimination equipment like the XR315 was made clear when Reoutt and his team removed the surge protection component from the damaged property. Reoutt explains, “I know, based on what happened to the system on the other end of this piece of equipment that this [surge protector] is fried.” Reoutt notes that there was no visible evidence that the surge protector they removed was damaged.  “For someone who didn’t know any better, they would think it’s still working fine because everything plugged into it works, and that’s dangerous.”

Based on this experience, Reoutt and his team make a point to explain to potential clients how surge elimination in their home can put them at ease. “Surge protection is one of those things that my clients always ask about,” comments Reoutt. “My response is always the same; I just tell them this story of the two houses and explain how the one we did was protected by SurgeX and the other one wasn’t, and I tell them what happened from there.”

Powersurge Electric and Integration requires SurgeX equipment in all of its installations; they see it as a hidden asset. “Every job we do has a SurgeX piece in in. For me, it’s nonnegotiable.” Reoutt explains. Power protection equipment goes a long way in safeguarding an automation, security or entertainment system; Reoutt continues, “If you don’t, and you have nothing in place to prevent disturbances like this, often times you’re left in the dark and you risk your investment in a system getting fried.”

There are many other brands of whole-house surge protection equipment available, some of which can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer. But as is usually the case, you’ll get better results by having a professional set up a complete system. The suggested retail price of the SurgeX XR315 surge suppressor is $899—a small price to pay to protect your home theater, home automation system, music system, and other smart home investments.

 

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