Surge & SwitchboardProtection
Protect everything plugged in from a single device in your switchboard. After a Perth Hills lightning storm or a Western Power supply spike, a surge protector means a fried surge unit instead of a fried fridge, oven, TV, NVR and switchboard.
Why this matters east of the river
Hills properties take more grid spikes than metro. Lightning strikes on overhead lines, tree-strike outages, Western Power switching events — they all push transient voltage spikes through the supply that a household RCD does nothing about. The damage shows up later: dead motherboards, dead appliance control PCBs, switchboards with melted bus bars.
What I install
Type 2 surge protection device (SPD)
In the switchboard — sized for your supply, mounted alongside the RCDs, neutral and earth bonded properly.
Type 1 + Type 2 combined SPD
For hills properties on overhead supply with high lightning exposure — gives you cascading protection.
Plug-in surge protection at sensitive equipment
Secondary layer for NVRs, computers, audio gear, three-phase motors.
Common jobs east of the river
Gidgegannup acreage
After a summer storm fried the homeowner's NVR, computer and the inverter, fitted a Type 1 + 2 combined surge protector and a separate plug-in protector on the comms rack.
Mundaring weekender
After a single tree-strike outage cost $4k in appliance damage, retrofit was a fraction of that as future insurance.
Stoneville full-replacement
After a direct lightning strike took out everything in the main board — fitted SPD as part of the replacement so it doesn't happen again.
What to SMS
Photo of your switchboard (door open). I'll tell you whether the existing board has space for an SPD or whether the upgrade goes in alongside a board upgrade.
FAQs
Do power-board surge protectors I buy at Bunnings count?
They help for the device plugged in. They don't protect the rest of the house, the switchboard, or anything hardwired (oven, hot water, AC). Type 2 SPD in the board is the proper fix; plug-in is a secondary layer.
Do I need it if I'm not on overhead supply?
Underground supply still gets surges from grid switching events, but lightning exposure is much lower. Hills properties on overhead = strongly recommended. Underground metro = optional but cheap insurance.
Will my insurance cover a surge if I don't have one?
Depends entirely on your policy. Some pay out, some don't. Check before assuming.