SECO Surge Protector

[DALEPQ]

We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??

[Stu from NYC]

We got one about two years ago. Never a problem but apparently no lightning strikes either.

People have since told us that the contract is written in a way they will not pay for any damage. See other threads about this for more info.

[Jayhawk]

Had one for 5+ years, and paid a monthly fee for it. Got lightning strike, lost both garage door openers, one TV, doorbell, and cable box (which Spectrum covered). Filed a claim with SECO and they said the strike didn't come through their lines and they would not cover it. Had the thing removed the next week.

[villagetinker]

We have one , there was a close in lightning strike just outside a neighbors backyard, maybe 100 feet from our house. Neighbor have several thousand dollars in damaged electrical equipment, we had nothing apparent. About 18 months later cable tv was getting real bad, the service drop cable to our house had failed apparently due to the strike. This would not have been prevented by the SECO device, but everything else in the house survived.

[Altavia]

It's a risk reduction, not protection . The warranty is marketing hype.

Best to also add local surge protector at high cost devices.

Some homes have gas lines in the attic. There were at least 6 strikes within a few miles of each other South of the Turnpike last year. Two hit gas lines in the attic near the meter.

A lightening protection system will further reduce the risk. Cost was not much more than our insurance deductable.

[retiredguy123]

We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??
In my opinion, it is a scam to increase the profit for the electric company. The cheap device is attached to the electric meter and the homeowner is charged a one time fee or a monthly rental fee. If the device were really needed, why don't they incorporate it into the meter in the first place? It is the electric company's responsibility to deliver safe, surge-free power to the house. Charging extra for an add-on surge protector is absurd. I won't buy one.

[dewilson58]

I have one.
Glad I have it.
But it's like a COVID shot, you'll never know if it works.

:shrug:

[Two Bills]

Warranties? Insurances?
Unfortunately, you never know their worth, until you make a claim!

[Altavia]

I have one.
Glad I have it.
But it's like a COVID shot, you'll never know if it works.

:shrug:

If the green light turns red, it triggered.

Sort of like an airbag :icon_wink:

[Bilyclub]

If the green light turns red, it triggered.

Sort of like an airbag :icon_wink:


The Surge MitiGator™ is equipped with two red lights that stay on continuously which indicate the arrester is working properly.

[TommyT]

Get it and you'll sleep better knowing you're protected...

[Michael G.]

Some time ago I had a electrician tell me lightening can strike under ground,
through the air, and through any wiring into your house.

[Stu from NYC]

Some time ago I had a electrician tell me lightening can strike under ground,
through the air, and through any wiring into your house.

It does go wherever it wants but some protection I guess is better than none.

[villagetinker]

Some time ago I had a electrician tell me lightening can strike under ground,
through the air, and through any wiring into your house.

The situation you are talking about is called 'ground potential rise' and yes a close in strike can cause the ground potential to rise to very dangerous levels, and any conductive material (water pipes, plastic pipes with water, landscape lighting, ANY wiring, etc in this area can then conduct a surge into the house, this will NOT be protected by the SECO arrestor, or any arrestor installed in the circuit breaker panel. It can damage the first piece of equipment that it encounters, for example the water line to the refrigerator. Point of use protectors (UL 1449 I think) may provide some protection for some but not all of these types of surges.

[BigSteph]

Same.

I have one.
Glad I have it.
But it's like a COVID shot, you'll never know if it works.

:shrug:

[PugMom]

The Surge MitiGator™ is equipped with two red lights that stay on continuously which indicate the arrester is working properly.

so i got this note in my last 2 bills that advertised the mitigator. i phoned the company, they said they had no idea what i was talking about. was there any difficulty in ordering 1 for yourself?

[Stu from NYC]

so i got this note in my last 2 bills that advertised the mitigator. i phoned the company, they said they had no idea what i was talking about. was there any difficulty in ordering 1 for yourself?

When we purchased ours almost two years ago had no problem, suggest you call back

[DaleDivine]

We have it and hopefully will never need it.
:pray::pray:

[Mrmean58]

Had a whole house surge protector added by an electrician to the outside box several years ago for around $250. I also added individual appliance protectors you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot to my fridge, clothes washer, both garage door opener, irrigation timer, etc to add an extra layer of protection. These in expensive units do come with a replacement value if the appliance ends up damaged after a lightning strike. Easy to buy and install yourself.
Do they work?? I image they do as we have not lost any appliances in the 3 years since install. I never read anything to say they wouldn't doing my research prior to purchase.
This was the recommendation we received from a couple electricians.

[bowlingal]

I have it. $5 per month rental. Have not had a problem and glad I have it. Much better to be able to sleep at night

[hamsterfay]

Had a whole house surge protector added by an electrician to the outside box several years ago for around $250. I also added individual appliance protectors you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot to my fridge, clothes washer, both garage door opener, irrigation timer, etc to add an extra layer of protection. These in expensive units do come with a replacement value if the appliance ends up damaged after a lightning strike. Easy to buy and install yourself.
Do they work?? I image they do as we have not lost any appliances in the 3 years since install. I never read anything to say they wouldn't doing my research prior to purchase.
This was the recommendation we received from a couple electricians.

Which individual appliance protectors did you purchase? Couldn't find such a thing thru my research of protectors. Thx!

[retiredguy123]

Which individual appliance protectors did you purchase? Couldn't find such a thing thru my research of protectors. Thx!
Go to Amazon.com, and search for "appliance surge protector". Lots of them available for refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

[GpaVader]

We went with the $500 model offered by Galaxy, the electrician that did our wiring and low voltage during the construction. It has a full insurance coverage if anything were damaged and it helped that it was the same protector recommended by Mike Holmes.

[midiwiz]

We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??

it has no value at all. no lightening strike will come through the power lines like 50 years ago. and as you have read they cover nothing unless it comes through the lines -

surge protectors are incapable at catching that type of activity due to the speed of occurrence is far faster than the circuitry. don't waste your money or time.... and don't get lightening rods put on your house either.... that's got to be the most ridiculous idea ever

[Sunflower33]

We purchased one from seco own it out right. Didn’t care to pay monthly. This is one of the lightening capitals so best to be protected. Personally I feel this helps protect my home and things in it. We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??

[Proveone]

Buy the one from SECO, don't rent it by the month. It has a ten year warranty. A good investment.

[Stu from NYC]

Buy the one from SECO, don't rent it by the month. It has a ten year warranty. A good investment.

We own ours but apparently if we do get hit we will not be covered by the kind of sort of warranty they offer.

[Lightning]

We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??

Florida is the lightning capital of the US and lightning loves technology! Consider two levels of indirect lightning induced surge protection into your home. Primary Surge Protection This is surge protection installed on your electric meter by your electric utility. For example, if you are a SECO Energy customer they will lease a surge protector on your electric meter for $5.95 per month or purchase for $349 for 200-amp service ($399 for 320-amp service). Duke Energy and Leesburg Electric also have similar lease agreements. It can also be achieved by engaging a licensed electrician to install a surge protector on a dedicated two-pole breaker on your electrical panel. This level of protection is to prevent surge damage to hard-wired equipment that you do not plug into a 120-volt wall outlet. This is not “whole house” surge protection! Secondary Surge Protection This level of surge protection is called point-of-use (POU) and the devices are sometimes referred to as “plug ins.” These surge protectors plug into a 120-volt wall outlet to protect microwave ovens, garage door openers, refrigerators. Underwriters Laboratories listed surge protectors are another form of secondary surge protection for televisions and computers. These devices can be purchased from electronics, hardware, big box stores, and the internet. Surges can also enter your home from other sources such as telephone and satellite/cable TV lines. Therefore, it is vitally important that telephone lines to an answering machine or computer be routed through a secondary surge protector. This is also true for the coaxial cable line for a television.The Villages Weather Club is sponsoring a presentation on lightning safety on Thursday. April 21st at the Bridgeport Rec Center, 1:30 PM and is open to any Villager.

[main12use]

September 2020 my AC went out. I was notified at that time that the power to my house was out. I was up north. It lasted about 30 minutes. My AC would not start so I hired a company and needed a new HVAC. It was 15 yrs old. I had SECO come out and they said it wasn't lightning. I contacted my insurance because I had a special whole house system coverage. They paid my claim because they determined it wasn't age related but a lighting strike. So in my opinion, their surge protector is worthless!

[jrref]

What most people don't realize is the cable connection to your house if not properly grounded is a common source of lightning damage when there is a strike near by. The SECO surge protector is there to reduce the magnititude of the surge so your surge protectors at your electronic equipment such as your computer and or TV can supress it. Also appliances such as your A/C, washer, dryer, etc that are less sensitive to surges can survive if the initial surge is reduced. BUT if there is a strike close enough to your house nothing is going to protect it from causing damage. As far as the SECO warrenty, i have to read it again but how can they offer protection if they don't protect anything?

[rrb48310]

We have one , there was a close in lightning strike just outside a neighbors backyard, maybe 100 feet from our house. Neighbor have several thousand dollars in damaged electrical equipment, we had nothing apparent. About 18 months later cable tv was getting real bad, the service drop cable to our house had failed apparently due to the strike. This would not have been prevented by the SECO device, but everything else in the house survived.

My father-in-law had a similar experience. He had a Duke Energy surge protector and he said lightning hit so close to his house that it shook. The strike knocked out an older t.v. and a cable box, nothing else was affected. When we called he found out that he only had the basic coverage (for $8 a month) that doesn’t include more sensitive electronics like t.v.’s and computers. But they offer, a move expensive, plan to cover them. His t.v. was replaced for $200 and the cable company changed out his cable box. We think the surge protector saved the major appliances and now have the wall plug in surge protectors at the t.v.’s.

[Babubhat]

Why you have homeowners insurance

[Altavia]

Why you have homeowners insurance

Because I prefer not to spend weeks dealing with replacing/servicing devices, days negotiation with insurance claim departments trying to depreciate the value of everything and the risk of haveing my insurance cancelled for a (relatively) small claim.

[tophcfa]

We have had their surge protector since buyers our home almost 7 years ago. During that time we have had only two lightning strike problems, both times the signal amplifier for our TV antenna got blown out.

[4pocketz]

We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??
Skip it! Do you REALLY NEED it???

[Scubagale]

[Buy it don't rent it....yes it's
worth having

UOTE=DALEPQ;2082881]We are relatively new to T.V., our electrical is from SECO.
Just now, they are offering a free install for their surge protector (Save $25.)
Has anyone had experience with SECO's surge protector?? (Or other surge protectors?). What were the results??[/QUOTE]

[FromDC]

Years ago, we had the SECO surge protector installed. In addition, a SECO rep came over and explained what plug-in protectors we should have on the appliances, etc. The rep was NOT here to sell anything, just to provide guidance. We are glad to have this protection.

Our neighbor has lightning rods on his house. I guess he is happy with his decision too.