clifto wrote:
...
Anyone who owns a MOV-type protection strip should go immediately to
http://www.rbs2.com/fire.htm and read carefully.

Some quotes from that paper:
I know from my work in ANSI/IEEE standards during the late
1980s and early 1990s that manufacturers of surge suppressors
were vehemently opposed to tests in any performance standard
for surge-protective devices for failure modes, tests which
might have exposed fire or explosion hazards and found their
products to be unacceptable.

More pictures demonstrate the problem:
http://www.westwhitelandfire.com/Art...Protectors.pdf
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm or
http://www.nmsu.edu/~safety/programs...tectorfire.htm
http://www.ehs.washington.edu/LabSaf/surge.htm or
http://www.cob.org/fire/safety/surge.htm
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554

Meanwhile, appliances meeting standards even 30 years ago
would withstand transients of up to 600 volts without harm.
Internal appliance protection has been that robust. Therein
lies existing 'point of use' protection. Protection is inside
appliances. Protection that may be overwhelmed if a 'whole
house' protector is not sufficiently sized and properly
earthed.

Effectiveness of that protector is defined by earth ground.
Why do APC, Tripplite, and Belkin only promote plug-in
protectors? Meanwhile companies with superior reputations
(Square D, Polyphaser, Intermatic, Leviton, Polyphaser, GE,
Siemens, and Cutler Hammer) are selling 'whole house'
protectors. Not just for human safety reasons. Because
properly earthed 'whole house' protectors provide significant
protection AND do so costing tens of times less money.
Profits from ineffective plug-in protectors are immense since
those products are promoted mostly on myths.

Above are pictures that ineffective protector manufacturers
hope you never see.