You have assumed the only surge protector available to a layman is power strip (plug-in) type. A layman must buy multiple plug-in protectors sold by less responsible companies such as Tripplite, Belkin, APC, Monster Cable, etc. for much more money. Or a layman can purchase one effective protector sold by well respected companies. Names understood by any guy who visit electrical supply departments even in Lowes or Home Depot. Effective protector with a dedicated earth ground is sold to layman by GE, Siemens, Cutler-Hammer, Intermatic, Leviton, Square D and others.
An effective protector costs tens (maybe 100) times less money per protected appliance. That 'so expensive' plug-in protector can even contribute to damage of an adjacent appliance. No earth ground means it must earth that surge somewhere. Published is this very first conclusion in one 1996 IEEE paper:
Which one of us traced a surge destructively through a plug-in protector; earthed that surge, destructively, through adjacent computers. BTW, that plug-in protector did what its numerical specifications claim. I and this IEEE author witnessed the same problem.
Again you have assumed only one kind of surge - the one that is not typically destructive. Again, you are ignoring what the typically destructive surge seeks - earth ground. Again, you are ignoring wire impedance - or why that earthing connection must be so short. Again, where is the surge energy dissipated?
What happens if that plug-in protector grounds a surge on neutral wire? A transient is then induced on all other adjacent wires - more transients inside a building. Where is the protection? Just another reason why the plug-in solution is ineffective.
Nothing new here. What is required for surge protection was well proven even 80 years ago. The principles are based in what Ben Franklin demonstrated in 1752. Protection without earthing was not effective. Ham radio operators would even disconnect antenna leads, put that connector inside a mason jar, and still suffer damage. When did the damage stop? When the antenna was earthed. Why? Effective surge protection is always about earthing surges.
Does your telco install plug-in protectors adjacent to their $multi- million switching computers? Of course not. Your telco does not waste money on ineffective and grossly expensive devices. Your telco installs protectors to be more effective AND cost less money. To make protection even better, your telco installs a better earthing system. Better earthing makes better protectors.
Jon. You claim earthing is not essential? Why is earthing THE most critical part of every protection system including your telco's surge protection? They don't shutdown for every thunderstorm. They cannot suffer surge damage. Their computer is connected to overhead wires all over town. Each thunderstorm may result in 100 surges. Why does the telco not suffer damage? Their protectors connect as short as possible to earth ground. Tto make that protection even better, a telco wants that protector up to 50 meters distant from electronics. Appreciate the separation that also makes a protector more effective.
Short to earth ground and separated from electronics means better protection. How curious. Homeowners can obtain same protection in one 'whole house' protector with proper earthing. What follows are example after example; what both professionals and experience teach.
In literally every IEEE paper on surge protection, what is always required? Earth ground. How did van der Laan and Deursen correct surge damage in a nuclear hardened, Norwegian, maritime radio station in their 1998 IEEE paper? They fixed the earthing. They corrected how protectors were earthed.
How did another construct a radio station so as to not suffer damage from direct lightning strikes?
The NIST defines what a protector does on page 6 (Adobe page 8 of
24) .Another professional with decades of experience describes protection:
Jon - how many decades ago were you building these systems; learning from experience? How many decades ago were you tracing surge damage by even replacing semiconductors to make electronics completely functional? You claim we all have been wrong all this time? You did not even know about wire impedance - why the earthing wire must be so short, no sharp bends, separated from other wires (which is why the ground or neutral wire inside Romex is not sufficient for earthing), no splices, not inside metallic conduit, etc. Why do we know about things so important for earthing? Do you even know why that wire must not be inside metallic conduit?
How many semesters did you take in Electromagnetic Wave Theory?
Jon. Again I appreciate your spirit. But your analysis completely ignores fundamental electrical concepts. Do you know why wire inside conduit makes a bad surge conductor? You did not even answer this question - where does surge energy get dissipated? If not earth, then where?
You have recommended protection from one type of transient that is made irrelevant by standard electronic designs. Where is surge energy dissipated? Earth ground is where that energy is dissipated without damage.
How did Orange Country stop surge damage to their emergency response facilities? Did they install plug-in protectors? Of course not. Orange County fixed their earthing systems - nothing more:
Defined was a 'whole house' protector - a *secondary* protection system. What is the center of that system? Building earth ground. What is *primary* protection? A homeowner should also inspect the essential component of their *primary* protection system:
Where surge damage is not acceptable, earthing is the one component always required for effective protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Some protection systems don't even require a protector - but always require earthing. How many examples of professionally installed solutions were provided? 15?
Of course, none of this addresses human safety problems created by unreliable wiring - an internal problem. Earthing is also important for human safety reasons as well as for transistor safety. This is about earthing to avoid externally source problems. One properly earthed protector is - by far - the most effective solution and the best solution per dollar. It is the only solution for a house with two wire receptacles.
Too many older homes are missing an earthing system - let alone one that both meets and exceeds post 1990 National Electrical Code requirements. We are not discussing 100% protection. Discussed is protection that is well over 90% effective. Earthing both for transistor safety and for human safety. Even those 'scary pictures' demonstrate the pathetic nature of plug-in protectors - near zero proteciton. Don't agree? Then where does that plug-in protector's specs even claim protection from the type of surge that does damage? It does not. Those cheap plug-in protectors may even earth surges, destructively, through adjacent electronics. No earth ground means no effective protection.
Even worse, those cheap protectors cost tens of times more money per protected appliance - are more expensive as well as ineffective. The effective protector costs about $1 per protected appliance. The only effective protector is the one that can earth typically destructive surges.
How many of your protector designs have been tested by direct lightning strikes? Well, show us how fifteen times over how all this is wrong. Explain the importance of wire impedance. Explain where surge energy is dissipated. Explain how to a plug-in protector stop surges from seeking eath ground. Explain why the plug-in manufacturer does not even claim protection. Explain why so many professionals are wrong. Instead, a protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
I appreciate what you have posted. But it is what you don't know that has led you to erroneous conclusions. One glaringly obvious problem. Where is the surge energy dissipated? Another obvious problem. Why do locating that cannot suffer damage not use the protectors you have recommended?