Whole house surge suppressor. No need for individual surge strips also protects your appliances HVAC etc.
I’m sorry but there’s a whole lot of misinformation here. Yes, whole house surge protectors are a good thing and everyone should get them.
No need for individual surge strips
As I explain in my blog, consistent with the 2020 NEC and all whole house surge protector documentation, this is simply not correct. Unfortunately, in some cases you need to read the find print to get to the full disclosure. They are "whole house," but not "every device." The technical issue is the high let-through voltages of whole house suppressors vs. the best-in-class outlet surge protectors. Around 600V for whole house but < 200V for the best in-class strips. These include:
- Furman with LiFT/SMP
- Some TrippLite
- SurgeX
- Brickwall
How important any of this is depends a lot on where you live and the propensity to lightning strikes and power problems in your experience.
They also dont rely on MOV"s that wear out over time.
Every whole-house surge protectors I’ve seen from Siemens, Eaton and Square D absolutely rely on MOV’s and do wear out over repeated use. There may be some that are based on gas discharge tubes though I haven’t seen those in ages and I think they used to go on the outside meter.
Whole-house protectors are meant to protect the wiring in the walls and things which are permanently connected, now including fire alarms, automated controls, and major appliances. They don't have the fast or fine voltage clamp downs needed to ensure delicate electronics need.
Whole house surge protector installed by the local power company BREMC is $175 + $10 per month. Everything plugged in inside the house is covered by their guarantee.
That’s expensive. Usually they don’t charge the install fee. Figure an electrician can install one in your panel for around $350 including parts, and no monthly fee. In many cases a homeowner can install one themselves, especially if it's a plug-on unit that fits in place of breakers.
I wrote much more about this here:
https://inatinear.blogspot.com/2021/09/time-for-new-surge-suppression.html