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Whole-house surge protection · Palm Beach, Martin & St. LucieWhole-house surge protector installation in South Florida
A whole-house surge protector mounts at your electrical panel and limits the spikes that lightning, utility switching and cycling air-conditioning compressors send through the wiring. We install Type 1 and Type 2 devices for homes and businesses across Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
- State Certified Electrical Contractor EC13002031
- Type 1 and Type 2 devices, homes and businesses
- Family-owned since 1986, based in West Palm Beach
- Generac Elite Dealer and standby installer
Office Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm · you reach our West Palm Beach team
Electrical EC13002031Gas contractor #24513
Family-owned since 1986Palm Beach · Martin · St. Lucie
What it is
What a whole-house surge protector is, and where it goes
A whole-house surge protector, also sold as a whole-house surge suppressor or surge protective device (SPD), is a small box wired into your electrical service. When a voltage spike arrives, it diverts most of the surge current to ground, so far less of it reaches the circuits in the house.
It mounts at the service, not at an outlet. A Type 1 device can connect on the line side of the main breaker, including at the meter, or on the load side. A Type 2 device connects on the load side only, beside the main panel, usually on its own breaker. Our guide to Type 1 vs Type 2 surge protectors explains which suits which layout.
Why it matters here
Where power surges come from in a South Florida home
Summer afternoon thunderstorms make South Florida one of the most lightning-active parts of the country, and a strike does not have to hit your roof. One nearby, or on the utility lines, can push a spike into the service. Lightning is only part of the picture.
- Utility switching. Rerouting power, clearing faults and switching lines back on after a storm outage can each send a spike into the house.
- Large appliances cycling. Air-conditioning compressors, pool pumps and other motors switch on and off all day. These surges start inside the house; they are smaller than a lightning surge, but they happen daily.
- Generator transfer. A standby generator switches the house from utility to generator and back at every outage. Each transfer is one more switching event on your service, and the generator's controller and transfer switch are electronics a surge can reach.
A whole-house unit helps protect what runs on your service: the generator and transfer switch, the air-conditioning system, kitchen appliances, TVs and home-theater equipment, computers, routers and smart-home devices, and security and alarm systems.
The honest limits
What whole-house surge protection cannot do
A whole-house surge protector reduces the risk of damage from surges. It cannot guarantee protection from a direct lightning strike on your house, which can bring more energy, by more routes, than a device at the panel is built to handle.
It is also not a lightning protection system. Rods and air terminals on the roof are a separate specialty, and we do not install them.
Plug-in surge protectors still have a job. The panel device takes the big spikes and lets a smaller remainder through, and surges can also arrive on cable, satellite and phone lines, which it does not cover. Keep good point-of-use protection on the TV, the computer and the network equipment.
Good · Better · Best
Three PSP Vortex whole-home surge protectors
Each device carries a lifetime warranty plus a connected-equipment warranty whose amount depends on the model, and the terms are written into your estimate.
Good: Vortex VB1-060-4XP
60 kA per phase. The entry-level option of the three, and it meets the minimum NEC requirement for a whole-home device. A practical choice for a typical house.
Better: Vortex VB1-100-4XP
100 kA per phase, for homes with more to lose: a standby generator, more than one AC system and plenty of electronics. More surge capacity generally means more headroom over years of storms.
Best: Vortex VR1-120-4XM
120 kA per phase, the highest of the three, in a cast aluminum NEMA 4X enclosure made for outdoor, corrosive conditions, with a built-in RF/EMI filter for high-frequency electrical noise.
Generators, panels and businesses
A surge protector for your generator, panel changeout or business
With a standby generator. The best time to add a whole-house surge protector is during a standby generator installation, when the panel and transfer switch are already being worked on, or at a generator service visit. It can also be installed on its own.
With a panel changeout. The 2020 National Electrical Code requires a Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device on services supplying homes (NEC 230.67), including when service equipment is replaced, and Florida's building code has adopted the rule. That makes an electrical panel upgrade or changeout the natural time to add one. Ask us or your building department how the rule applies to your property.
For commercial properties. We install Type 1 and Type 2 devices on commercial services too, matched to the building's service voltage and configuration. We work across Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast from our West Palm Beach office.
Cost
What affects whole-house surge protector cost
Every job is quoted individually in a written estimate. What moves the number:
- The model: its surge rating, its enclosure and the warranty that comes with it.
- Type 1 or Type 2: connecting on the meter side or at the panel is different work.
- The panel you have: room for the connection, where it is and what condition it is in. An older Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel may need replacing first.
- Timing: adding it to a generator installation, a service visit or a panel changeout can share a visit with work already planned.
- Permits: whether your building department requires one for the work.
On your side, the only thing to arrange is access to the panel and the meter. Ask about an estimate.
How it works
How a surge protector installation runs
01
Tell us about the property
Call or send us a message with the address, whether it is a home or a business, and whether a standby generator or panel work is already planned.
02
Written estimate
The estimate names the model, Type 1 or Type 2, where it mounts and that model's warranty terms. PSP states that warranty registration is no longer required.
03
Installation at the panel
The device is connected at your service equipment. Where the building department requires a permit, it is pulled under our electrical license, EC13002031.
04
Indicator check
Once the device is powered, its status lights are checked to confirm it is protecting. After a big storm, the same lights show you whether it still is.
Fair questions
What people ask before they call.
Do I need a whole-house surge protector if I have a generator?
A generator runs without one, but it makes one more worthwhile. Its controller and the automatic transfer switch are electronics on your electrical service, and the house switches power sources at every outage. A whole-house surge protector helps protect them, and it is easiest to add during the installation or a service visit.
Does a whole-house surge protector replace power strips?
No. It takes the large spikes at the panel, but a smaller remainder still reaches the outlets, and it does not cover cable, satellite or phone lines. Keep good point-of-use surge protectors, not plain power strips, on TVs, computers and network equipment. The two work as layers.
Will a surge protector stop a lightning strike?
No device can promise that. A whole-house surge protector helps reduce damage from surges, including those from nearby lightning and strikes on utility lines, but a direct strike on the house can carry more energy than it can handle. It is not a lightning rod system either, and we do not install those.
Is a whole-house surge protector required by code in Florida?
For a new service, or when service equipment is replaced, generally yes. Section 230.67 of the 2020 National Electrical Code, adopted with the Florida Building Code's 8th edition (2023), calls for a Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device on every service that supplies a home. A service that is not being changed generally does not have to add one. Ask us or your building department how it applies.
Should I get a Type 1 or Type 2 surge protector?
Either can satisfy the code for homes when it is part of, or right beside, the service equipment. A Type 1 can connect ahead of the main breaker, including at the meter, or after it; a Type 2 connects only after it, at the panel. The right one depends on how your service is laid out, and your estimate names the type we recommend.
Can you add a surge protector to my existing panel?
Usually, if the panel has room for the connection and is in sound condition. If it is an older Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel, or one showing damage, the better plan may be a panel changeout first, with the surge protector added as part of that job.
Where we work
Three counties, 78 towns, one West Palm Beach office.
Whole-house surge protection across Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties, from 2771 Vista Parkway — the same footprint as our generator work. We do not cover Broward County.
Check the full service area →West Palm BeachPalm Beach GardensJupiterWellingtonRoyal Palm BeachLake Worth BeachBoynton BeachDelray BeachBoca RatonStuartPalm CityHobe SoundPort St. LucieFort Pierce+ 64 more
Keep going
Related work from the same licensed team.
Add surge protection at the panel
Tell us about the property and any generator or panel work planned, and we will put the options in writing.