On Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 8:57:36 AM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
The most probative thing here is that the TVs and a PC are the only
things listed as damaged. Those are appliances that don't just
have a connection to AC, they are also connected to cable,
phone, antenna, etc. The first question is, did those other
TV/PC connections run through those plug-in surge protectors,
ie, there were designed to also protect coax, phone, etc and
were connected that way? If not, there's your answer.

Obviously trader_4 does not read his citations. Cable, phone, and antenna are required have (even by safety codes for human safety) surge protection. It is installed for free. Of course, that protection is only as effective as an earth ground that a homeowner must provide.

An engineer will explain, again, how surges do damage and how damage is averted. Maybe this time he will read it.

Most common incoming path is AC electric. A direct lightning strike (ie 20,000 amps) far down the street is a direct strike incoming to every appliance. Are all appliances damaged? Of course not. It is called electricity. Both an incoming and an outgoing path must exist.

If a surge is all but invited inside (not earthed by a 'whole house' solution), then it is hunting for earth destructively via appliances. PCs, TVs, and other appliances may connect to cable, telephone, or satellite dish. Those have properly earthed protection. Therefore can also be a best and destructive path to earth.

Incoming on AC mains. Outgoing via ethernet, phone line, HDMI port, or coax. Damage exists only on some appliances depending on what path a surge (ie lightning) discovers. By earthing a surge, those damaged appliances protected other appliances.

Unfortunately the naive made conclusions only from observation. A damaged HDMI post, coax, or ethernet means that was the incoming path? Of course not. Damage is often on an outgoing side. Damage can often be via a wire that connects best to earth.

Damage is routinely averted by earthing every incoming wire. As was understood even 100 years ago. As required by codes, industry standards, etc for cable, phone, satellite dish, and antenna. Incoming wires not required to be surge protected is AC mains. If a homeowner does not properly earth a 'whole house' solution, then damage is considered a human mistake.

Effective protection is that well proven, many times less expensive than 'magic' plug-in protectors, easily installed, and always requires a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to single point earth ground. A homeowner must first learn and then initiate a solution. Protection is always defined by earth ground - not some 'magic' box.

Once a surge is inside, nothing will stop a destructive hunt for earth ground. Some are victims (TV, PC, DVR, answering machine) because they connect to wires that already have superior and effective protection - ie cable and telephone. Only a 'whole house' solution effectively protects them.