Your thought process is flawed. A protector will somehow
stop, block, or absorb what 3 miles of sky could not? Of
course not. Worse still are those who promote a plug-in UPS
to accomplish this same mythical solution.
To have damage, lightning obtains a path to earth ground,
destructively, via electronic components. Both an incoming
and outgoing path must exist through the damaged appliance.
Any incoming utility wire not properly earthed can become a
path to earth ground, destructively via your appliances.
So yes, a 'whole house' protector on AC mains should be
installed. But not for the reasons you have suggested.
Again, you have assumed it will stop or absorb the surge? Not
correct. The protector is only a temporary connection to
protection. You must install 'protection' so that the
'protector' can be effective. 'Protection' is the single
point earth ground.
If a building is not, at minimum, compliant with post 1990
National Electrical Code earthing requirements, then effective
protection does not exist. All other incoming utilities must
also connect to that same earth ground. Earthing - not a
protector nor a plug-in UPS - is protection.
'Whole house' protectors are so effective and so inexpensive
that the telco installs one where phone wire enters your
building. But again, how effective? Only if that telco
protector connects 'less than 10 feet' to an earth ground used
by AC electric.
Some figures from industry professionals demonstrate the
concept:
http://www.erico.com/public/library/fep/technotes/tncr002.pdf
http://www.cinergy.com/surge/ttip08.htm
You are cautioned about most previous posts. They neither
provide reasons for their recommendation nor provide a grasp
of why electronics is damaged and how electricity works. Most
embarrassing is a myth that a plug-in UPS will somehow stop
what 3 miles of sky could not. How when that UPS connects a
computer directly to AC mains? Where is the blocking device
to stop what 3 miles of sky could not?
They install just enough - some $0.10 parts - so that the
naive will believe it has an internal protector. Yes it does
have a protector. And then we apply reality - the numbers.
Notice how tiny that protector really is? So few joules are
provided. And no earth ground. They promoting mythical
protection that is not effective once we also add another fact
- the numbers.
Your protection is earth ground. So that internal appliance
protection (yes, all appliances already have effective
internal protection) is not overwhelmed, you must earth before
the destructive transient can enter a building. You must
supply that single point earth. Not just any ground. Earth
ground. No earth ground means no effective protection - no
matter how many hundreds of dollars you pay for a hyped
protector.
One final point. Manufacturer names of effective protectors
include GE, Siemens, Cutler-Hammer, Intermatic, Polyphaser,
Leviton, and Square D. Names of good reputations. Names such
as APC, Tripplite, and Belkin are promoting protection only
from transients that don't typically exist. The latter ground
is often promoted by those who never first learned basic
electrical concepts.
Effective protectors 1) discuss earthing AND 2) use a
dedicated earthing wire. That plug-in UPS hopes you never
learn about 1) and 2). Obviously. Where is the dedicated
connector to earth ground on a UPS or plug-in protector? No
earth ground means no effective protection.
A destructive surge could enter on any utility. But AC
electric is, by far, the most common source of destructive
transients to things such as modems. Notice that wire highest
on utility poles - AC electric - most often struck - connects
directly to household electronics. Any household appliance
that can connect those incoming utility wires to earth ground
may be damaged. You must earth (less than 10 feet) every
utility to a single point earth ground where all utilities
enter the building. Yes, that means even cable TV and
satellite dish.
This is 1930s technology; too often not understood when
consumers get their entire education from logic based in word
games: "surge protector sounds like and must be same as surge
protection". The well proven technology that even Ben
Franklin demonstrated in 1752: protection is earth ground.
Even a lightning rod is nothing more than a connector to
protection - earth ground. The technology is that well proven
- and yet still so many promote myths encouraged by plug-in
UPS manufacturers.
