Whole-House Surge Protection in Bayonet Point, FL
A Device Added to the Panel the House Already Has|Licensed & Insured, EC13011268
A Bayonet Point house still on its original service went in before any rule called for a surge device. A device can go in at the panel, as long as the panel can take it and the ground connection it depends on is sound.
The panel's door label, photographed, tells us most of what we need.
Call (352) 251-2795, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or send a request online. Calls after hours are returned the next business day.
At a glance
Services That Went In Before the Surge Rule
The code's surge requirement for a home's service applies when a service is installed or its equipment replaced. Half of Bayonet Point's homes were built in 1979 or earlier (Census Bureau estimates, 2020 through 2024), and a house that still runs on the service it was built with has no device unless someone added one later. Adding one now is a choice the owner makes, sized to the existing panel.
Beacon Woods, a deed-restricted community in Bayonet Point, has 2,156 individual homes and 588 condos and villas, and sits about three miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
How it runs
Where the Electrician's Time Goes
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1
The label and the spaces
The label photo and a look inside settle whether the panel stays and which device fits it. If the label has faded, the panel's make and its breakers tell the electrician the same thing on site.
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2
The ground wire and its clamp
The ground wire, its clamp, and the bond at the service are inspected first, and any issues are corrected before the device goes in. A clamp that's loose, buried, or missing at the ground rod gets the same attention, and so does the bond to the water pipe where the house has one.
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3
Connected, and the permit question settled
The device goes in during a short power-off. Clocks on the range and microwave, and any internet router, may need to be reset once the power is back. If Pasco requires a permit, we pull the permit and schedule the county inspection.
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4
The device's breaker, labeled
The breaker or spaces the device uses are marked in the panel directory.
What we cover
Matching the Device to the Panel
A panel with free spaces: A device made for that panel's make goes into the open spaces, with the panel covers back on when it's done. Many panel-mounted devices take two spaces side by side, much like a 240-volt breaker.
A panel with no room left: The device can be mounted beside the panel in its own box, wired into it where the panel allows, so a full panel doesn't necessarily rule out protection. The box sits close to the panel so its leads stay short.
A panel on an outside wall: Where the panel hangs outdoors beside the meter, the device mounts in or beside it, in an enclosure rated for outdoor use, with the connection sealed where it enters the panel, since a box on an outside wall a few miles from the Gulf takes salt air along with the rain.
A panel that feeds another panel: Where the main panel feeds a second panel for a workshop, a pool, or an addition, the device goes at the main panel, and the estimator notes how far away the second panel sits and what it runs, since a long feeder to a separate building is worth its own look.
Pricing
Pricing the Device and the Panel It Joins
If the ground check turns up a loose or corroded connection, that correction is priced on its own line.
We don't do upfront pricing. No job has a standard price with us: each one is tailored to the property and the work you've asked for, and priced once we've seen it.
We offer free estimates on installations, upgrades, and replacements in our service area. Estimates aren't free when the job needs troubleshooting or testing to price, falls after hours or outside our service area, needs several meetings to gather information, or is new construction or a custom remodel with multi-party walk-throughs. For most jobs, estimates arrive by email by the end of the next business day, and quotes are good for 30 days.
Our warranty
03If something we installed fails because of our workmanship within 30 days of completion, we waive the hourly labor to put it right. Materials Kennedy Electric purchases for your job carry the manufacturer's one-year warranty. To replace defective materials we supplied, or materials damaged by storm, flood, fire, or other acts of God, we charge a reduced warranty labor rate of $50 an hour residential and $75 an hour commercial. The warranty does not cover materials not purchased by Kennedy Electric, work performed by the customer, or materials the customer purchased or damaged. Our warranty terms are printed on the estimate, the invoice, and the receipt, and the product boxes stay with you so you can register each product with its manufacturer.
Our house still has the panel it was built with in 1979. Is a surge device worth adding to it?
We live in a Beacon Woods villa. Does a device in our panel protect the whole building?
Our panel is on the outside wall. Does Beacon Woods have to approve a device next to it?
We're a few miles from the Gulf, and the ground clamp outside looks corroded. Does that matter?
The air handler is being replaced next month. Should the device go in first?
Reviews
Said About Past Panel Jobs
Straight from Google, in our customers' own words.
Request service
Villa, Condo, or House?
Say which you have, and whether the panel hangs indoors, and include a picture of its door label. If you know the year the panel went in, add that too. Our office will reach you during business hours.