Question 1

Asked my solar consultant if I need a product like this. He said they are more likely to cause a fire than protect anything. Any comments?

Accepted Answer

That is absolutely false.  There are some cheap Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) surge suppressors on the market that have the potential to cause fires but all Midnite SPD Surge Protectors have thermal protection and are ETL certified to UL 1449 standards for risk of fire and electrical shock.  We've sold thousands of Midnite SPD's over the years and have never had one catch fire.  We HIGHLY recommend adding surge suppression to all solar-electric systems to protect your expensive equipment from lightning induced voltage surges.  For more information visit Midnite's product page where you can find spec sheets, manuals, articles and videos.
https://www.midnitesolar.com/productPhoto.php?product_ID=284&productCatName=Surge%20Protection%20Devices&productCat_ID=23&sortOrder=2&act=pc

Question 2

Is there a wiring diagram for this?

Accepted Answer

Yes on midnight Solar's website, and YouTube it was super simple

Question 3

Does one protect against emp?  is so, which one??

Accepted Answer

Yes, these protect whatever lines they are wired to.  Select the model that is closest to, but higher than, the voltage of the wires you are protecting.  The 115V for low voltage AC and DC lines, the 300-AC or 300-DC for higher voltage DC lines and 120V/240V AC lines, and the 600V for high voltage lines.
For more complete EMP protection, check out the EMP Hardening Kit.
https://smile.amazon.com/Generic-EMP-Hardening-Kit/dp/B0BHKP2Y5F/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2OYV2TK1SY7XB&keywords=emp+hardening+kit&qid=1669680446&sprefix=emp+hardening+k%2Caps%2C574&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb

Question 4

If I have a combiner box with 4 wires running from two arrays running to two charge controllers do I need two surge protectors?

Accepted Answer

You should use 4 surge suppressors. One suppressor at each end of each positive/negative wire pair.  So you will have 2 suppressors at your combiner box to protect the solar arrays, and one suppressor at the input of each charge controller so they are protected.

MNSPD-300-DC Surge Protection Device 300VDC

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