If you ask people that have actually had their homes struck by lightening I know they would suggest protection.

We have the system installed by Galaxy too. Very good outfit. Brand is Ditek. Also have separate protection for HVAC system, installed by SunKool.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Had a surge protector put in my entrance electric panel 9 yrs. ago & no issues, (fingers crossed) before we installed the protector our power went out & when the power company turn it back on it the surge blew 2 circuit boards out on our brand new Dryer. Got a new one for FREE, but that’s another story. Lighting Rods are good for lighting but if your house takes a direct hit lighting rods do no good.

In 30 years in Florida living all over state .I’ve had my AC scorched outside twice that’s pretty common and I also had a wall smashed and the strike went through a the air into my garage knocked out a light bulb in garage and left a little scorch on fuse box, electrician checked it out , didn’t even charge me. All 3 hits were in villages different homes. I don’t have any protection because over the years old ve run into people who had direct hits and none was f those protections worked . I’ll let insurance take care of it, for me all I’m protecting is a couple of tv ‘ and kitchen appliances

A local electrician - LenHart (they advertise everyday in The Sun) installs a whole house surge protector for less that $200.

Unplug what you don't want fried in a storm.
Millions of volts travelling many miles at supersonic speeds are not going to be stopped in their tracks by a made made device half the size of a shoebox. lol

I had lightening fry my large screen TV. I got an outside SECO unit and inside surge protecters. No problems since doing that.

Thanks all for your help and comments.

Just purchased the Seco surge protector which costs $ 349 plus tax installed and carriers a 15 year warranty.

Lady I spoke to says we get a warranty that covers lightning damage to all appliances but does not cover computers or TV.

Asked about difference between doing it outside on box or by inside panel and her answer was better to protect against surges before they get inside your house.

Could have save $ 150 or so by having outside contractor install one but this way in the event that lightning destroys our frig we do not get into a he said/she said between Seco and outside contractor.

Apparently does not come with extra individual surge protectors as someone said.

Seco also said buy a good one not one from a dollar store and no difference between a unit that have room for 6 plus or individual one.

We already have surge protection for our computer but will now buy additional ones for TV's

As a quick solution you can buy a UPS at any electronic store or online for about $60. It's a box that you can plug your most expensive electronics into if they're all in that same location. It has a surge protection set of outlets as well as non surge protection outlets. It will turn off the power to your electronics if it is hit with a surge. This won't protect all your items but it's a quick and inexpensive way to protect the items that are plugged into it.

A nearby direct lightning strike (proximity) may hit your neighbor’s house, a flagpole, a fence or wall, a tree, the ground, or some other nearby object. Because lightning is seeking the least resistant path to ground it can cause a surge into your home. Indirect lightning strikes are more frequent and less severe than direct lightning strikes and the need for a lightning protection system (lightning rods). To protect appliances and electronics from an indirect strike consider two tiers of protection. Primary Surge ProtectionPrimary Surge Protection protects the 220-volt “hard wired” equipment that you do not plug into a 120-volt wall outlet including your furnace, A/C, electric dryer. It also provides protection for motors in your refrigerator, freezer, and washing machine. There are two ways to achieve primary protection. You can rent a Surge Protection Device that your electric utility will install behind your exterior electric meter. Alternatively, you can contract with a licensed electrician to install a surge protector on a 30-amp dedicated two-pole breaker on your electric panel in the garage. WARNING! This is not “whole house” surge protection. As good as these surge protection devices are even a small surge may get past it on the electric service. Or a surge can come from the telephone or cable/satellite service. Therefore, you need Secondary Surge Protection.Secondary Surge Protection Secondary surge protection is sometimes called “point-of use” (POU) or “plug ins” that you plug into a 120-volt wall outlet. It is important that the cable or satellite coaxial cable be connected from the cable wall outlet to the surge protector and a second connection is made from the surge protector into the cable or satellite receiver. The same concept applies to telephone lines supporting a computer and a telephone answering machine.The above is the current state-of-the-art, but safety is never absolute. It should be recognized that anything man-made can fail but the equipment discussed above does function as designed an extremely high percentage of the time. Form more information on assessing your lightning risk see The Villages Computer Club April presentation 07-VCC-2020-04-17+04-24-lightning.pdf - Google Drive

Lightning protection systems have been protecting people and property world-wide for over 260 years. They have been the subject of numerous studies over the decades including rocket-to-wire triggered lightning research at the University of Florida.
You may have noted that The Villages has installed LPS on every pumping station, all sewage treatment plants, fire department headquarters including the adjacent emergency operations center, and nearly every building at Sumter Landing. Hospitals and educational facilities are required to be protected by the building code. Most large churches and hotels in the area are also protected as is the Sharon Performing Arts Center and the Savannah Center among many others.

If you can change a circuit breaker in your panel, you can install a whole house surge protector, one wire connects to the neutral bar-- sooo simple, its a plug in installation

The hardest part is removing the panel cover and 2 -1" twist out covers-- a 6 minute job

Regarding the warranty coverage, reread post #18, particularly the part where there is no coverage if the surge originates after the SECO transformer (i.e. a close in strike). Read the warranty, don't rely on what someone on the phone says.

For TVs consider routing the coaxial cable through the surge protector. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked.
SECO stopped selling point of use (POU) surge protectors about three years ago. When purchasing POU surge protectors look for the UL label marked 1449 and Type 3.

And when buying, the higher number of "joules" rating, the better.