Those with lightning storms, how do you protect electronics?

[davrow]

Here we rarely have dangerous lightning (once in 5 years). My brother just moved to Central Texas and is unsure how to cope with frequent lightning storms (in season).

I found this old thread with useful info: value-good-whole-house-surge

So much 'stuff' to protect nowadays, computers, TVs, cable boxes, routers, wifi, cell phones while charging, cameras, security, solar panels, refrig, freezer, heat pump, A/C well pump.

How do those of you facing electrical storms protect your electronics and motors? Whole house, item-by-item, combo? Surge protection, UPS, both?

Thanks!

 

[techman]

Most surge surpressors sold today have a surge capacity far below the level that might be expected with a near field lightning strike. A high quality, name brand commercial surge surpressor will do a better job and offer improved protection. As usual quality and performance is reflected in price. Whole house units are equally underrated. If you have frequent near strikes, a good quality UPS is the best protection. Be aware that damage can also be the result of surge intrusion over cable (TV) and phone wiring. Be aware that powerline strikes near the home can easily overwhelm most protections.

paul

 

[RalphVa]

Here we rarely have dangerous lightning (once in 5 years). My brother just moved to Central Texas and is unsure how to cope with frequent lightning storms (in season).

I found this old thread with useful info: value-good-whole-house-surge

So much 'stuff' to protect nowadays, computers, TVs, cable boxes, routers, wifi, cell phones while charging, cameras, security, solar panels, refrig, freezer, heat pump, A/C well pump.

How do those of you facing electrical storms protect your electronics and motors? Whole house, item-by-item, combo? Surge protection, UPS, both?

Thanks!

First thing we did when we moved in here in the fall of 2000 was to have lightning protection installed on the roof. Then later when we built the carriage house, we had it done for it. When we came looking at houses here on this street, we were greeted by a neighbor's chimney blown out into the roadway by a lightning strike. Saw another house with a lightning strike, too. Most houses built here are built on ridges. Lightning targets.

Has worked.

Ralph

 

[mcfarmall]

The only 100% sure-fire way to protect sensitive anything from lightning is to unplug it from the wall. Anything else is an expensive roll of the dice.

 

[Jstpssng]

I lost my cordless phone two weeks ago when lightning hit the phone line. It's in my bedroom, and all that I saw was a big blue spark. I have a surge protector with phone plugins, but lightning strikes are rare here and I wasn't using it.

 

[Stimw]

I had lightening strike a power pole on the side of my pasture a couple weeks ago.
My power was out for about 4 hours and when the lineman came he replaced an insulator on the pole and reset breaker up the line.
I asked for the old insulator and he gave it to me.
The insulator has the marking on it- 18 KV (that's 18,000 volts) it is blown apart/fried.
I would post a pic but my POS Nikon $100. disposable camera won't let the lens come out!
It struck the high line (1300 volts ). My electric service runs underground 40' from my pole and my guess that helped discharge the surge but it blew out lights at my neighbors house.
Another neighbor was 1/4 mile away and all of our fences are connected. She was holding a wet rope closing a gate and got shocked!
I only use the cheap surge protectors on electronics.

 

[RNeumann]

The only 100% sure-fire way to protect sensitive anything from lightning is to unplug it from the wall. Anything else is an expensive roll of the dice.

Post two is right. And this is the “answer.” I use a whole house surge for the little stuff. The reality is most “home electronics” don’t cost that much anymore so it may not make much sense to spend a bunch to protect those. The real bummer would be losing a refer or AC unit.
You could always buy a nice big metal flag pole, and or become a HAM.....haha

 

[oosik]

Been here 36+ years and have had two lightning strikes on the property. Both were strikes on the top of ultra tall (115+) Ponderosa pines about half a mile west of the house. Caused no damage at the house. One cause a tree top fire - fire still burning a day later - I finally fell the tree and put it out.

Otherwise - I get plenty of warning of impending storm and just shut everything down - let the storm pass.

 

[square1]

You know every garage sale has an old set of golf clubs or two. I search through every golf bag for a 1 iron and buy every one I find. I have one irons protecting everything. It works great because not even God can hit a 1 iron.

 

[TractorGuy]

Yep, surge protectors won't do squat for a lightning spike. Unplug it or loose it.

That said, I don't know why but I have never unplugged or stopped watching TV during a lightning storm. Have a radio shack surge suppressor on it that does somehow seem to work. Last big strike we had blew up a hair dryer that had a GFI built into the plug, killed a cordless phone, blew two tires off the wife's car, and blew the plastic insulators off the metal crimps on some swing set ropes. The old tube TV we were watching turned green and slowly came back to a full picture. Go Figure?

We used to get a lot of lightning damage but have been lucky the past few years.