Grounding a BUD

[ACRadio]

Back in the 80's there was a customer that I always had to visit at least once every summer. Their dish was grounded to a ground rod driven in the ground out at the dish. After a strike and a receiver replacement I recommended a Panamax. I installed it and never heard anything from them until the next summer. They had taken another hit, and when I was checking out the equipment I shook the surge protector and heard parts and pieces rattling around inside. All the equipment worked fine when plugged directly into the outlet, so I took the Panamax outside and took the cover off and poured a handful of ashes out of it. I installed another surge protector and decided to take the ground wire loose from the dish. I never had to go back again...

 

[sergei]

If you want to protect your house wiring see if your electric company can install either a panel or meter surge protector, cost is about 115 dollars for the protector. My REC didn't charge me for the installation.

 

[Dishman Dan]

We have REA near my area and they are great for working with customers. However I am with one of those huge utility conglomerates that like to take my money and that is about it. I will check to see if they have any programs to help out.

I do hear alot about Panamax products and am considering some. At a local fair this past fall someone was selling a whole house surge protector which also was a power conditioner. They made a few pitches about the importance of clean power and its benefits. This unit was around $500 and hooked onto a breaker in the main panel. Do these type of gizmos actually work??? I know I still need the proper ground and a protector on the positioner and such but for the main power... Are the whole house units the cats meow???

 

[sergei]

You could also have your local electrician install one for you, when I had my generator installed the guy mentioned about doing one for me to protect the house wiring, but after calling my REC they installed one cheaper than he quoted me. So along with the panel protector I've got APC UPS on all my sensitive electrical equipment and the model I have also includes a quality power conditioner.
The problem with the Panamax is that it's only a surge protector and nothing else and your not paying much more for a good UPS.
I'd have to see the specs to decide if the 500 dollar price is really a good whole house unit, but here's a site with an article from Australia that has some info you might find of interest.

Power struggle

 

[14karat]

I ran across this while digging around. Have never heard of them before, but it might be worth a look...
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