[Quixote]

Originally Posted by Catalina36

Makes sense to me. $6.00 per month $72.00 per year vs. to purchase at $500 or $600. My rental fee will be good for 7 years
and if the surge protector fails and needs to be replaced I am not responsible. Sounds like that's the way to go.

If (in this case) SECO owns it, they have to maintain it. I can see where it would be easy for them to say to someone who's bought it that they own it and the issue is theirs. I'm not suggesting that they will but rather implying that perhaps they could.... Yes, it's like insurance....

Originally Posted by Oneiric

...In 8 years, we have had no damage, while several of my neighbors without lightning protection and whole house surge protector have had all of their electronics and/or appliances destroyed.
For us, the cost was well worth the protection and peace of mind.

Ditto here, except for over 14 years and no damage ever! A1 Lightning Protection Systems do an exceptional installation—and for us more reasonably than we expected. We had the system installed not so much for lightning protection in relation to the house being hit by lightning but rather that this home has natural gas, and having come from an area where black pipe is common, the pipe used throughout the attic (!) in Villages homes looks not much sturdier than a heavy cardboard. The lightning protection which grounds, among other areas, the gas distribution board, was a no-brainer....

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Originally Posted by Dana1963

I'll wait for the VillageTinkerer to chime in we have one installed on side of the home from SECO.
Unless posters are Electrical Engineers it's blah, blah, blah.

exactly correct. . . everything is
unless you know the poster and that poster is a professional. . .

finance guy

[montagnard1969]

Surge protectors are only as good as the components within them. Units are rated in Joules [pronounced jew-lays] and are of different values and types. If you go to the IEEE [the website of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] you will find standards that define these devices. They vary widely in their capacity, application and function. Just because it says “surge protector” on the device doesn’t mean it will do what you expect.
Surges [over voltages, in seconds] and spikes [rapid rise in voltage-short duration, in portions of a 60 hertz] can enter the electrical system of a home in many ways. It can strike the earth and enter through system grounding [earthing] rod, it can enter through the cable TV or telephone line buried in the ground. Direct strikes are less likely but much more catastrophic in damage. There is also degradation of electronic components of household devices through
repeated short duration events you do not notice in the system at all. I like to refer to this as “electronic rust”. These repeat incidents slowly degrade the electronic components of all appliances and devices containing electronic circuit boards and components. Sometime in the future these devices fail for no apparent reason because the components are affected over time by the factors mention previously. Here in Florida we are one of the areas of the world experiencing the most lightning events. These repeated lightning events degrades equipment over time no matter how much the utilities or the property owner try to mitigate this. You can do all you can by using surge equipment but in the end, lightning will do its damage despite the best equipment you buy because it is so pernicious. This equipment is not a “one and done” because the components within them degrade in the protection process and should be checked and replaced periodically when necessary.
To do the best you can do is buy the highest quality devices available, place them on all equipment as individual units, at each piece of equipment and provide a good whole house unit to have installed on your main panel. Have a qualified electrician check the system grounding on your home to assure it is solidly grounded, and corroded connection, no loose clamps or connections. If you can afford it have another ground rod driven and use #4 solid copper wire to do so between the two ground rods and all the way back to the main panel, if possible.

[keepsake]

Most surges I've seen come from nearby lightning strikes. And this utility protector does nothing to protect you from the most common surge entry into your home. Internet and cable paths into the home are ten times worse.

[keepsake]

I live outside of the Villages. Having solar and batteries I can go off-grid when bad storms are present and everything utility electrical is 'cut-off' from the outside surge path.

[keepsake]

If you rent it from the utility you have no way to tell when its blown at times. What good is warranty ? Make sure its outside and where you can see it physically. Inspect it regularly. When it blows you should see it clearly or at least see a deformed case.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Quixote

If (in this case) SECO owns it, they have to maintain it. I can see where it would be easy for them to say to someone who's bought it that they own it and the issue is theirs. I'm not suggesting that they will but rather implying that perhaps they could.... Yes, it's like insurance....




Ditto here, except for over 14 years and no damage ever! A1 Lightning Protection Systems do an exceptional installation—and for us more reasonably than we expected. We had the system installed not so much for lightning protection in relation to the house being hit by lightning but rather that this home has natural gas, and having come from an area where black pipe is common, the pipe used throughout the attic (!) in Villages homes looks not much sturdier than a heavy cardboard. The lightning protection which grounds, among other areas, the gas distribution board, was a no-brainer....

There have been class action lawsuit settlements related to CCST gas lines in the attic as used in many homes here.

CSST Class Action Lawsuit | Fire Safety Questioned | ClassAction.org

[Jeffmit]

You can buy on at Lowes. It takes up 2 spaces in your breaker box and cost $100.