Won't my circuit breakers protect me from surges?

A common question we get from homeowners on the support line is why circuit breakers don't just trip when the surge occurs. The oversimplified non-engineer speak answer is that circuit breakers don’t react quickly enough to protect sensitive electronic equipment.  Surge protectors reacts in less that a billionth of a second, much faster than a breaker tripping and the surge even is over before the breaker knows that it occurred. 

It’s also important to note that Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) circuit breakers are not surge protectors and therefore do not provide surge protection, another misperception. They protect against shock hazard.