Wayne Parham Messages: 18856 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I have to admit, I've treated those like a commodity for the last couple of decades. Not that they're trivial - they're not - but most seem to do a pretty good job. And I've had experience with 'em catching a spike and sacrificing themselves doing it.
The MOV shorts saving the connected devices and kicks the breaker. Since the MOV is shorted, the breaker can never be reset - it's trash once it does its job. They'll survive a little spike here and there, but the spikes that matter kill the protection device.