Panel-mounted surge protection became a code requirement for new dwellings in recent code cycles, and in a state with this much lightning it is worth having whether or not your build predated the requirement. It protects the electronics that plug-in strips at the far end never reach.

This is most common in homes built since 2000. PEX on slab, 200 amp service, builder-grade equipment that reaches end of life across a whole street at once.

You can handle this one yourself. No call needed.

Related

• Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel
• Two-prong outlets throughout the house
• Cloth-covered cable visible in the attic or basement
• Fuse panel, or a 60 amp service
• Fuse larger than the wire it protects
• Ceiling fan mounted to a standard light box
• Knob-and-tube still energised
• No GFCI protection anywhere in the house

Back to Electrical.

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Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Fix earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.