Lady Diana

I talked with my husband this AM,..he is an architect/engineer.
He said as long as your house was grounded during construction, and you haven't had any major changes in your plumbing lines ( metal to PVC), then your house should be grounded. Most cities nowrequire by ordinance,that an 8 foot grounding rod of copper clad steel pipe be driven into the ground. This protects your house. In many older homes, plumbers used to ground the house to water lines and gas lines..gas lines not a good idea. Ground to water lines used to be standard. He said the whole house protector would be a "belt and suspenders" thing. But if you have had metal plumbing replaced by plastic pipe, it would probably be a good idea. Diana in TX

westom

Of course not.

AC electric. Three wires enter the building. One connects to earth ground (a ground too often missing with age). Those other two connect lightning down the street directly into every appliance. Those other two wires have no earthing if you did not install one 'whole house' protector.

Surge protection means every wire inside every incoming cable must connect short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to single point ground. Not just any ground. Single point earth ground. If you do not act, then it does not exist. If you do not do it, then over 100 appliances (and a man's back) are ripe for surge damage.

Code only addresses human safety. Code does not consider transistor safety. If you do not install transistor safety, then everything inside your house remains at risk - even if using plug-in protectors.

As an engineer, he should know that all homes should have had 'whole house' protection since 1970. And still, virtually no homes have transistor protection. If he is an architect, then he should know when surge protection is installed - before footings are poured. We still do not properly ground newest homes. Ask him to learn about Ufer grounds. Why munitions dumps are directly struck by lightning without explosion. A technology that was probably routine long before he was born. A technology fundamental to any building that has transistors.

Lady Diana

Building codes address grounding. New construction in most cities require copper clad 8 foot grounding rods. This means the steel rod must be driven into the soil eight feet. The reason for this is, a short rod with dried earth around it does not act as a ground, the reason for driving it down eight feet where there is moisture.
As stated, older homes were grounded to the water lines, most still are. However, if you have had changes in plumbing from metal to PVC plastic pipe, then you may not have a ground on the water line.
Even a few years ago, brand new homes being built in Plano TX, north of Dallas, the contractors actually grounded to the gas lines in a subdivsion. Well, you guessed it, lightning struck one of the million dollar homes, exited the gas line causing a huge fire that destroyed the home. The home owner went after the nautral gas company.....when it was their contractor. The City of Plano changed their building ordinance immediately following the discovery that the builder had grounded to the gas line.
Live and learn.
D in TX

westom

Things I knew even 50 years ago when I also discuss AC wires entering a building unearthed. Homes are earthed for human safety. Earthing for transistor safety means other wires - every wire inside every cable - must connect short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to single point earth ground.

Did you know gas lines inside the house are insulated from gas lines outside the house? Do you know why? Relevant to your examples. Meanwhile, those local codes were in violation of long standing National Electrical Code requirements. The local jurisdiction simply ignored well proven knowledge?

It varies by local gas companies. Some want an interior gas line safety grounded to earth. Others do not. That says nothing about exterior gas pipes. And says nothing about earthing for surge protection.

In another rare case, a home had a problem seen too often. AC electric ground was compromised. It had no earthing. A failure inside the street transformer caused electricity to seek earth via the gas meter. When a gasket failed, fortunately nobody was home when the house exploded. And that is only earthing for human safety. Earthing for surge protection demands more.

AC electric wires enter the building ungrounded - if only meet code. Those wires must be earthed before entering the building. Gas line implies your town did not even require National code requirements. Some towns cannot be bothered until someone dies.

Did you know all phone lines already have superior surge protectors installed for free? But again, protection only as effective as the single point earth ground that you must provide. No just any earth ground. Even water pipe earthing is (finally) considered insufficient by code. Required is single point earth ground.

Why do no plug-in protectors claim surge protection? Where is a dedicated wire for that always required short ('less than 10 foot') connection to single point earth ground? Does not exist.

A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Therefore informed homeowners upgrade the earthing. Waste no money on plug-in protectors. Divert that money to what actually does protection – a ‘whole house’ protector connected short to single point earth ground. The only reliable protection for sewing machines.

sosewcrazy

Westom (and everyone) - I know our house is grounded to the water lines because I got shocked one day while turning on water in the shower. It was just after a heavy snowstorm and evidently I was touching the fawcet at the exact time the line came down and power went out.
Anyway - I found a whole house protector online and wondered if this is what you're recommending:

Overview
Rated for split/single phase panels up to 400 Amp
Indoor or outdoor installation
Visible Diagnostic LED
Compact chassis for easy installation
Essential Info
Protect your home automation, computer networking and home theater equipment with a surge suppressor that shields your home from debilitating power surges, even hardwired equipment. Designed specifically for residential use, this unit is rated for split single-phase panels up to 400 amps and will absorb an astonishing 2,700 Joules! With an ultra high spike capacity of 60,000 amps, this surge suppressor is one of the best values you'll find for the money anywhere. This unit is even equipped with an LED light to indicate protection status. By installing this Whole-House Surge Suppressor at the point-of-entry service panel, you'll not only protect against nearby lightning strikes, transformer overloads and problems from downed utility poles, you'll also expand the longevity of your electronics.
Increased Surge Protection
For items that are especially sensitive to surges (i.e. computers, A/V devices), we still recommend the additional protection of plug-in surge protection power strips. Due to the high-voltage nature of this product, we recommend installation by a qualified electrician, which usually takes less than 30 minutes.

Safety Considerations
A licensed electrician must install the SEP-200. Installation must follow applicable electrical codes.

ALSO, my Tin Lizzie owner's manual says I must use an uninterrupted power supply battery backup. I'm assuming from your posts that the UPS wouldn't be enough. I'm learning a lot from all these posts.

seivmom

My husband is a firefighter, he said he has been to multiple fires where the cord was left plugged into the outlet and the cord left dangling (most often cell phone chargers). He always says to unplug from the wall, so in the interest of safety after going through a house fire from a waterbed heater, I always unplug!!

fabric-holic

Even the cellphone cord? Yikes...
I guess it's a miracle I haven't burned the place down yet after all these years of just unplugging at the item, not the wall outlet.

westom

Effective protectors make an always required short (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth. It does not discuss the most critical feature of every protector. It may be the world's best protector. But only if earthing exists and is properly implemented. That text says nothing about earthing. It may be a very good protector. But the most critical detail is not discussed.

An effective protector is at least 50,000 amps. Its 60,000 amps means it conducts typically 20,000 amps direct lightning strikes to earth – and remains functional. But again, only if that ‘less than 10 foot’ earthing connection exists. Two features essential in any effective protector.

Responsible companies that sell 'whole house' protectors include General Electric, Square D, Siemens, Intermatic, Keison, ABB, and Leviton. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Numerous responsible sources for this well proven technology.

Grounding for human safety (ie shocks via plumbing) says nothing about earthing. You have confused earth ground with human safety ground. Your 'shock' implies a defective ground system. No shock should have been anywhere inside the building. Especially not in a shower.

What was the incoming and outgoing path through your body? Was a GFIC in that circuit? No ‘whole house’ protector may also explain a defective GFCI. Effective protection means no energy inside to shock “while turning on water in the shower”.

Two critical numbers. It must connect short (ie ‘less than 10 feet’) to single point ground. And it must be sized to conduct all surges (including direct lightning strikes) harmlessly to earth. Every incoming wire must be earthed directly or via a protector. You know effective protection does not exist. You even suffered a shock in the shower. Even if appliances are damaged, that shower shock must never exist.

If AC electricity does not have a 'whole house' protector, then most incoming AC wires are not properly earthed. It (or other failures) could explain the bathroom shock. A shock that says maybe 100 household appliance are also at risk.

scowlkat

Most of the surge protectors that you buy at Wal-Marts, hardware stores, etc. will only protect from surges for a limited time. I found this out because for a while we were having problems several times daily with our power going off and on constantly and was told by power service tech that this can weaken them to the point where they are useless. I unplug everything and make sure the cords are nowhere the power source because I do know that electricity arcs and in a storm the amount of electricity produced can arc quite a distance!

Rhonda

well I will put in my two cents worth. I apologize to begin with as i did not go through each and every entry here. So if I am repeating I'm sorry. My DH grew up under his contractor dad and my sons are electricians. I have had it drummed into me that even tho a cord is unplugged from the item if it is still plugged into the outlet the electricity is still going through that cord. So don't touch the end and don't leave it dangling. Unplugging it from the outlet is the wisest thing to do.