Picture 10 is labeled Ground and shows the green wire with yellow band going to the ground bar in the panel.
Hi Steve,
What I meant and wrote was "earth ground". What you show is a picture of the ground bar in the panel.
Electrons from surges are not magically absorbed somehow by the ground bar. Electrons need to be conducted to the earth =ground = earth ground. That is why it is critical to assure that the actual device buried in the ground has a sufficiently low resistance to the earth materials in which it is in contact (typically soil) and that the conductor to it from the panel bus bar is of sufficient gauge, short and straight.
A typical code-compliant residential earth ground is a single 8 ft copper-clad steel rod driven vertically into the ground. (As if all soils had the same resistance ! ) Some jurisdictions accept/require/d connection to water pipe (as if *that* was a good idea ;-)
Investing in surge devices is largely ineffective if the the ground is inadequate. There is a substantial body of engineering and scientific literature on the topic, reference to which seems to be assiduously avoided by purveyors of power-strips and surge-protectors. Why? Because square one is a good ground, not spending $ on surge protectors.
Here's a well-written article:
http://support.fluke.com/find-sales/Downlo...115_ENG_A_W.PDF
You have a much more sophisticated system than typical, and it is intended to do more than just protect from surges, but the physics remain: the electrons need to go somewhere.
At a minimum, I suggest that you review how your system is grounded, and assure that it meets electrical code and that connections are tight. Note though that the National electrical Code protects people and buildings against shock and fire hazards. It is not intended to protect electronic devices such as transistors and integrated circuits.
... Marc <lecture mode off>