Power strip, surge protector or panel protection?

Surge protector, power bar, panel protector: the words

Depending on the source, the same words don’t always mean the same device.

• Hydro-Québec refers to a power bar equipped with a device that protects against surges, which it calls a surge protector. In its words, the surge protector is the protective device, and the power bar is what holds it.
• Elsewhere, Hydro-Québec simply refers to surge protector power bars.
• The Government of Canada speaks of a whole-house surge protector, which it sets apart from a simple power bar fitted with surge protection.
• CSA standards speak of surge protective devices and distinguish three types. Types 1 and 2 are permanently connected to the electrical system. Type 3 covers cord-connected, direct plug-in and receptacle-type devices.

A UPS, meaning an uninterruptible power supply, is not a surge protective device under the CSA standards for Types 1 and 2, and neither is a filter made only of inductive or capacitive components.

In this guide, “surge protector power bar” means a power bar with a surge protector, and “panel protection” means the device permanently connected to the electrical panel, which this series of guides calls the whole-house surge protector.

What a power surge is, and where it comes from: see our guide What is a power surge, and where does it come from?

Power strip or surge protector: how to tell them apart

Hydro-Québec’s advice is specific: the power bar has a surge protector, and that surge protector meets CSA or ULC standards. Hydro-Québec adds a detail: in its wording, several power bars that have a built-in breaker also have a device against surges.

On the standards side, there are two families. CSA C22.2 No. 269.3 covers cord-connected, direct plug-in and receptacle-type devices whose primary function is surge protection. It does not cover power bars with surge suppression built to CSA C22.2 No. 21, whose primary function is not surge protection.

Certification is checked on the product itself. In Québec, it is prohibited to offer for sale, sell or install unapproved electrical equipment. Equipment certified to Canadian standards usually shows the “c” indicator at the 8 o’clock position on the certification mark. For our part, we don’t install uncertified equipment.

The limits of protection at the outlet

Protection at the outlet works through a cord or a plug: that is what the CSA standard for Type 3 covers. In a technical sheet intended for its public buildings, the Government of Alberta sees Type 3 as protection for a specific piece of equipment, a layer of protection against residual surges.

The Government of Canada compares the two levels: in its view, whole-house protection goes far beyond what a simple surge protector power bar provides.

What a surge protector installed at the panel protects, and its own limits: How a whole-house surge protector works.

The outlet matters: grounding and two-prong outlets

A surge protector needs a ground. In Ontario, the Electrical Safety Authority, which oversees electrical safety in the province, says so in a notice: surge protective devices for computer or entertainment equipment will not work without a ground reference. The Alberta sheet explains the mechanism: when a surge occurs, the device sends the surge current to the ground, away from the equipment.

Two situations come up.

A three-prong outlet with no ground wire, protected by a GFCI. A three-prong outlet can be installed without a ground wire if a Class A GFCI protects it; it still isn’t grounded, and a surge protector plugged into it stops protecting against surges. This is the case covered by the Ontario notice.

A two-prong outlet. It is the sign of old wiring, with no bonding conductor. Hydro-Québec is clear: never cut or bend the third prong of a plug, it matters. Replacing it with a three-prong outlet, with no GFCI and no new wiring, is something to avoid.

Changing an outlet, redoing a grounding electrode or adding a GFCI is electrical work; in your home, only a master electrician can do it. Hydro-Québec also recommends an inspection of the electrical installation and the grounding by a master electrician, especially when you buy a house.

Learn more: Grounding your home (in French) and GFCI: what it protects, and where you need one.

Power bar and panel: two layers of protection

The two are not installed in the same place. At the panel, a Type 2 surge protector is connected after the main breaker, on the load side. At the outlet, protection comes from a cord-connected or plug-in device.

They don’t target quite the same thing either, says the Alberta sheet. Type 2 protects against surges from outside as well as from inside the building. Type 3 adds, in front of a specific piece of equipment, a layer of protection against residual surges.

Hydro-Québec leaves it to the customer to protect their appliances, among other things with suitable devices. Against surges that can come with the return of power, it advises plugging appliances into power bars fitted with surge protectors.

What the panel surge protector adds. The Government of Canada gives three examples of appliances that whole-house protection helps keep from damage: refrigerator, stove, microwave. Our position at STM-Électrique: no rule requires one, but it protects electronics. How it works, where it goes in the panel and why grounding matters: How a whole-house surge protector works. The installed price and the brand we install: Whole-house surge protector installation.

Power bar mistakes to avoid

What official sources say about using a power bar, and what you plug into it:

1. Cutting or bending the third prong. Hydro-Québec says never to do it.
2. Sharing a circuit with a motor appliance. Hydro-Québec advises keeping electronics off any circuit that also feeds an appliance with a motor, a refrigerator for example.
3. Keeping a damaged or hot cord. Québec’s Ministère de la Sécurité publique says never to use an appliance or extension cord whose cord is damaged, cracked or gives off excessive heat.
4. Running a large appliance on an extension cord. For an air conditioner, we recommend the wall outlet: an extension cord too light for its load heats up, especially when coiled or hidden, and if the outlet isn’t enough, have a circuit added.
5. Forgetting to unplug during a thunderstorm. For thunderstorms, the Government of Canada recommends two steps together: use surge protectors, and unplug your appliances to keep them safe from surges. Hydro-Québec says the same for electronics, which should be unplugged during weather events and outages.
6. Forgetting that a surge protector can wear out. The Alberta sheet notes that a protective device can degrade slightly each time it diverts a surge, and most have an end-of-life indicator.
7. Mixing up an overload and a surge. A breaker that trips when you turn on a space heater while other appliances are already running on that circuit is what an overload typically looks like: the total then goes over the circuit’s rating. Causes and what to do: Breaker keeps tripping: the causes and what to do.

More outlets or a new circuit: the electrician’s job

Our master electricians add, move or replace outlets, install GFCI outlets where the Québec Construction Code, Chapter V (Electricity), requires them, and handle 240 V outlets and circuits. A dryer or a stove has its own circuit. Before adding a circuit, we check that the panel can take it.

A breaker that keeps tripping because of an overload may also call for one more circuit: an electrician can add it.

This is restricted work. In your home, only a master electrician can perform electrical work, and offenders face a fine of $5,000 to $200,888. Our master electricians hold RBQ licence 5815-0137-01 and are members of the CMEQ.

The estimate is free, we usually call you back in under an hour, and the price is written in the quote before any work starts. It depends on the job, the number of points and access. Several small jobs? Group them into the same visit. Everything we do in general electrical work: General electrical work (in French).

Frequently asked questions