Anyone have one, installed one, paid to have one installed?? After having to replace the brain in my hot tub for the 2nd time, the guy I found to repair the circuit board this time recommended I look into getting one in case it is power surges frying out my boards. We do loose power from time to time each year with heavy storms. Anyone have one installed they'd recommend? Any insight on self-installation or idea of how much an electrician would charge?? I've watched a few videos, and although I'm pretty handy, not sure I am up to working inside the breaker box.
Whole House Surge Protectors
- Thread starter madscotsman
- Start date
Can't speak to the whole house surge protectors but...
I would make sure the circuit board on the hot tub doesn't have an onboard fuse. Typically a circuit board should have a fuse onboard to protect against surges if it is carrying any real current through it. If you can't visibly see any damage to the PCB, check around for the fuse and maybe save some coin.
I have one, and lots of folks do here due to the thunderstorms we get. I had my work electrician install it years ago, so I have zero knowledge of cost or difficulty.
Might also check with the electric company too. Florida Power and Light offers them for like $10 a month and it installs right behind the meter.
Might also check with the electric company too. Florida Power and Light offers them for like $10 a month and it installs right behind the meter.
Cutler Hammer makes one that is sold at some Home Depot's.This unit has replacable overloads.You need to install a 15 amp double pole breaker at the top two openings closest to your main breaker.Power the module and connect the remaining wires to the neutral or ground bar.The job can be done by an electrician in less than an hour.The part is around $100 bucks
I have UPSs on all my sensitive electronics, and I've never had an issue.
I checked the 2 fuses on both boards and neither was blown. 1st board was the original and lasted 10 years then started shutting off the hot tub intermittently with an "OH" warning on the topside controls. Water in the tub was never above the set temp on the controls, but something was telling the "brain" it was, so it would randomly shut off. After having already replaced the pump/motor when we moved in because the previous owner didn't winterize it before they moved out, I replaced every sensor/switch that I could. Finally broke down and had the repair guy come out and paid around $600 for a new board that he said was needed. New board came with a 12 month warranty and I started getting the "OH" error again 13 months later. This time the water was sometimes at the set level (like before), or was actually overheated up to 110 degrees. I replaced the heater coil and found a guy in CA that repairs boards for hot tubs at a fraction of the cost of another replacement. He said the heater relays in the original board I sent him appeared to be heat fused/welded so he replaced them all and it's on its way back to me now. Ill replace the new board with the old/repaired one and see what happens. Since living here we've had several power outages, I had a slab poured next to my deck and moved the hot tub off the deck once it started rotting and had an electrician move the power to the slab. We also had a time after a storm where our house (and our side of the street) was only getting half the power it should. The power company had to dig up our yard and replace something underground to fix us and everyone on our side of the street?!? Historically, there were 2 reports of our house being struck by lightning by the prior owners according to State Farm when we bought the house?!?
Good call on the power company, i'll try that route later this week. This is the one I was looking at:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eaton-Whole-House-Surge-Protector-CHSPT2ULTRA-1/204761136
Requires a dedicated 2 pole 50amp breaker installed in a slot closest to the incoming power. Just don't have any clue as to what is a reasonable cost for the install since the electrician we found to move the 240 power from the deck to the slab (about 10 feet), charged me $500. I feel like I may have been taken advantage of for that, but I have no clue what most electricians charge. He did have to dig up the existing wires, dig a new trench, extend the wires, and then he ran all the wires through PVC to a new breaker box before the concrete was poured ... Ignorance is bliss...
I do too, but the whole house ones protect EVERYTHING, all the appliances, charging phones, Furnace and AC units. Everything now a days has some circuit board in it and I'm thinking I'd rather spend a few hundred now for peace of mind rather than having to keep repairing crap. Originally I was thinking I could just get one for the hot tub breaker after discussion with circuit board repair guy. I didn't even know they existed outside power strips and built into electrical outlets (used them when I wall-mounted all my TV's). Found them when I googled them after talking with him.
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We use surge and phase protection devices in the HVAC world all the time. You could easily adapt one to fit a hot tub.
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