[westom]

Originally Posted by red-beard

When we were hit about 10 years ago, the surge came in through the Cable TV line.

Your conclusion is based only in observation. We all learned in elementary school science that a conclusion only from observation is junk science.

Add some concepts even taught in elementary school science. It is electricity. That means it must have an incoming path and (at the exact same time) an outgoing path. If incoming was the TV cable, then what was the outgoing path from each damaged appliance (and lawn sprinkler)? If that outgoing path cannot be defined, then an assumption is invalid.

Learn what one must have long before making any conclusion from an observation (to have a hypothesis). That surge was an electrical connection from a cloud (maybe three miles up) to earthborne charges (maybe four miles distant). We know as electric current passed through the sky, at a same time, electric current was also passing through that four miles of earth. Somewhere in that path were a cable modem, TV, CATV equipment, Wi-Fi router, etc.

Why would lightning goto earth via those when the TV cable already has a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to earth BEFORE entering? That earthing was required long before we existed. How did lightning ignore the service entrance earth ground, pass through all those appliances, and then somehow find some other path to earth? It didn't. Reality requires this much to grasp.

Most damage is incoming on wires most exppsed - AC electric. Unlike cable, AC electric is not required to have effective protection - proper earthing. So the incoming path is obvious. Incoming on AC electric into everything. Is everything damaged? Of course not. Everything does not have a best outgoing path to earth.

Incoming on AC mains. Outgoing through appliances already connected to best lightning protection - installed for free on that cable. Damage is more often on the outgoing path.

That same surge, incoming on AC mains, also found another best connection to earth via lawn sprinklers. A conclusion only from observation completely trashed once we include well proven facts (a hypothesis).

That surge was all but invited inside by the homeowner. It went hunting for a best connection to charges four miles distant via cable modem, TV, etc. due to human mistakes. Solution that averts damage has been well understood and routinely implemented elsewhere even over 100 years ago. How many don't know any of this?

Best protection on TV cable is required and routinely installed hardwire. It makes that low impedance (ie no sharp bends or splices) connection to single point earth ground. Best protection has no protector.

Telephone cannot connect directly to earth. So the telco (even long before either of us existed) installs a 'whole house' protector for free. Long required by codes, standards, and even FCC regulations. That protector is only doing what cable's hardwire does better (with no protector).

AC electric is not required to have surge protection. That is the most common source of destructive surges. Only the fewest informed homeowners properly earth one 'whole house' protector at the service entrance - on AC mains. So again, notice how much must be known and was never found in any soundbyte answer. We are far from done.

Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. Because a protector must remain functional for many decades after many direct lightning strikes. This superior solution is tens of times cheaper - about $1 per protected appliance. Your money is put into protection - not into spin, hype, advertising, lies, and hearsay. So best protection costs much less. And comes from other companies known for integrity.

That 50,000 amps defines protection over many surges. Single point earth ground with the always required low impedance connection (ie hardwire not inside metallic conduit) defines protection during each surge.

Effective protection always (as in always) answers this question. Where are hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly absorbed? A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. (Obviously wall receptacle safety ground is not earth ground.) Best protection defined by concepts taught in junior high school science. And with what is always necessary for honesty - numbers.