Phil:
did you put the box surge protector on yourself, or did you have a certified 
electrician install it?

73
Colin, V A6BS
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 10:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Bulk] Surge Protector For Breaker Box


> Ain't that the truth, Ron.  thanks for the input.
>
> Phil.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ron Yearns" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [Bulk] Surge Protector For Breaker Box
>
>
>> No one can guarantee it will stop all strikes, but it can help and will
>> never hurt.  In my 30 years as maintenance electrical supervisor at a
>> major
>> university in Missouri I learned that lightening does as it pleases we
>> just
>> try to do what we can to minimize damage.
>> Ron
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:24 PM
>> Subject: [Bulk] Surge Protector For Breaker Box
>>
>>
>>> I've never known if they helped or not but I had the money recently, so 
>>> =
>>> I bought a breaker box surge protector for 128.  This one is made by G E
>>> =
>>> and was made for the box I have.  It makes me feel better but I don't =
>>> know if it will help protect the house or not.  This week Denver has had
>>> =
>>> some horribly powerful thunderstorms dropping down into the valley of =
>>> Denver off the mountains with lots and lots of cloud to ground strikes =
>>> and some very close.  We lost power for 4 hours and that never goes that
>>> =
>>> long.  24,000 Denver customers were without power for hours and the next
>>> =
>>> day, still 5,000 customers were off the grid.  I took a direct lightning
>>> =
>>> strike many years ago when I had two towers.  The 65 foot tower had a 26
>>> =
>>> foot vertical on top of it and in mid August, of all things, we had the 
>>> =
>>> worst dry lightning storm I've ever witnessed.  I took a direct hit on =
>>> the vertical.  It blew the top three feet off the antenna.  All antennas
>>> =
>>> were grounded but I was leaning up against my metal office desk and just
>>> =
>>> three feet from my coax switch that had all antennas switched to a =
>>> direct ground.  It had the common unplugged from the switch , too, so no
>>> =
>>> equipment was directly connected.  It flashed over three feet from me =
>>> and as I said, the desk was metal.  My ears rang for an hour.  Bulbs =
>>> popped in the house, some diodes popped in my Ten Tec, a phone burned =
>>> out, and every single breaker in my box tripped off.  I actually said to
>>> =
>>> a friend standing in the room, "Am I still alive?"  So this week, with =
>>> all the afternoon storms, I've felt like maybe I was a little more =
>>> protected.  G E had, for my box, a 34 dollar surge protector, but =
>>> logically, I figured the more expensive one was better.  Typical ham.
>>>
>>> Phil.
>>> K0NX
>>