I have such secondary surge protectors - which route both electrical and cable through them - on all my TVs. Some TVs go right to the cable outlet, and some through HD or DVR boxes. I see no degradation of signal quality.

Thanks for the info SemiMike.

We are moving to the Villages in October. We were under the impression that the "surge protectors" that we plan to rent from SECO will prevent the above stories I am reading. With that said, what do you Frogs do to protect your refrigerator and microwave? Please note that I am totally ignorant in this field and the only surge protectors I know of have extention cords attached to them. I do know running a major appliance off an extention cord may not be safe. Do you have surge protectors attached to each major appliance?
So any suggestions???

I know I'm coming into this conversation kinda late...but...I live in Amelia also. That lightening strike that knocked out power....and our water the next morning...also fried the sound bar on our main tv. Interestingly enough, we had an electrical contractor (not SECO) come out when we moved in and put in a surge protector on our breaker box. Second surprise...all our tv equipment IS plugged into a $50 (decent quality) surge protector bar!

Our only saving grace is that we had the foresight to get an extended warranty on the sound bar through a company called Square Trade, Extended Warranty Insurance - Extended Warranties - Protection Plans. Their warranties are priced reasonably and (so far so good) they are pretty hassle free if you need to make a claim.

Well, I did include a link to the web site for Square Trade, but I guess we are no longer allowed to post links on here. Just Google it. Sorry.

You may hear that from some of the contract cable techs. However, the official position related to me by a Comcast supervisor is that surge protectors do not degrade the picture quality. I have not experienced any picture degrading on my TVs.

See my 7-3-13 post at 11:19 am. Surge protectors can be purchased from hardware stores, big box stores, electronics stores, and you can purchase from SECO on line from their web site. You can also visit Pike Electric on Canal St in Sumter Landing where there is a display set up in the back of the store for all types of surge protectors

See my 7-3-13 post. Anything that has an electronic processor, which means nearly all electronics these days, and which you value should have secondary surge protection in the form of point-of-use surge protection devices. Lightning Loves Technology! Primary surge protection by SECO on your electric meter is for hardwired equipment. Therefor, you do need a surge protector on your microwave and refrigerator.

Even if you have a surge protector on your TV it could still be damaged if you did not route the coaxial cable through the surge protector. The same principle applies to telephone lines for computers.

My house was hit last year. I DID have the Seco Serge protector. It does not guarantee against a direct hit. Lost 5 televisions, computer, all telephones, irrigation system, garage door opener system, plus lots of outlets and wires and cable. Had to call fire department, electrician,etc. Insurance covered all after deductible. Seco would not cover anything because it was a Direct Hit.

Wow, that must have been frightening! You can bet when I ordered my new tv I bought an extended warranty.

When I called SECO she told me the refrigerator and washer & dryer would be covered. She didn't say anything about the microwave or that a direct hit wouldn't be covered. Guess I'll have to give them a call on Monday to see exactly what IS covered and under what circumstances.

Lightning guy, when I had the energy audit done he didn't say anything about plugging the refrigerator or microwave into a point-of-entrance surge protector. You can bet I'll be asking them about that, too! I don't even know where the microwave plugs in. Oh, more things to worry about. :ohdear::ohdear:

Anything with a microprocessor can be damaged by even a very small surge including the refrigerator and washing machine circuit boards that should be protected by point-of-use surge protectors. The microwave also should be protected and in many homes the plug is in the cupboard above it.