benaford said:
I'll keep that in mind the next time a storm rolls through at 4:30 AM...
Cable companies discourage protectors on their cable. And rightly so. Cable has best protection where it enters the building. If properly installed, then a wire connects short (ie 'less than 10 feet') from cable to earth ground. Surges seek earth ground.
Why would a surge seek earth destructively through cable appliances when connected to earth before entering the building? It won't. A protector - especially one that does not make that low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth - will not increase protection. Some protectors too close to appliances and too far from earth ground can even make damage easier. Reason for cable appliance damage will be explained four paragraphs down after providing some important concepts. Solutions five paragraphs down.
Existing plug-in protectors did exactly what the manufacturer said it would do. If in doubt, read its specs. Read many exemptions in its warranty so that claims need not be honored. So that those who do not read will recommend a protector that does not even claim protection. Damage because power strip protectors did exactly what its specs said it would do.
Protection is about where energy dissipates. A surge was all but invited to go hunting inside. Energy connected destructively to earth via appliances. Informed consumers, instead, earth every wire inside every incoming cable short to single point earth ground. Cable TV is earthed by a short wire. Telephone cannot be earthed directly. So all telcos install a 'whole house' protector where their wires connect to yours. Most who recommend protectors do not even know of this telco ‘installed for free’ protector. Do not understand why cable must be earthed. Advertising and other myth sources forget to discuss it.
How good is that telco protector? Like all protectors, only as effective as the earth ground that each homeowner must provide. Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Either that protector connects as short as possible to the best single point earth ground. Or that protector (like power strip protectors) does ineffective protection.
Cable and telephone are required by code and Federal regulation to have superior protection. What has no protection? AC electric. Three AC wires. Two are not earthed in most homes. Therefore AC electric is the most common source of surge damage. Therefore a lightning strike to wires far down the street is a direct strike to every household appliance. Once inside, then that surge finds earth ground destructively via many appliances. Some of the best and destructive connections to earth are TVs, internet modems, answering machines, etc. etc. Once energy is inside, then nothing can avert that hunt.
Nothing stops a surge as so many others assume. Informed homeowners spend about $1 per protected appliance for well proven solutions from more responsible companies such as Leviton, Intermatic, ABB, Siemens, Square D, and General Electric. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Those educated by advertising would not know these. Others educated by over 100 years of science would already have this well proven solution. These effective solutions have what is always required - a short and dedicated connection to earth.
Now, above describes secondary protection. Based upon other damage and tripped breakers, the OP also has defective primary protection. A picture demonstrated what all homeowners should inspect in their primary protection system:
http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html
Some protection layers do not need protectors. But every protection layer must always have the only item that absorbs hundreds of thousands of joules. Again, any responsible solution always discusses where energy dissipates. The above primary and secondary protection layers are defined by the only component that does the protection. Single point earth ground. A protector without earthing is ineffective; only a profit center. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Superior solutions from more responsible companies also cost tens or 100 times less money.
OP should have many question due to so many defects in his protection system. Routine is to have direct lightning strikes without damage even to the protector. Knowledge well proven by over 100 years of experience.