Originally Posted by gale
Well personally, I use power strips (aka surge protectors because that's the kind the store has) so that I can plug 3 or 4 things into 1 plug and I don't have to run all 3 or 4 cords clear to the wall to plug them in. We do have a whole house protector but a couple of years ago lightning took out our phone jack.
Again, the protector is only as effective as its earth ground. A surge, typically incoming on AC mains, was hunting for earth. May have found earth via the telephone jack. That jack could have been the outgoing path to earth. But a surge should never have been anywhere inside in the first place.
Find a defect in that earth ground system. For example, your telephone line already has a 'whole house' protector installed for free. Does the telco installed protector make the always required short (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to single point earth ground? If not, then you still do not have effective protection.
Every word in the phrase is significant. Single point earth ground. If a telco 'whole house' protector does not connect short to that same ground, then you do not have the only thing that does all protection - single point earth ground.
The only thing that does protection is earth ground. You have a defect somewhere because a surge was permitted inside the house. Find and fix that defect.
Best power strip is one for $3 that has the always required circuit breaker. An no protector parts inside to maybe create a house fire. That circuit breaker is essential to human safety.