Whole house surge protector, yeah right. I need a lightning suppressor.
A lightning strike to the house is averted by properly earthing lightning rods. A lightning strike to wires down the street is a direct strike to every household appliance. Is averted by properly earthing utility wires - ie one 'whole house' protector.
Lightning might be 20,000 amps. A minimally sized 'whole house' protector is at least 50,000 amps. Can easily connect a direct lightning strike to earth. But no protector does protection. Protection exists when the protector is earthed. No lightning is inside the house IF connected to earth before entering. For example, via a ‘whole house’ protector.
Unfortunately, many say earthing exists when it only meets safety codes. A protector is simple ‘science’. Only effective when one learns the 'art'. Earthing that must exceed codes. For example, a FL couple had multiple strikes to one wall. They installed lightning rods. And again had that wall struck. Well, lightning rods were less than 8 feet in sand. Lightning was connecting to deeper and more conductive soil via bathroom pipes.
Their solution was simple. Learn the 'art'. More and deeper ground rods were installed. Then lightning stopped striking that bathroom wall.
Lightning is not capricious. But appears capricious when a homeowner does not learn from the event. Clearly his earthing is defective. He even confuses an ethernet ground with earth. A rookie mistake. Lightning found earth ground via appliances due to virtually no earthing. A lightning strike to wires down the street could have found many grounds destructively via the LOS radio, the satellite dish, etc. He all but invited lightning to hunt for earth destructively via appliances.
Apparently he had plug-in protectors. Therefore no protection. Those protectors do not claim to protect from destructive surges. Read their specs. Sometimes those protectors make lightning damage easier. Sometimes even cause a house fire.
Another completely different device is, unfortunately, also called a protector. The effective solution connects to earth. Is installed to make all surges, including lightning, irrelevant. Connected not to any ground. Earthing is an 'art'. For example, low impedance means a connection must be short (ie ‘less than ten feet’). Wire must have no sharp bends. Earthing must be single point. Completely different grounds (ie ethernet wire) violate those and other rules. Do not exist for and do not do surge protection.
Lightning is not capricious. His event demonstrates damage due to virtually no earthing. Lightning was all but invited to go hunting for earth destructively via household appliances. A homeowner uses damage to discover why protection is defective. Why lightning went hunting for earth destructively inside the house. Why lightning was not earthed BEFORE entering. Why protectors all over a house can even make lightning damage easier. Lightning is not capricious. But if anyone tried to protect with plug-in protectors, then lightning will appear to be capricious.
All that damage is due to defective earthing. Lightning was permitted inside. Damage was lightning hunting for earth ground inside the house. Maybe because lightning struck AC electric wires far down the street. Protectors all over the house did exactly what those profit centers claimed to do. No protection.
Earth lightning rods to protect a house. Earth incoming utility wires (ie one 'whole house' protector) to protect appliances.