Originally Posted by sandpat
OK...I'm sold and I was discussing it with my DH....he asked "isn't the whole house grounded when its built"??
Of course not.
AC electric. Three wires enter the building. One connects to earth ground (a ground too often missing with age). Those other two connect lightning down the street directly into every appliance. Those other two wires have no earthing if you did not install one 'whole house' protector.
Surge protection means every wire inside every incoming cable must connect short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to single point ground. Not just any ground. Single point earth ground. If you do not act, then it does not exist. If you do not do it, then over 100 appliances (and a man's back) are ripe for surge damage.
Code only addresses human safety. Code does not consider transistor safety. If you do not install transistor safety, then everything inside your house remains at risk - even if using plug-in protectors.
As an engineer, he should know that all homes should have had 'whole house' protection since 1970. And still, virtually no homes have transistor protection. If he is an architect, then he should know when surge protection is installed - before footings are poured. We still do not properly ground newest homes. Ask him to learn about Ufer grounds. Why munitions dumps are directly struck by lightning without explosion. A technology that was probably routine long before he was born. A technology fundamental to any building that has transistors.