Jimbo...I definitely disagree with your rationale. Just because you have never had loss of power due to an electrical surge in the past is no reason to beleieve it cannot happen in the furture . Lighting strikes are very random and can occur anytime any where.
For the first couple of years we did not have whole house surge protection, but then it hit. A lighting bolt struck our next door neighbors cable box, wiped out his computer and telephones.....while we had the resdiual effect of 3 breakers in our box trip. I could reset 2 of the reakers but the 3rd would not reset and i had to call an electrican who eventually found a short in a switch. After about 2 months I was experienceing a problem with my garage door opener and called in a repair man.......he showed me the black spot in my opener and asked if I ever had a power surge...had to replace the mother board in the garage door opener.
Fortunatley I had individual surge protection for my computers and TV and they were not effected.
For anyone I would highly suggest 3 types of surge protection. Protection in the main power panel (installed by a electrician), protection for your air conditioner (on the outside breaker box by the ac), and individual surge protectors for computers, TV, telephone and cable points of entry. I would NOT pay a monthly fee to have something installed by SECO in my Electric Meter. If you are going to put something there buy it outright....you will be using it for however long you live in TV.
BTW:: My biggest concern is not the loss of power/damage as a result of a lighting strike (Surge) but a lighting strike that may hit the gas lines in the attic.. Now if someone has the answer to resolve or minimize this problem (other than buying an all electric home) please let me and probably everyone that as gas lines know!!!
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