Surge Protector
 

1.) SECO has provided us with excellent service for almost 5 years.
2.) Yes a surge protector at the panel would be just as effective.
3.) A combination may be over the top but there should be no issues with it. If a spike were to get through the surge protector under the meter the second one at the entrance feed to the panel may block it.

My 2 cents....We have maintained a provider serviced surge protector for years. The major benefit is it protect motor driven appliances. We have had 2 instances at our home (not in the villages), of surges that damaged our appliances. The electric company covered the appliances and paid for the lost food in the freezers and refrigerator. In one strike we also lost our deep well pump. With this in mind on our new home we had one installed.

We are all living in the lightning capital of the world. Our house in TV have been struck a total of 3 times, and it is tough on the garage door opener, sprinkler system, cable modem, etc. Well we now rent the surge protector and the lightning is no longer an issue. It's really not that expensive for heaven's sake.

SECA offers $7,500 (?) warranty. Eaton offers $75,000 warranty. I've installed lots of Eatons for $200- $250. They do work if installed before lightning strike, not after. Walter 352 775 4245

You really need to look at the fine print. I have a SECO installed surge protector on the meter we pay $6/mo for. When I lost two tv’s after a surge I called SECO and found out it is set for 240 volts which covers only the ac units. All other appliances/tv require additional plug surge protectors they sell for $60. The warranty is through the companies that produce the plug surge protectors. The SECO surge protectors are definitely not worth installing, but I would install a whole house protector set at 120v, by a local electrician.

That is great! But after 20 years here without ever a problem..i dont think i need one.

I read somewhere that Tampa was the lightning capital of the WORLD. If that is true, then TV Land may be high on THAT world list.

I wonder if their insurance went up also?

We currently live in GA and will move to the Villages in 5 years when I retire. Anyway, we had a whole house surge protector installed by Mr. Sparky electrical service about 20 years ago and I am almost certain that we paid at least if not more than what you are stating yours will cost. About 10 years ago squirrels chewed on the neutral wire at the electrical pole outside of our house, causing an electrical overload that if not for the surge protector could have caught our house on fire or at least destroyed our electronics and household appliances. I have never seen lightbulbs glow so brightly as ours did right before the whole house surge protector burned up and the power went out. Needless to say the whole house surge protector did it's job and sacrificed itself. We IMMEDIATELY had a new one installed once the power company re-ran the neutral and our power was restored. Maybe what happened to us was a very rare occurrence but I will never live in a house that does not have a whole house surge protector. Having that small piece of equipment installed is worth every penny in my opinion.

I should have added that our surge protector was installed at the panel... a very small rectangular unit.

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I installed “whole-house surge protection” inside my (central) circuit breaker box. Subsequently, lightning struck the large oak tree in my front yard. The lightning energy traveled down the tree and blew a hole in the water pipe that entered my home; I had to have the water company turn off the water supply to my house. The hole was between the meter and my home; therefore, the cost of the repair was mine.

My computer setup inside my home was near the tree. The energy surge took out the Comcast cable modem and an interface box for the telephone-via-internet. I did have local surge protection for my PC and printers; there was no damage to them.

You have likely heard about an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) weapon that destroys electronics. A lightning strike is similar; it does not have to travel down electrical wires for the cable service to do damage to electronics.

----- Retired Electrical Engineer

Squirrels and other rodents like to eat the insulation on wires - because that insulation is partially made from soybeans. They go after car wiring also. As a personal opinion, I have always considered squirrels to be JUST rats that live in trees. I don't understand people thinking of squirrels as "CUTE" - but, maybe they became cute from kid's cartoons? I preferred the 1950s attitude of allowing kids in suburbs to hunt squirrels with their Red Ryder BB guns. That kept squirrels in the woods where they were NOT pests. Obviously, times have changed and the Police would be shooting the kids thinking they were carrying Uzis and 9mm handguns - which probably is true that some are carrying lethal-to-humans type guns today. I guess that shows how America has evolved or de-voluted?

Welcome to the Lightning Capital of the US! Our area experiences over 100 days a year with lightning. In 2020 we had 117 days with lightning. The term “whole house surge protection” is misleading. There is no single product on the market to protect all appliances and sensitive electronic equipment from an INDIRECT lightning strike. As others have mentioned on this thread each year a few homeowners experience damage in the thousands of dollars to their electronics. Therefore, it is worth considering Primary Surge Protection on your meter by your electric utility or on your electric panel by a licensed electrical AND you need Secondary Surge Protection (point-of-use) for electronics like computers, TVs, garage door openers, etc. If your concern is a DIRECT lightning strike that can cause significant damage to the structure then consider installing a lightning protection system, commonly called lightning rods, by a firm listed by UL and a Master Installer as designated by the Lightning Protection Institute. For more information on lightning safety, you may to wish to attend The Weather Club in The Villages March 18, 2021, meeting,1:30 PM, at the Bridgeport Recreation Center to learn more. You can sign up at info@theweatherclubvillages.com.

As the saying goes you will not need it until you need it.

Contract with a licensed electrician to install surge protection at the breaker box, or just install good quality surge protectors at the appliances/tvs you wish to protect. Don't waste your $$ on SECO "protection."

It did not....as I understand it, increases are not based on your claims or the number of claims (or lack of) but on all policyholders.