On Monday, February 10, 2014 12:11:59 PM UTC-6, wrote:

The destructive surges that destroy equipment almost always

originate from outside the house, with lightning being the prime

cause. Lightning striking the utility lines somewhere in the

vicinity results in a surge. You want to stop those before or

just as they are entering the house. A panel mounted whole house

surge protector does exactly that, by diverting the surge current

to ground. Additional protection via plug-in protectors should be

at any appliances that are connected to more than just AC, ie cable,

phone, etc. It's a tiered approach, and a whole house unit is

the first line of defense. But, it's not always possible either,

eg folks living in apartments, rental properties, etc. In that

case plug-in is all you can do.



As for expensive, a good whole house surge protector costa about

$125.

This sounds like a sales pitch...there is virtually nothing that will prevent damage from a nearby lightning strike. Mainly because it will "jump" over, or burn-out any device. Again, this is my .02 (Another thing that might help and is free...keep your fingers crossed! *L* )