Topband: A Bit Off Topic

[Mike Waters]

Hi Charlie,

Thank you very much for your advice. I agree, and this reminded me of my
forgotten intention to put MOVs (for now) in the meter pole panel. It's
some distance from the house and the wires run underground to the house
panel.

I added a ground rod at that outdoor pole, and it's time to pour more
magnesium sulfate on it to help reduce the ground resistance. The #6 CU
from it to the ground bus is as short and direct as possible. The rod
apparently didn't do a thing, the lamp sockets still arced and CFLs still
blew on my living room ceiling fan.

I'm not real proud of the photo of my breaker panel on qrz.com. After
regularly losing various electrical devices in this house, it was a matter
of doing that or doing nothing. :-)

Maybe it's a coincidence, but since adding those MOVs, the lights no longer
brighten during a close thunderstorm. Of course, I cannot trust those.

I doubt that any $100 device is worth buying. You get what you pay for.

And I have a real problem with those surge suppressors with fuses in series
with the MOVs. Yeah, let's protect those MOVs, they're more important than
my color laser printer, computers, and ham equipment. :-(

73, Mike
www.w0btu.com


Having spent decades of my engineering career working with electric power
> distribution systems and equipment, especially electricity meters, I would
> have MUCH more confidence in a meter-base suppressor with a GOOD local
> ground and of course an additional power system ground back at the riser
> pole or pad-mount transformers on the distribution system. Of course, if He
> wants to, God has the punch to take that meter off the wall!  AND none of
> this is going to help in case of a "power-cross" that I have also seen when
> a truck accidentally brought down a 7700 volt distribution line that fell
> across the residential service drop!!
>
> I would have much less confidence in a device at the breaker panel with a
> longer, higher impedance, and potentially questionable ground return path
> through the residential wiring!  Much better to take care of the surges
> right there at the load terminal of the meter!!  That would prevent the
> surges from entering te residential wiring.
>