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All the units you mention use circuit boards and are susceptible to damage from power surges and lightning strikes. A coworker of mine recently replaced all her appliances due to a nearby lightning strike. Insurance covered most of the loss, but she was without a washer, dryer, fridge, and dishwasher for a few weeks. She had protected her big screen TV and computer outlets, but didn't consider protecting her new appliances. A direct lightning strike to your home can send upwards of 100,000 amperes through your home's wiring. Even a good lightning protection system on your roof can't guarantee that a surge of that magnitude won't simply flash over any surge protection you've installed on individual outlets. Actually the only way to absolutely guarantee that any electronic appliance won't be damaged by lightning is to unplug it. Not a very attractive option. If you're considering purchasing any of these units, you may want to consider purchasing the additional protection plan from Best Buy as damage from lightning and power surges are covered. If you want to protect your home against direct lightning strikes, indirect lightning strikes, and other types of electrical surges, you'd need to install lightning rods to direct the most powerful surges into the ground and away from your home, a protective device installed at your circuit breaker panel to handle indirect lightning strikes and other types of surges to discharge heavy current overloads, and finally individual surge protectors (like the ones in power strips) at individual outlets. The level of protection you need at your home will also vary by your home's location. Florida is known as the lightning capital, so I've got all three types installed. There in New Jersey, you probably don't have to worry overmuch about direct strikes, just indirect and power surges, so the breaker panel units and individual outlet units would probably suffice. If you're serious about doing it right, contact a qualified electrical contractor to determine what works best for your budget and the level of protection you need.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.Hi RangerFan, Samsung doesn't have an official recommendation one way or another when it comes to the use of surge protectors. If you live in an area that's prone to power outages and surges, I would suggest contacting your local power company or electrician for help determining if you would benefit from using a surge protector for your appliances. If you do, please be sure to select a surge protector that is rated appropriately for each product's electrical rating. Thank you, Ms. Samsung
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