You have not grasped the various type of transients, do not
understand why the IEEE defines what is necessary for protection, and
a few other technical facts posted below. Destructive voltages are
not between neutral and hot wire. That transient is made irrelevant
by protection already inside appliances - and other reasons.
Meanwhile, a 'whole house' protector also makes that type transient
irrelevant.

What does the IEEE demand as necessary for surge protection? IEEE
does not discuss differential voltage difference between two wires.
That surge is trivial. Protection is about a surge that typically
does electronics damage:
IEEE Red Book:
In actual practice, lightning protection is achieve by the
process of interception of lightning produced surges,
diverting them to ground, and by altering their
associated wave shapes.
IEEE Emerald Book (Powering and Grounding Sensitive Electronic
Equipment)
It is important to ensure that low-impedance grounding and
bonding connections exist among the telephone and data
equipment, the ac power system's electrical safety-grounding
system, and the building grounding electrode system. ...
Failure to observe any part of this grounding requirement may
result in hazardous potential being developed between the
telephone (data) equipment ...

Learn of many types of transients. To promote their product, plug-
in protectors would have you believe all surge types are same.
Nonsense. For example, you describe a surge that comes down a black
(hot) wire and leaves on neutral (white) wire. This is not the
typically destructive surge. Even utility power switching creates
another and typically more destructive transient. What happens when a
surge comes down any or all black, white, and green wires; and leaves
via phone wire, wooden table, linoleum floor tile, or any other
conductive material? Latter is the surge that does damage. When it
leaves, where does it go? Earth ground.

Yes, for typically destructive surges, those otherwise non-
conductive items become conductors. Also conductive are church
steeple, concrete, or a tree. Items conductive to typically
destructive surges are typically not conductive to trivial currents
and voltages between two wires.

How great is voltage between wires? Wire insulation is only rated
for 600 volts. Higher voltages simply cause breakdown - temporarily
connect those wires together. But voltages that seek earth are
typically 10+ times larger. What kind of surge puts 8000 volts on
that TV? Not voltage between two wires. 8000 volts means a surge
that seeks earth.

Bud's page 42 Figure 8 shows how a TV is damaged by 8000 volts.
Why? Destructive surge seeks earth ground; is not between two wires.
Because a plug-in protector was too close to TV, then the surge used
that TV to obtain what? Earth ground. 8000 volts did not exist
between two wires because of where the protector is located. 8000
volts would not exist between two wire if no protector existed. 8000
volts occurred because current is on any or all wires; finding earth
destructively via a TV. A destructive type surge seeks earth - is not
between two wires.

Does a telephone line protector in your NID or in the telco's CO sit
between two wires? Of course not. Otherwise the protector could be
located anywhere on those wires. But even 1950s protectors were not
between wires:
http://www.inwap.com/inwap/chez/Phoneline.jpg
That protector connects each wire to an earthing ground lug. Each
'carbon' is beneath that hex head - from each phone wire to
earthing. Why? Destructive surges with potentially higher voltages
seek earth ground; do not seek the other wire. Surges between two
wires are made irrelevant for numerous reasons including wire
insulation breakdown voltage and by appliance design - an industry
standard even 30+ years ago.

As demonstrated in a 1959 research project by Bodle and Gresh in the
Bell System Technical Journal are hundreds of surges that would harm
the CO because the surge seeks earth ground. Surges even on
underground wires seek earth ground.

If a protector between two wires was sufficient, then that protector
could be anywhere on wires. But an effective protector cannot be
anywhere. Effective protector is located at the service entrance and
connected short to earth ground; as even the Air Force demands.
Effective protectors are best located distant from electronics.
Telcos define that separation (between protector and electronics) as
up to 50 meters. Why? A voltage difference between two wires may be
shunted anywhere on those wires. But a surge that seeks earth ground
- separation between protector and electronics improves protection.
Therefore design of building and location of incoming wires affect how
a protection 'system' is installed.

From a Sun Microsystem planning guide for server rooms Section
5.4.7:
Lightning surges cannot be stopped, but they can be diverted. The
plans for the data center should be thoroughly reviewed to identify
any paths for surge entry into the data center. Surge arrestors can
be designed into the system to help mitigate the potential for lightning
damage within the data center. These should divert the power of the
surge by providing a path to ground for the surge energy. Protection
should be placed on both the primary and secondary side of the
service transformer. It is also necessary to protect against surges
through the communications lines. The specific design of the lightning
protection system for the data center will be dependent on the design
of the building and utilities and existing protection measures.

Protection between two wires is completely irrelevant to building
design and utility location. But destructive surges to a Sun Server
means earthing. Earthing is why building design and utility location
is part of that Sun mandated design. To be earthed, building and
utility design determines where and how that protector is located.
Why? Sun server destructive surges seek earth ground. Sun describes
protection for their servers - properly grounded protectors.

What does a 'whole house protector connect to? Each wire is not
connected to the other wire via protector. Each wire is connected to
earth ground. Same as in the 1950s telco protector and in a Sun
servier site. Effective protectors connect each wire to earth.

Above is a secondary protection 'system' where voltages between
wires is irrelevant.. Also inspect the primary protection 'system'.
Inspect what in a primary protection 'system'? Well what do typically
destructive surges (with maybe ten times higher voltages) seek?
http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html

How big is that surge between black and white wires? For
destructive surges that seek earth ground, a most minimal earthing
path is for 50,000 amps. Why 50,000 amps? Protection 'system' is for
surges - ie tens of thousands of amps - that may overwhelm protection
already inside appliances. Show me a 50,000 amp surge exists between
black (hot) and white (neutral) wire? It does not exist. Large
current surges seek earth ground. Such surge made trivial by the
'whole house' protector and made irrelevant by protection already
inside appliances.

Qwest defines what is necessary in their Publication 77355:
In a telecommunications environment, the most effective
grounding and bonding system is the one with the least
amount of impedance.

Why low impedance? High current surges that seek earth ground are
radio frequency currents. Typically occur in microseconds. What is
the most common source of such surges? Microsecond type surges
include lightning. And what does lightning seek? Not a voltage
difference between two wires. Typically destructive surges - ie
lightning - seek one thing: earth ground. For surges between wires -
low 'resistance' is sufficient. For surges that do serious damage -
ie lightning - low 'impedance' earthing is required. Just another
reason why a protector's location (ie 'less than 10 feet' from earth
ground) is so essential for surge protection.

How many industry professionals need I quote - or do you still
listen to a plug-in protector promoter Bud? IEEE is quite blunt what
is required for effective protection: earthing. What is the most
destructive surge? Lightning. What does it create? Massive currents
on any or all wires that seek earth ground. Voltages between wires
are so trivial as to be made irrelevant even by appliance design - and
other reasons above.

There is no major voltage difference between wires. Now I
understand why you were so easily decieved by the myths. Your
'threat' is made irrelevant even by protection inside appliances. The
short and major spike seeks earth ground - is not between two wires.
Please learn the techology. This was common knowledge even long
before any of us existed. You are worried about surges that typically
do not exist - but are hyped to promote mythical power strip
protection.

On Apr 2, 6:23 am, "Joseph Meehan" wrote:
No, it is not THE protection it is one protection, but not the one in
question.

Earthing or grounding is very important from the standpoint of human
safety from an insulation failure, but we are talking about surge issues and
protection of the equipment from a short, but very high voltage spike. That
voltage is measured between the neutral and the power and does not involve
the "ground" While under normal operation the ground and the neutral are
the same potential, there are times they are different.

Sorry you can't seem to see or understand the difference.