Protection needed for amp?

Wow, so much weird information in Jerry's post I hate to even touch it.

I will just reiterate that the whole house units don't clamp low enough or fast enough given the equipment I've lost to lightning which is why the very same manufacturers who sell whole house units recommend you supplement them with outlet surge protectors for sensitive electronics.

I will also say that you need to be very careful in buying boutique power conditioners as many of them aren't even UL listed as surge protectors.  Testing a device for adequacy during a surge protector is not a trivial thing.  It requires specialized equipment and engineers with expertise in surge arresting. Always look for this rating when considering whether a power conditioner is intended to be a surge protector or a very expensive tone control.

Hi OP

Yep, that strip is great. You can add features but not protection. Meaning, you can get a Furman with balanced power, or voltage regulation but they aren’t safer, just more feature filled.

I’m sorry but it’s not clear to me whether you’re saying every system needs surge protection as a general rule

A whole house surge protector will keep your house from catching fire and protect your major appliances like your air conditioner, water heater and stove but they have relatively high activation (or clamping) voltage so it is always recommended that you use a strip at the appliance itself if it’s delicate and of course, based on the cost to replace it.

What you should put on a surge protector is a value and risk judgement. You have a 30" TV in the guest bedroom and you don’t feel like spending $50 on a surge protector, that makes sense. My PC however which is not only expensive but may have work that is not easily replaced is definitely on a strip.

It's also a location judgement. I'm in South Carolina so we have regular serious thunderstorms that routinely take out communication equipment and unprotected appliances.  You on the other hand have PG&E and there is no way I'd trust them. :-)

Hey there OP.

Yes, you should have surge protection. I recommend a whole house unit which will bring your home up to the 2020 National Electric Code standards and a unit for your wall outlet. I recommend any Furman unit with LiFT and SMP. They also include under-voltage protection.

For less valuable, less noise sensitive electronics Tripp Lite Isobar.

To answer your question more directly, in addition to lightning strikes surges can come from the utility company.  We had a situation in a building where at a certain point of the day every surge protector in the building would fry at the same time due to scheduled switching at the plant and bad equipment.  We can't assume that the power company switching the power off and on in a controlled fashion will always be without incident, and not every power outage is controlled.

Best,

Erik