John Grabowski wrote:
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

Right. In sum, most MOVs (Metallic Oxide Varistor) act like a fuse in
reverse.

And, like a fuse, an MOV only works once (or at best a few times).

The more expensive surge protectors do not use these MOVs but instead rely
on electronic magic to take care of business, then reset, ready for the next
surge.