You can purchase the TVS units for a very reasonable price at www.mouserelectronics.com 32 volt bi-directional is what I bought a couple years ago.
The TVS unit will clip the high voltage spike that goes through a fuse or circuit breaker because the fuse or breaker doesn't sense an overload. Voltage spikes happen very quickly and might be seen with a digital meter rather then with an analog meter.
Higher voltages then what the electronics are designed to handle will fry a circuit board.
Lee Fritz