FAQs - Surge Arrestors

FAQ's - Surge Arrestors
SCM, SCMPLUS, and SCM1 - LVLP & LVLPSCP
1.	What should I use for a good ground? SUPCO ranks ground sources: 1. Building frame; 2. Driven rod: 3. Cold water pipe; 4. Electrical.
2.	Why do your units have ground wires and some other manufacturers do not? The SUPCO units can dissipate more energy to ground.
2.	Where do I install this thing? Install it close to your ground source. If "A" is the product we are protecting and "B" is the surge protector and "C" is the ground, we want to be sure that the distance from A to B is longer than B to C. Doing this gives the surge protector the time it needs to respond and dissipate the transient to ground.
4.	What do you consider a good ground? Anything under 25 ohms of resistance.
5.	Does the LED mean it is working or that it needs to be replaced? The LED means the receptacle is grounded.
6.	What are best grounding techniques? Building Frame, Driven Rod, Cold water pipe.
7.	What happens when the SUPCO unit takes a hit beyond its capability? It self sacrifices in order to protect your equipment, and it creates a dead short to ground. The breaker cannot be reset until the unit is removed.
8.	How do I know when the unit took a small hit or spike and does it reset itself? You do not know. The unit does reset itself after it desipates the spikes to gound
9.	Are the products UL listed? Our products are UL listed for specific applications.
10.	How do I know when the protector is blown? (See #8) Many SUPCO products have diagnostic lights on them to show the status of the unit. Also there is usually a visible sign that the unit is blown if it does not have an indicator light. Our technical support team can advise you on determining the status of the protector.
11.	Can you advise me on how to install the product? We have a full tehnical support team in place to assist you on selection and installation of the product as well as troubleshooting problems in the field.
12.	What is a "clamping voltage"? The point at which our product diverts the surge to ground.
13.	What is a PTC? PTC is an acronym for Positive Temperature Coefficient. A PTC is a thermal sensitive self restoring fuse, in other words, automatic reset sneak current protection. PTC's represent a technology breakthrough which temporarily interrupts current flow and resets after amperage condition passes.
14.	What does Joule rating mean? It is capacity and speed, a surge will be diverted to ground but it can be misleading.
15.	Do I have to ground them? Yes. Almost all surge suppessors functin on the simple premise of deferring damaging transients safely to ground. Therefore, the performance of the protector is directly dependant on the quality of the ground source provided.
16.	How do I know which protector to use? Different applications require different types of suppression. If you have any question at all that you may not be selecting the right model for your specific needs, take advantage of our complete factory support by calling a market expert for your industry.
17.	How does this work? Our surge protectors take voltage above normal and shunt to ground without affecting operation of our systems.
18.	How are transient overvoltages caused? Transient overvoltages can generate by lightning or by power grid switches from your local utility company.
19.	How do you know if the SUPCO unit has self sacrificed? The indicator light will show the status of the protector where applicable, and the unit will make a permanent path to ground which will trip a breaker and cause you to lose signal, etc.
20.	Does the SUPCO unit self restore or is it a one shot deal? The SUPCO unit should automatically reset and continue to provide protection unless it takes too large of a hit and self sacrifices. No surge protection can stop a direct lightning strike.
SCM, SCMPLUS, and SCM1 - LVLP & LVLPSCP
SCM, SCMPLUS, and SCM1
1.	What is the amp draw of the SCM and SCMPLUS? Zero- the arrestor acts like a shunt to prevent a surge to the equipment being protected. And does not draw any amperage.
2.	Wiring The SCM & SCMPLUS can be used on service voltages of 120 or 220. Our wiring instructions are for 220 volts only. What about 110 volts?
	110 Volts Wiring Black to Hot Black to Neutral Green to Ground	220 Volts Wiring Black to Hot Black to Hot Green to Ground
SCM, SCMPLUS, and SCM1 - LVLP & LVLPSCP
LVLP & LVLPSCP
1.	Which side is "in" on a LVLP or LVLPSCP unit? The side marked "in" refers to the field side. The conductors come "in" from the field and go out to protected equipment.