Review on Siemens FS140 Whole House Protection by Leon Johnsson

FS140 is rated for 140kA surge protection. There are other parameters that are also important, details in the specifications. But for Type 2 surge protectors I looked for Square D/GE/Eaton/Siemens etc; this FS140 is the best in its class. I installed it with a 20A double pole switch. This is the recommended breaker. There is a misunderstanding among browsers about where to install the SP (surge protector). Electricity loves to take the path of least resistance. Therefore, the position of the switch in the panel does not matter much. Yes, if you can even install after the main switch at 200A (or 300A), that's fine. But what really matters is how far the SP is from the 20A circuit breaker (in terms of wire length) and how long the neutral and ground wires are from the SP to the neutral and ground bars in the panel. Assuming that when current enters the panel, all the switches already installed in the panel have the same voltage; since everything is on the same bus and very close to each other; What matters is the "shortcut" for the current flowing from these switches to the actual circuitry (outlets, appliances, lights, fans, air conditioning, etc.). The SP 20A switch to the SP and back to the panel is the "fast track". everything else is very long in comparison. Let's say if your load center (panel) is in the garage, the outlets in the garage can be very close to the shield. but still it will be several meters of wiring (from the panel/switch to the outlet and then back to the panel); That's the complete circuit, and that's how the current will flow. So this SP works as follows: once the electrical surge reaches the panel; first it goes to SP (shortest route); and with that the SP will fulfill its function. Of course, when installing, do not leave extra cable length and cut off unnecessary. This applies to every circuit you connect. If this is the first trip after the utility grid on the main board, i.e. the first fuse box after the utility meter, the neutral and ground rails will be limited (otherwise the neutral will be grounded). So green and white (ground/neutral) wires of the power supply can be connected to the ground or neutral bus, any of them closer to the power supply. I am planning to install an SP in a subshield, I have a subshield but the neutral and ground rails are separate for the subshields. Therefore the ground wire from SP goes to the ground bar in the panel and the white neutral wire from SP goes to the neutral bar in the additional panel. It is important to understand that if you do not understand how the boards are soldered or the wiring in the main boards is inconvenient, you should not do it. Spend some $$ and get it professionally installed. don't risk your safety. You don't see the shortest wires in the photos here, as this was just to test the SP's performance. Now I would cut the wires to the correct length as I described above. At first I tried using moisture-resistant 3/4" joints (big stores have them), plastic/PVC joints; moisture resistant is a trademark. But the tube was too difficult to bend and I didn't want to use a hair dryer; I used a PVC sleeve 3/4" to 1/2" from Revain, then used 1/2" flexible aluminum tubing that goes from panel to panel. Punch into the panels. Wires must not be leadless be left in the wall. Wires must be sheathed (conduit) from the power supply before the panel is knocked out (knocking out - the point where the wires enter the panel). The metal plate in the photo is for beauty only, underneath is located myself a hole I drilled. I didn't put a junction box under the plate as it wasn't needed. There is no connector there. I hope all of this will help. Again, if this isn't convenient, please commission one professional.