National Average Improvement and Repair Cost
Pro
DIY
Hours:
2.4
3.3
Cost:
$ 374
$ 105
Would you do this project? According to our survey, 47% of respondents preferred DIY compared to hiring a pro.
The average price to Install a Surge Protector noted above is cost data to compare a contractor’s estimate with doing it yourself.
What does a surge protector cost? An electrician charges $374 to install a surge protector but you can do it yourself for $105 and save 72 percent.
A voltage strike can cause a tremendous amount of damage, not to mention inconvenience, to sensitive home electronics. Appliances, computers, televisions and countless other home electronics are sensitive to voltage spikes caused by lightning and other power surges traveling over power lines.
You can protect your valuable equipment by adding a surge-protection device to the circuit breaker. When a surge occurs, the device responds within nanoseconds, grounding the destructive energy. When wired into your system, it absorbs excess voltage and allows only normal voltage to pass through to your equipment.
An electrician charges $374 to install a 24-hour surge-protection device with main breaker panel capacities up to 400 amps. This includes labor and material. The device is installed next to the breaker panel and requires two dedicated 15-amp circuit breakers.
If you have experience working on electrical projects, you can buy the device and breakers for $105 and install them, saving 72 percent. Even considering the savings, this is a project best left to a licensed electrician, who has the skill and experience to do the job, along with the knowledge of local electrical building code requirements. If you want this done once, and done right, hire an electrician.
When you’re connecting a home computer system to a surge protector make sure all the components are included. If you don’t a power surge can pass through the unprotected device and get to all the other ones. Look to the manufacturer’s information for a diagram about how and where to connect them to a surge protector.
Tip: Whenever you do any electrical work, turn the main circuit breaker off, but remember even though it’s off, there is still power inside the main panel.
CNET has this advice 9 Things You Should Know About Surge Protectors.
Wrapping up, given the average cost to install a surge protector you can compare the price of a contractor’s bid with doing it yourself.
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