As mentioned surge protectors are not always needed for surge as much as other problems which can actually be much more common and also much more destructive.
Storms do cause surges and they do blow things out, but the far more common problem is the "lack of surge" from low voltage on the lines which can be common or rare depending on lots of small points that are often hard to pin down.
Some things which I have found over time are not always obvious but if we know the area, we can kind of do a "guessimate" of what goes on. Even better if we can do some watching/ checking of the voltage over time.
Two very different areas can have the same problem. One is a really fast growing area where the state has very loose regulations or chooses not to watch closely! That can mean the local utility is very rarely checked and as the area builds and grows, the electrical service is not well regulated and often lets the big expense of upgrading the lines go too long as people or industry move in . Then when something normal like a heat wave comes along, the line voltage can drop to the point that things like frig motors, AC or heavy users tend to overheat as they try to start with the low voltage.
That long slow start is a real killer on a hot day as it causes so much extra heat!
But it is not a big bang type failure as the wire insulation is only slightly damaged each time and nobody complains to get the folks in charge of making money to do anything!
Texas is now famous for failing to make the investments and the consumer is paying the price every day as their appliances fail!
OR
If you live in an area that is slow growing like many in the rural farming areas, things go quite a different way that comes out the same result! Those areas where things move slower, may try to keep up but it is slow progress and as time goes on the load gets bigger but the control equipment may still be manual with nobody to watch it and adjust as the load hits. At dawn and dusk in dairy areas you can spot a real dip in voltage when the milk coolers turn on!
In Olathe, I'm pretty sure you are more likely to be in the first group than the last!!
But the RV is not where I see the damage but in all the other things in the house that can cost you so much more, given the time for all that small damage to finally kill things.
I never worried too much with surge protection at home as it covered such a small portion of the damage done by by the constant swings to low voltage.
I've found the nearby lightning shot is prone to going straight through the surge protection anyway.
It's good to try to save the RV but I feel more important to save the house as it gets the same voltage as the RV plugged in outside!
Now the big question is how much my congressman cares!
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