No ground

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-29

The outlets in my house have no ground (the ground prong in the wall outlet is not connected to anything inside the wall).
Will an APC surge protector protect against a surge, or does it MUST have a ground connection?

Thanks.

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-29

You could use surge device(s) hardwired into the breaker panel. Still needs a ground in the panel, but will work even if the individual circuits are not grounded. Note that there is a difference between a surge arrester and a surge protector - carefully read the specs to see what a specific item will or won't protect against. If I understand correctly, having both an arrester and suppressor is the safest option (if this is incorrect I'd appreciate a correction - the information out there isn't very consumer-friendly).

See Answer In Context

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-29

Thank you for the answer.

That's a bummer.
Is there a surge protector that can operate without ground, for home use?

Thanks.

upsguy_apc · ‎2021-06-29

I would imagine any surge supressor that actually works requires a ground.

Anonymous user · ‎2021-06-29

You could use surge device(s) hardwired into the breaker panel. Still needs a ground in the panel, but will work even if the individual circuits are not grounded. Note that there is a difference between a surge arrester and a surge protector - carefully read the specs to see what a specific item will or won't protect against. If I understand correctly, having both an arrester and suppressor is the safest option (if this is incorrect I'd appreciate a correction - the information out there isn't very consumer-friendly).