Bright Ideas Energy Products Whole House Surge Protection

SSVEC has a Power Protection Package starting as low as $7.95* per month More than 50% of today’s residential products contain electronic components and the list is growing. Most people only think of computers, TVs and VCRs when you mention electronic appliances, but many of the newer products, such as stoves, refrigerators and heating and cooling systems contain sophisticated electronic circuits. *Initial start-up fee is $69.95

Every small surge deteriorates the electronic components in this equipment, which can drastically shorten their designed life. The average home has 2,200 or more surges annually. These surges can be generated from a number of sources, such as heaters, dryers, garage door openers and motors starting on air conditioners, freezers, and well-pumps. Most of these surges are so small the average consumer does not see the damage they cause. However, your electronics take a constant "pounding." When a thunderstorm strikes, the electronic components may fail and you may think lightning caused the damage. In reality the product was already on the brink of failing because of the many constant low-level surges from your own equipment.

Whole-house protection with proper grounding and end-use protection for each piece of equipment will give you the best possible protection available.

Lightning Paths

Be aware that a high voltage surge can enter equipment through paths other than the power cord. These paths include the TV antenna, cable TV, telephone lines or other attachments. Surge protectors for the antenna, cable, and phones lines must be plugged into a grounded three-prong outlet to protect your equipment.

SSVEC's Power Protection Program

SSVEC's Power Protection Program consists of a Whole House Surge Protection Device that attaches to your meter. This provides coverage for the common appliances within your home. To protect sensitive electronic equipment we include a "basic" starter package with the program. We include a 8 outlet computer grade plug-strip w/ phone plug, 2 coax to protect TV antenna , cable TV, and satellite dish system. A single module to protect a microwave or garage door opener, a module to protect a phone line or fax machine, and a 3 plug module. By using both the whole house and the plug in modules you have a repair or replacement warranty.

The program is a 36 month minimum lease that has an initial start-up fee of $69.95 with a monthly fee of $7.95. The monthly fee will continue as long as you want the warranty protection. The plug in modules have a life-time replacement and repair warranty and SSVEC will maintain the whole house module as long as you remain with the program. In all plans the inside modules are yours and SSVEC will own and maintain the Whole House device.

Additional Modules are available for purchase from SSVEC. Check out our Surge Protection Products.

Common Questions:

• Is my home ready?
  Surge protection devices need a path to ground to work properly. The home must have a grounding point for the surge suppressor to send the overvoltage. The National Electric Code (NEC), article 800 states:

  "All power, cable and telephone grounds MUST be bonded to the same grounding electrode system entering a building. This prevents potential ground voltage differences that may be seen across data, power, and telephone lines connected to sensitive electronics."

If you have multiple ground points, these will have to be brought to NEC standards prior to the installation of the surge protection equipment. Improper ground bonding may result in the voiding of applicable warranties.

*Three-prong to two-prong adapters must not be used with any surge protection equipment.

• Is that outlet grounded?
  Grounded outlets were not required until the mid 70s. Your home may have been built with two-prong outlets, and a previous well-intentioned homeowner may have replaced the old two-prong outlets with newer three-prong version. However, unless he installed a ground wire, it is still a non-grounded outlet. Outlet testers are an inexpensive way to see if the outlet is wired properly. A tester can be purchased at most hardware and home centers. If your outlet is not properly grounded or if it is an older two-prong outlet (Figure A) it would be preferable to have an electrician run a ground wire to the outlet. An economical alternative is to use a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Adapter (Figure C) which plugs into your existing two-prong outlet. When a GFCI Adapter is used the diagnostic light will still indicate "no ground" but usage will be safe.

Electronic equipment must be plugged directly into the surge suppressor with the surge suppressor plugged directly into a grounded wall outlet (Figure B) or GFCI Adapter, and the Whole House Surge Protector must be properly installed for full warranty coverage. *USE OF EXTENSION CORDS INVALIDATES ALL WARRANTIES

• Can I sign up by phone?
  We need a signature on the lease agreement. We can mail you the forms for you to sign and return with the initial start-up fee. You can always stop by your local SSVEC office and sign-up in person.

• Do I have to use the plug-in surge protectors you provide or can I use the ones I already have?
  The manufacturer can only provide repair or replacement coverage if they built the surge protector. They do not have control over the quality of what another company produces.

• I have more electronic equipment to protect than what you provide in your starter package. What do I do?
  SSVEC has additional modules available for sale. Check out our Surge Protection Products. These include additional modules from the starter package as well as specialized modules to protect computers with modems, satellite dishes, and more.

• MORE Frequently Asked Questions

For more information:

Please contact your local SSVEC office or Info Request. Call your local SSVEC office today!