I think it is about time I get that whole house surge protector. With today’s demands on our power systems, power surges are becoming more common. They may be a big factor why our appliances are failing so much.
I learned not to try to plug a refrigerator into a GFCI receptacle. The cycling of the compressor trips it.
And I’ve heard you shouldn’t try to work on a microwave yourself, to tear into it, even if it is unplugged because it stores enough electricity to knock you on your butt.
Whole house surge protection is good for voltage spikes. Might be handy in a lightning prone area. But it is a simple “crowbar” protector, so named because a 300 volts it shorts out like placing a croar across the line. It is designed to adsorb the surge long enough for the main to trip.
However the smaller power strips are more suitable for tvs and other electronic devices. They often contain inductors in addition to magneticly resist small spikes that would be cost prohibited from being used in whole house systems. These small spikes can “slip through “ whole house units as the crowbar effect is somewhat slow whereas the magnetics resist more the faster the spike.
The third type is for fridges who are sensitive to brownouts. At 90 volts or less they shut off to prevent the compressor from stalling and frying.
All three are necessary.
Whole house is the last to go in. It’s for the physical wiring and if you are in a lightning area that needs it you should also add a lightning rod to the house.
As a side note, if you have the three types of protectors installed your house is virtually EMP proof.
A third type is the protector