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Originally Posted by Dan9871
Whole house surge protectors protect things like motors and compressors. So they protect things like washing machine and refrigerators.
Whole house surge protectors, in general, don't protect electronics. When lightning strikes a house or even just nearby it induces high voltages in the house wiring itself. So you need a surge protector on each piece of electronics plug and on each network cable near where it goes into the electronics.
Even if you completely disconnected the main electronic line going into your house if lightning strikes nearby it will induce a voltage surge into all of your house wiring and network cables. The voltage surge it induces probably won't hurt a motor or compressor but it can easily destroy electronics.
You might check the insurance policy and see exactly what it will pay off on. If it really covers all the electronics in your house for replacement cost you got a really good deal.
Here is what one whole house surge protector sold by Home Depot says about electronics:
"Square D brand Home Electronics Protective Devices (HEPDs) are compact and affordable surge suppressors designed for residential load centers. HEPDs work together with surge protection plug strips to provide surge suppression for sensitive electronics. HEPDs reduce surges that might otherwise overwhelm plug strips and damage connected household equipment. HEPDs also provide surge suppression for important items such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, stoves, and air conditioning that plug strips may not or cannot protect."
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Interesting. Years ago I heard a commercial on the radio in NJ about whole house surge suppressors (I wasn't familiar with them at the time). The electric company was suggesting that you install them, but they indicated that you did NOT need the additional surge suppressor power strips in the home as the suppressor on the main line into the house was meant to clamp down on a surge coming into the home. If there was a significant lightning strike on the lines immediately adjacent to the home, the suppressor on the home could be compromised and the surge suppressor power strips would do nothing for you as they could not handle such a load. I imagine that if the strike were that close, your home might have been struck and you could be worried about fire.
By the by, pretty much all appliances have electronics that could be compromised by an electric surge-it isn't just a compressor for example that could get damaged.
I have had professional electricians install whole house suppressors on the main line entering each of my last three homes, and all three electricians said the same thing as the power company regarding the need for the power strips. I did not rent the suppressor from SECO, but bought one and had it installed in my home here in Florida.