Protecting Irrigation System from Power Surges


Commercial Irrigation System

OVERVIEW

Today's increased reliance on very sensitive electronics makes surge protection an important topic for Commercial Irrigation System applications utilizing Sprinkler Systems. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety study found that $26 billion dollars was lost due to non-lightning power surges. In addition, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the US each year that cause between $650M to $1B in losses according to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm©.

This page discusses how to best protect your Irrigation System and all associated components like Main Service Panel, Power Cabinet, Controller Cabinet, and Sensors.


Sprinkler Head

Selecting SPD for a Commercial Irrigation System

NEC/NFPA 70 require that Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) shall be UL1449 Listed. This means selecting a surge protector is easier than it has ever been. There are only a few choices available for SPDs that are UL Listed for any of the most commonly used surge standards including UL1449 5th Edition, UL497B, and UL497E.

Main Service Panel | Branch Panel | Sprinker Controller | Field Sensor |

Recommended SPD for Main Service Panel

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
	Main Panelboard	480Vac	MDS750E-480D

Recommended SPD for Branch Panel

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
	Power Circuit	480Vac Power Input	M50-480D-A

Recommended SPD for Sprinkler Controller

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
	Power Circuit	110Vac Power Input	DS72US-240T/NN
		4-20mA	DLA-24D3

Recommended SPD for Field Sensors

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
	Field Sensor	4-20mA	TSP15M-P-24D3	}