Harman P52i...Power Surge...Please Help

[rob.mwpropane]

I am so beside myself right now. I did everything to protect my stove from a surge. I have the whole house surge protector along with it being plugged into the smaller appliance SP. Had a surge today. Fried a very expensive variable speed pool pump along with my pellet stove.

At first I was hoping it was just a fuse and it was burnt out. I replaced and it just fries another fuse.

Anybody have any suggestions? I'm guessing I'm in for calling the insurance company.....

It was without a doubt a surge as I wasn't the only one on my block hit. The power company has about 6 trucks parked at the end of the street working right now.

Has anyone ever had to make a claim with the insurance company? Do I need to take pictures and take any other steps? Sorry guys, just not really sure what to do next.....

 

[rob.mwpropane]

So just to add to my own mess, I took the cover off of the control board.....totally fried black. I'm lucky my house didn't burn down.

Pulled out records when the whole house SP was installed...12/23/16 and the appliance surge protector is newer than that. What the hell man!?!

 

[Ssyko]

Call your insurance co. and the whole House SP co. something didn't work as it's supposed to

 

[zrock]

When was the last time u checked the status lights? It could have been hit already and was at the end of its life or not at 100%. Or it could have been under rated. Check the manufacturer and see if they have their own coverage the good ones do.. do some research before u replace their are allot of differences between them

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Square D HEPD80 installed 12/23/16. Has a 5yr limited warranty and covers up to $75K. I check the lights everytime I'm in the basement. Always lit, always green. Heck it says it's on and working now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v2tjq2dy8d1q7d6/20161223_095758.jpg?dl=0

 

[zrock]

I would say you got a defective unit. From what i read after a hit it sets off a alarm letting you know it needs replacing.. Im not a big fan of square D

 

[greg13]

I would go after BOTH surge protector companies, One of them should have caught it.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Call your insurance co. and the whole House SP co. something didn't work as it's supposed to

Well I called everybody. Power company, pool pump company, pellet stove company, SP company.

Ordered a new control board from online for the stove (fingers crossed that's all it is).

SP company said if their unit is still working (which is says it is by the green lights), then it wasn't a surge. They said it sounds more like a dead short. He said I could try to file a claim, but he doesn't think it would be any good because their unit is still "working".

Power company said a tree fell on the line a few houses up. They said some lost power, some lost 1/2 their power and some didn't lose any all on the same line. He did use the word surge. Someone mentioned that the power company is responsible to keep the trees off the line, although I doubt it counts in 60mph winds. I can't imagine they'll take the liability.

The pool pump company is sending a tech out and it sounds like the pump will be covered under warranty....go figure. It was an expensive pump, so hopefully it gets fixed and then I'm only out the control board for the stove.

What a nightmare. This has not been fun, but I do keep telling myself we could be held up in a motel somewhere complaining about all we lost in the fire. So the grass is greener right where I'm at, just mildly unpleasant at the moment...and there's a slight chill in the air....

 

[rob.mwpropane]

So just wanted to chime in with an update in case anyone finds themselves in the same boat as me. New control board arrived about 30 min ago, installed and everything is once again working as it should (thank goodness).

After being down and out, the stove never looked so sweet!

Total damage was $210 through Amazon.

 

[peakbagger]

I got nailed by a weather related utility surge several years ago, I had whole house surge suppressor but the surge made it to my of my solar inverters. I asked around and did some research and found out that one of the key specifications are "clamp voltage" Ideally you want it quite close to the actual line voltage but many surge suppressors are set much higher than line voltage. The work fine to keep the wiring from smoking but not so good on sensitive equipment. I ended up putting in Midnight Solar's Surge Protection Device (SPD) on two of my arrays out near the panels and one on my main panel. They are US built and have lower clamp voltage. The house grounding system is also a key component. In order for a surge suppressor to work it has to shunt voltage to the main ground for the house. If the grounding isnt right the result can be selectively damaged equipment.

Delta surge suppressors are definitely worth steering clear. They might keep the wirign from smoking but their effective clamp voltage is getting close to 600 volts.

Note nothing will protect the house from a direct lightning strike, that is what insurance is for.

The inverter was on warranty so other than the hassle it didnt cost me much. The biggest cost was the new SPD.

 

[UpStateNY]

As a volunteer fireman we got a call a few winters back at midnight. There was 18 inches of fresh snow on the roads with down small trees across the road. The fire engine plowed through it all like it wasn’t even there.

Cause of the fire was a lightening strike at the pole with transformer. The lightening blew a hole right through the circuit breaker box and started a fire. The lightening strike was witnessed by the neighbor next door that were on porch out for a smoke before bed. The neighbor was one the FD volunteer EMTs and immediately callled 911, which saved the unoccupied house.

Notice I did say lightening strike in middle of 18 inch snow storm. It happened.

 

[UpStateNY]

...........

Total damage was $210 through Amazon.

Note to self do not spend extra money on surge protector that may not work. If surge happens it will cost only $200 to fix.

BTW I have had my Hartman 10 years with numerous power outages and no surge protector. Knock on wood no issues yet.