Okay - so any suggestions on good whole house surge protection?
Plenty. But first lets get the local problem defined. Some nasty and electrically ignorant posts will follow. He will do everything possible to attack me and to confuse you. Only you decide whether you want to learn this stuff or entertain his ignorance.
Now, numerous responsible companies provide 'whole house' protectors. Mostly from names that any 'guy' would be familiar with including Siemens, ABB, Leviton, General Electric, Square D, and Intermatic. A Cutler-Hammer 'whole house' protector sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50.
But no protector does protection. As Dr Kenneth Schneider notes:
> Conceptually, lightning protection devices are switches to ground. Once a threatening surge is
> detected, a lightning protection device grounds the incoming signal connection point of the
> equipment being protected. Thus, redirecting the threatening surge on a path-of-least
> resistance (impedance) to ground where it is absorbed.
> Any lightning protection device must be composed of two "subsystems," a switch which is
> essentially some type of switching circuitry and a good ground connection-to allow
> dissipation of the surge energy.
So first, protection is about where energy dissipates. Second, a protector is only effective when it 'switches' that energy to earth - where energy dissipates. IOW no protector does protection. Either energy connects directly to earth before entering a building (cable TV, satellite dish) - no protector installed. Or a protector makes that earth connection (AC electric, telephone).
All homes already have a 'whole house' protector on the phone line. Required by code. Installed for free by the telco because effective protector costs so little money (compared to ineffective power strip protectors). Cable connects to earth via a wire. The most common source of surges is AC electric.
Wires highest on utility poles are the most often struck. A lightning strike down the street is a direct strike to every household appliance. But everything is not damaged. To have damage, electricity must have both an incoming path and an outgoing path to earth. Most easily damaged are cable TV and telephone appliances. Incoming on AC mains. Outgoing to earth via those always earthed wires. Surge damage because the homeowner let surge energy enter the building on AC mains. Many who never learned this 100+ year old knowledge will assume a surge entered on cable or phone wires.
Once energy is inside, nothing (especially not protectors) can avert that hunt for earth. A TV's HDMI port or a computer's modem are two typically connections from AC electric to earth. In every case, damage because a homeowner permitted that energy to be inside. And because the weakest parts in that electrical connection are the HDMI electronics and a modem's off-hook transistor.
Protection always - did I say the word with enough emphasis - always is about where energy dissipates. Either energy is absorbed harmlessly outside a building - earth ground. Or that energy goes hunting for earth destructively via appliances. Only you make that choice.
A 'whole house' protector is essential. Numerous responsible companies provide them. But it will only do something if connected short to earth ground. Again, Dr Schneider. The connection to earth must be low impedance. To be effective, a protector must connect short ('less than 10 feet') to earth ground with no sharp wire bends, separated from other non-grounding wires, not inside metallic conduit, and all protectors connect to the same 'single point' earth ground.
Where does energy dissipate? Earth ground. What must all protector connect single digit feet to? Same earth ground. What is the only component always required in every protection 'system'? Single point earth ground. Any money wasted on plug-in protectors was always better spent on upgrading the single point earth ground.
See that telco NID box containing a protector? Follow its ground wire. How long? No sharp bends? What earth ground does it connect to?
Where does the cable TV wire connect to earth?
See that bare solid copper wire from the breaker box? Same questions. Does wire go up over the foundation and down to earth ground? Then it is too long - no effective protection. Sharp wire bends and excessive wire removed by going through the foundation and directly to single point earth ground. Yes, wire distance to earth is that critical.
If this is new, expect to read it at least three times. Also expect to unlearn many popular myths and lies. And have plenty of questions. Meanwhile, visit Lowes to view a ‘whole house’ protector, 6 AWG solid copper ground wire, and ten foot copper clad ground rods. All necessary for effective surge protection. Anything inside the house, well, even the manufacturer does not claim effective protection in his numeric specs.
