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Thursday, March 5, 2020
Question:
Greetings Code Question of the Day, I heard that the new NEC is requiring whole-house surge protection installed at the service. What section requires this? Thanks for any assistance provided. I enjoy reading the CQD each day.
Ralph Cummings
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Answer:
Hi Ralph, thanks for the nice comments and your question. Yes, the 2020 NEC (Section 230.67) does require all services supplying dwelling units be provided with a surge protective device (SPD). The SPD must be an integral part of the service equipment or installed immediately adjacent thereto. By exception, the SPD can be located at the next level distribution equipment on the load side of the service equipment. The SPD must be either Type 1 or Type 2. This new requirement applies to service replacements as well. You might want to see the Article 100 definition of surge protective device (SPD) to help differentiate between a Type 1 and Type 2 device. Article 242 (2020 NEC) provides installation requirements for surge protective devices.