Post from Wendy Scholl from Crystal River Ranch…

Electrical Surge Residential Protection

Please Provide Your Surge Damage Details – Click Here

For years, many of us have had to replace expensive appliances, furnace thermostats, heat pump motherboards, various electronics, numerous outlet rated surge protectors, and more.  Since 2009 my residence has been hit with three damaging surge events.  A whole house surge protection device (SPD) rated light commercial combined with multiple plug-in outlet surge protection devices for anything that is persistently on was recommended to me 2009 and this has worked.  Kindly forward and share this with anyone you know who has experienced one or more damaging residential surge events and/or is concerned about residence protection in Crystal River Ranch (CRR), Crystal Village (CV) or other Greenwater location.

This communication is from me, Wendy Scholl, an individual CRR property owner. I’m not communicating representing the CRR board nor am I an electrician.  I believe the following information is timely and will be helpful to many of you faced with damage from the 12/9/2015 surge event. In our locale, an electrical surge sourced house fire is a real risk. One CRR Riverview Way property owner’s bathroom heater thermostat exploded off the wall leaving scorch marks around and inside the wall 2/7/2008.  Fortunately they were home, heard it explode and were able to quickly deal with it.

A light commercial rated whole house surge protection device (SPD) plus using outlet plug-in SPDs for every appliance, internet modem, computer, etc. have twice saved all my appliances and electronics in the recent damaging surge hits to my home 12/9/2015 and 1/17/2012. Each event, a whole house SPD light commercial level rating took the blow and that is my only replacement cost.

There are a variety of residential surge protection choices.  In the 2009 damaging surge event when I lost multiple appliances, both a knowledgeable electrician and a retired PSE engineering employee recommended I install a light commercial rated SPD.  Here is an informative read about protecting your home from a surge event: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,387874-3,00.html

I believe most of you are aware that PSE has no committed electrical grid remedy ahead to prevent damaging surges nor will they recommend or pay for an SPD.  Over the years, owners like me have submitted claims.  No surge damage cost claim to PSE I know of has been reimbursed. Here is a whole house SPD that is highly rated with a maximum surge capacity of 108kA or 108,000 Amps. This one recommended to me by multiple sources.

Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA 108kV or 108,000 Amps maximum surge out (Light Commercial Grade) Rated indoor / outdoor install, requires a 50 amp 2 pole breaker in the electrical panel. $110 at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C5NQTA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

As an example, this SPD low rated Home Depot $60.97 Square D Q02175SB in panel 22,500 Amps only provided partial protection to a vacant CRR property owner 12/9/2015.

Another informative site:

http://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/10/whats-the-best-whole-house-surge-protection/

 

To convert kA to Amps:  http://www.convertunits.com/from/kA/to/ampere

 

CRR community residential damaging surge event dates I have in my records are:

December 9, 2015
January 17, 2012
December 23, 2008 – January 5, 2009 During 4 weeks multiple damaging surges in CRR.
February 8, 2008

May an evil doer force not hit your home and to all a safe peaceful 2016.

Wendy Scholl, WebAdmin@CrystalRiverRanch.org

Phone and Power Updates from the recent Storm.

UPDATE: Power has been restored. They are still working on the phones.

Phone (as of 2pm Wednesday): Update from one of the local Century Link field technicians. One of the fibers that provides a dial tone to our area was taken down in this storm. It’s a bigger deal than most issues to fix but since it’s fiber, the technicians were able to estimate where the issue is (13 miles above Enumclaw). People are on the way there now to pinpoint the problem physically, and then they’ll get specialized service up to the site for the repair. My contact estimated 2-3 days as the worst case scenario for regular phone/Internet to be restored “if it’s not underwater up there.” (Unfortunately I just found out some phone and power lines are in the river at MP 38 and the geography sounds as if it may be the same issue.) He has offered to update me if he gets new information. In the meantime, Century Link has some way of routing all 911 calls to the Forest Service who will notify whatever agency is needed. We talked about the urgency of restoring service for both local businesses and emergency communication and he will underscore those points with the folks who set priorities.

Power (as of 10am today): The 55kV transmission line was dropped in to the White River by a tree that fell at “Sniper’s Corner” (where the Hancock bridge washed out a few years ago).  There is no significant damage to the structures on either side of the crossing (this is GREAT news).  Minutes ago, crews were successful getting a pull rope across the river, which is a key component to getting the transmission conductors pulled across and reattached to the poles.  Once we complete repairs on the transmission line we will heat up the Greenwater substation.

The two electric distribution circuits out of the Greenwater sub are GWR-13 (feeding Greenwater, Crystal River Ranch, and other areas north of the sub), and GWR-16 (feeding Alta Crystal, WRRA communities, and Crystal).  GWR-13 has VERY minor damage and will be ready to be energized once we get the substation up and running.  The majority of GWR-16 is ready as well.

Field reports indicate that FR 7150 has been completely washed out by Minnehaha Creek (GWR-16 radial).  PSE’s damage assessment team was not able to access PSE’s system beyond this washout, thus the extent of the damage is unknown.  Any damage along this single-phase distribution radial can be isolated, thus the majority of customers on GWR-16 will be energized.

We do not have an estimated time of restoration just yet.  I’ll be sure to provide an update once we receive additional info from our crews.