One thing I found discouraging from other responses is that
it appears you can't really tell if you're being protected until something
happens...
Read spec numbers on that Belkin. It does not even claim to
protect hardware. We all learned in elementary school science about
conclusions based in observation. Fill the lake and life
spontaneously appears. That proves spontaneous reproduction? Or
maggots created by moldy bread? Both conclusions based only in
observation are called junk science. Nobody can say anything about
appliance protection only from observation. Especially when power
outages do not harm electronics. Junk science reasoning proves a
Belkin product did protection when even Belkin will not claim that
protection.
If an outage caused hardware damage, then all other unprotected
appliance were also damaged. How much to replace the stove, furnace,
clocks, TV, smoke detectors and bathroom GFCI. All not on
protectors. Using your reasoning, they must have been damaged.
Reality: all appliances already contain superior protection. You had
damage for other reasons. Observation has only resulted in erroneous
conclusions.
No facts support Don's conclusions. To be valid, he must list other
damaged appliances (clocks, door bell, TV, smoke detectors) that
failed due to no protection. Those were not damaged because outages
do not harm hardware. Ignoring other undamaged appliances justifies an
erroneous conclusion.
So, if your surge protectors did something, then how much did it
cost to replace the stove, dishwasher, smoke detectors, and furnace?
None of them had surge protectors. Using your reasoning, those must
be damaged. Those power strip protectors did nothing. Superior
protection in adjacent appliances did the protection. Read numbers on
your surge protector. It does not even claim to do the protection you
have only assumed.
Other more obvious reasons explain your damage. AT&T provides a
superb description of why DSL modems fail. Knowledge that comes from
spec numbers and from 100 years of science and experience.
In an early post, you suggested you should have had phone line
protection. But you did. It was installed for free. Another fact
you had to know before making conclusions. Any magic box adjacent to
an appliance does not do and does not claim to do relevant
protection. Even Don's Belkin does not do what he has only hoped it
would do. You know when you are protected by learning facts and
numbers. Start by asking. By defining what currently exists. By
listing from a protector you believe does protection. And asking what
is necessary to provide well proven (100+ year old) solutions.
Conclusions only from observation and without numbers are classic
junk science.
