Phoenix Contact Surge Protection NZ | VAL-MS PLUGTRAB TERMITRAB

Phoenix Contact Surge Protection

The plug is the consumable, not the whole device. And Type 1, 2 and 3 are positions in a system, not quality grades.

Surge protection is fitted and then forgotten until something fails. New Zealand sites with overhead supply, long cable runs between buildings, or exposed instrumentation take real damage from surges, and the protection itself is designed to be sacrificial.

The plug is what you replace

Most Phoenix Contact surge protection is a base element that stays wired plus a plug-in protective element that takes the hit.

Order number	Type	What it is
2839127	VAL-MS 230	Complete arrester: base element and ground connector with high-capacity varistor, 230 V AC, 1 channel
2798844	VAL-MS 230 ST	The plug only. Replacement protective element for a VAL-MS base

The ST suffix is the plug. When a surge protector has done its job, the base and its wiring are usually fine and only the plug needs replacing.

That is the same pattern as the PLC-INTERFACE relay, where the relay unplugs from a wired base. It runs right through the Phoenix range.

How you know it needs replacing

The VAL-MS plugs have thermal monitoring and a visual fault warning. A window on the plug changes state when the protective element has degraded.

Worth adding to a panel inspection round. It takes a glance and it is the only way to know the protection is still doing anything.

Versions with FM in the designation add a remote indication contact, so the fault can be wired back to the PLC rather than relying on someone looking.

The earthing system changes the part

This is easy to get wrong.

Order number	Type	System
2798844	VAL-MS 230 ST	Standard, 230 V AC
2807599	VAL-MS 230 IT ST	IT system, 230 V AC

An IT system plug is not interchangeable with a standard one. Most New Zealand installations are TN-S or TT, but IT systems appear in specific applications such as medical and some process plant.

If you are replacing a plug, read the existing one rather than assuming.

Type 1, 2 and 3 are positions, not grades

The most misunderstood thing about surge protection.

Type	Where it goes	What it handles
Type 1	Main incomer	Direct lightning current
Type 2	Sub-distribution	Surges, the common workhorse
Type 3	At the equipment	Residual surges, final protection

A Type 3 is not a better Type 2. They work together as a coordinated chain, each handling what the one upstream let through. Fitting a Type 3 at the incomer instead of a Type 2 does not protect the installation.

If you are replacing a device, match the type. If you are specifying new, the position in the installation decides the type.

VAL-MS Type 2 arresters

Order number	Type	Configuration
2839127	VAL-MS 230	230 V AC, 1 channel
2838209	VAL-MS 230/3+1	230 V AC, 3 + 1 circuit
1248960	VAL-MS 230/3+1 FM-PT	230 V AC, 3 + 1, push-in connection, push-in remote indication contact, with protective plugs
2798844	VAL-MS 230 ST	Replacement plug, standard
2807599	VAL-MS 230 IT ST	Replacement plug, IT system

All mount on NS 35/7,5 DIN rail.

Reading the configuration

Code	Meaning
3+1	Three phases plus neutral
ST	Plug only, no base
FM	Remote indication contact
PT	Push-in connection technology
IT	For IT earthing systems

A caution on the letters PT. In the terminal block range PT means push-in. In the surge range it also means push-in on a VAL-MS, but PT is also the family name for signal circuit protection plugs, as in PT 4-24DC-ST. Same two letters, different meaning depending on where you are in the catalogue. Send the order number.

VAL-CP with coordinated backup fuse

These combine surge protection with the backup fuse already coordinated, which removes a selection decision.

Specification	Value
IEC test classification	Class II, Type 2
Nominal voltage UN	230/400 V AC to 240/415 V AC
Max continuous operating voltage UC	350 V AC
Nominal discharge current In, 8/20 microseconds	20 kA per path
Voltage protection level Up	2.5 kV or lower

Models in this family include VAL-CP-MCB-3S-350/40/FM, VAL-CP-MCB-3C-350/40/FM and VAL-CP-MCB-1S-350/40/FM, with order numbers 2882750, 2882763 and 2882776. Housing sizes across the family are 132 x 101 x 76 mm, 114 x 101 x 76 mm and 72 x 101 x 76 mm.

Tell us which model you need and we will confirm the order number and dimensions against the Phoenix datasheet before quoting, since the width determines whether it fits your board.

UC is the figure to check on a replacement. Maximum continuous operating voltage must suit your supply. A device with too low a UC will fail early on a supply that runs high.

PLUGTRAB SEC Type 3

Device-level protection, fitted close to what it protects.

Feature	Detail
Applications	AC and DC
Fuse	Integrated surge-current-proof fuse
Width	17.5 mm per channel
Protection level	Low
Testing	Plugs can be tested with CHECKMASTER 2
Systems	TN-S and TT 5-conductor, TN-S, TT and IT 3-conductor

The integrated fuse matters. Many surge devices need a separate backup fuse selected and fitted. This range has it built in, which removes a coordination step and a part from the order.

You can test surge protection rather than guess

Worth knowing, because most sites have no idea whether their surge protection still works.

Phoenix Contact makes CHECKMASTER 2, a test device that checks protective plugs. Rather than replacing on a time schedule or waiting for the visual indicator, plugs can be pulled and tested.

For a site with a lot of surge protection installed, that turns a guess into a measurement, and usually means replacing fewer plugs rather than more.

Signal and data circuit protection

Different problem, different range. Instrument loops, sensor cables and data lines between buildings need protection too, and a 230 V arrester is not it.

Order number	Type	Application
2839240	PT 4-24DC-ST	Protective plug with protective circuit for a 4-core floating signal circuit, 24 V DC

Family	Application
TERMITRAB	Signal and measurement circuit protection, terminal block format
PLUGTRAB	Plug-in protection for signal and power
PT series	Signal circuit protective plugs
DT, DATATRAB	Data line protection
VAL	Power circuit arresters

Instrument loops are where surge damage actually shows up on most New Zealand sites. A 4-20 mA loop running between buildings picks up induced surges and takes out the analog input card, which is far more expensive than the transmitter.

If you are repeatedly replacing analog input modules on the same loop, that is the conversation to have.

What we can supply

Current production. VAL, PLUGTRAB and TERMITRAB across power, signal and data, plus replacement plugs and CHECKMASTER test equipment. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Replacement plugs especially. If your bases are fine and the plugs have done their job, that is a much cheaper order. Tell us the base type and we will match the plug.

Discontinued. Earlier VAL and TERMITRAB generations. Surplus and tested used.

Send us your order numbers

Tell us whether you need the complete device or just the replacement plug, because they are different order numbers. If you are replacing a plug, check whether the original is an IT system version. Quotes in NZD including GST.

Request a quote

Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG. Phoenix Contact, VAL, PLUGTRAB, TERMITRAB and CHECKMASTER are trademarks of Phoenix Contact. All trademarks, brand names and order numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Information on this page is for identification and does not constitute electrical design advice.