Er.. I did NOT suggest that the refrigerator took out the camera. Only
that it is LESS vunerable to overload than the camera.
I confess that I have never heard of a whole house protector.
But I am NOT as ignorant as you seem to think. Do not EVER think you
know more than any other, especially one you haven't met. It's the
greatest form of stupidity. Not to mention it's rather crass.
Crassness is also stupid.
Consider, also that a good surge protector is, above all CHEAP.
Also note that a good protector is INSURED against equipment damage (if
you send in the warrenty card) Don't get one that isn't insured.
Plus the handy fact that it will keep all of your equipment on the same
circuit. Which is not a guarentee for the standard two plug outlet.
I'm a little leery of diagnosing static for a device like a camera.
It's possible, BUT.. it's a CAMERA, it didn't come in a static bag,
ordinary handling shouldn't zap it. It's SUPPOSED to be handled.
Frequently. Even out in the middle of nowhere. If, by chance ordinary
handling did zap it, you should return it to the manufactor for repair
or replacement.
Same goes for the cardreader. Though less strong.
I could see static if the failure was a stick of ram, or a pci card.
As a practical matter, it's a bit tricky to determine whether
something's been fried by a power surge or zapped by static. Takes more
time than the average repairman has... he'll spit out a diagnosis
according to his particular prejudices.
Unless you're gonna make a living assembling electronics at home, the
static mat, the wrist straps, humidifier, etc are overkill.
Good static protection can be had much more cheaply. Free, in fact. In
the form of behavior modification.
The basic idea is to always have the same charge as the object you're
handling.
First touch the surface the object is grounded to (or, at least seated
on). Then pick up the object with your other hand. THEN you can remove
the other have from the surface. Some electronics equipment is more
vunerable than others. RAM is VERY vunerable. What we don't know is how
sensitive your camera and cardreader are.
I'm curious to see what info you have on surge protectors contributing
to equipment failure.
Speaking only from personal expierience, more that once my computer has
been saved by the fact that it was plugged in to a protector.
(Lignthing once, nasty power failure the other. Two dead surge
protecors that bravely sacrificed themselves to save my computer
)