This is after reading and talking to others, I'm thinking about this.
I'm not very educated on electricity so I wonder 2 things right away.
What brands are good for whole house protection and how do I know how
much protection I need? Can I just go by the amperage in the circuit
panel (main circuit breaker) ? One person gave me a brand called
Eaton and told me depending on model (Ultra being the best and most
expensive) from maybe $250 to $500 but said it could be more if I
don't have a spare circuit breaker to wire into. Suggestions
welcome.


I prefer to protect individual circuits that have electronic devices such
as computers and TV's. I heard a neighbor had a whole house unit and when
it blew, it took an electrician and half a day to get power back.


*The surge suppressor will blow up when it is not properly grounded. It is
designed to absorb the surge and then dissipate it to ground. With no
ground it just overloads, but still provides some surge protection though it
is only once. Proper surge protection begins with good grounding.

Siemens has a comprehensive online training manual that explains the process
in simple terms and also shows their products. Here's an excerpt: "The
clamping voltage rating of an MOV is greater than the normal supply voltage.
Therefore, when a surge occurs and the clamping voltage rating of the MOV is
exceeded, the MOV switches from a high resistance path to a low resistance
path and excess energy passes through the MOV to ground, bypassing the
connected load".

You can read the whole instructional manual he
http://www.mrelectrician.tv/surgeprotectionbasics.html