Electrical (Super)storms

[Dell19]

When it starts lightning do you turn off electrical items or just leave them on? Is there actually any significant risk that a surge could destroy all these expensive items or is it insignificant and as likely as a direct lightning strike where the house was damaged structurally as well and it wouldn't make much difference whether electrical items were plugged in or not.

Yep we just had another summer storm and everything had to be turned off here which probably meant I lost my place in a couple of queues...

 

[TrailblazingScot]

When it starts lightning do you turn off electrical items or just leave them on? Is there actually any significant risk that a surge could destroy all these expensive items or is it insignificant and as likely as a direct lightning strike where the house was damaged structurally as well and it wouldn't make much difference whether electrical items were plugged in or not.

Yep we just had another summer storm and everything had to be turned off here which probably meant I lost my place in a couple of queues...

Well, I always continue to play on my computer no matter how much lightening there is outside

 

[IglooDame]

Any electronics in my home worth more than $100 are plugged into surge strips that have $10K (or something like that) insurance policies sold with them, ditto for internet connections. I don't bother turning anything off, the PCs are plugged into UPSs so no data loss problems there. If lightning hits the building then I'll have some serious problems anyway, no point in unplugging lights and such.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

That's what surge protectors are for, so I can leave my eletrical stuff on. The only thing I have ever lost to a power surge was a crappy tv that wasn't worth much.

 

[Vanadorn]

Don't know about nowadays, but when I was younger, a friend of mine's house was struck by a bolt during a nasty lightning storm. They had been watching TV at the time and the power blast exploded the television and burned a hole into the panelling across the room.

Also, many times in my youth, in the days before affordable power strips, I burned out the power converter on my C64, fried a printer interface box, and my atari 2600 got toasted. First time I was able to, I bought a power strip and have been doing it ever since.

My 2 cents.

 

[Syterion]

Never happened to me. But a lightning bolt did strike a tree next to my house. Luckily it fell near my house but did not hit it.

 

[Yom]

I lost 2 TV's, a couple lamps and a cable modem in a power storm once, so everything goes off (but only if it's a big storm and near my house, otherwise, I don't bother).

 

[ManOfMiracles]

Good thunderstorms are too doggone rare around here. I'm more likely to unplug everything (except refrig & freezer) before going on vacation just to cut the electric bill. Back home, Dad had his whole entertainment system wiped out when his satellite dish got hit.

 

[Perfection]

You know there's an invention over 200 years old called the lightning rod invented by a certain Benjamin Franklin that prevents this stuff from happening.

 

[Dell19]

Living at the bottom of a slight hill I don't think there is too much risk and I guess I could continue using this computer but then I wouldn't have internet access.

 

[zurichuk]

i just pull the tv aerial out and disconnect the phone

and it's a myth that lightning (always) strikes the highest thing

 

[crystal]

I live in a very urban area, so there's little threat because all the power lines are underground.

 

[Xi 12]

I just don't worry unplugging anything, the only thing I ever lost during a storm was a VCR.

 

[PantheraTigris2]

For my more valuable electronics, I use power conditioners, which potects them from any such things (to include random brief power surges, flickers, brownouts, and general harmful 'noise' in the electricity). You'd be amazed how long computers (RAM chips, especially) can live 'healthy lives' if you never subject them to that kind of stuff. Heck, I can't even imagine just plugging my PC up to the wall socket alone, or just using a 'surge protector' strip (those things are completely worthless) - that would be absolutely careless.

But for some other electronics (air purifiers, dehumidifiers, DVD players etc.) that are reasonably valuable, sure I typically might unplug them if there's a viscous thunderstorm - but not always. The main thing is to protect the more sensitive electronic equipment - and with power conditioners, you CAN'T go wrong. You can be on your computer, and the building is just shaking from the intense thunder - and you can just say, 'yeah, bite me!'

...until you really do lose power... then you might want to start shutting things down, before your battery runs out.

 

[Bamspeedy]

I have surge protectors and I don't turn anything off.

My parents turn off (and unplug) everything even if they got surge protectors because they heard that a surge protector wouldn't protect against a direct hit. When they go on vacation they even unplug the telephone lines for the internet because they heard that lightning could travel through the phone lines and damage the computer/modem. They live on a hill way out in the boonies, so they do have a higher risk than I do, but I still think they are a little too paranoid. If I were them I'd be more worried about the 60+ feet high pine trees getting hit by lightning and falling on thier house.

 

[PantheraTigris2]

'Surge protector' strips are highly misleading, Bamspeedy. When you see a # - indicating a certain level of power (which they want you to think is how much they will protect you from - usually large number)... the reality is, that's how much they LET THROUGH! LOL! Check the 'fine print'. Those things are good only for one purpose - to plug in several things, when you only have a limited number of outlets.

Always remember, you get what you pay for.

 

[MSTK]

Here in Southern California, we don't get thunderstorms that often. Should I say "other"?

 

[Suppersalmon]

some stuff goes off which i would like to keep or they have surge protectors other stuff i leve on though i try no to be near any of them becuase once a lightning bolt hit our house and dystroyed the answering meachine with a loud bang

 

[IglooDame]

I have surge protectors and I don't turn anything off.

My parents turn off (and unplug) everything even if they got surge protectors because they heard that a surge protector wouldn't protect against a direct hit. When they go on vacation they even unplug the telephone lines for the internet because they heard that lightning could travel through the phone lines and damage the computer/modem. They live on a hill way out in the boonies, so they do have a higher risk than I do, but I still think they are a little too paranoid. If I were them I'd be more worried about the 60+ feet high pine trees getting hit by lightning and falling on thier house.

I've lost modems to electrical surges (presumably lightning-induced) through phone lines.

 

[Civrules]

Well, my philosophy was to not turn everything off when there is lightning. Ever since my modem fried from a thunderstorm last year right when I needed the internet the most, I've been turning everything off every time.

It takes something bad to happen for change to take place...

[EDIT] Even if there is no electrical storm, my modem still seems to be in danger as a few months ago the company down in Chicago increased the frequency the modem uses in order to “suite us better.” Well my modem obviously couldn’t handle that and it died. I called the company and they kept screwing around until a week after that a guy from the company came to replace the modem.

It was the last day of the warranty ! Which means that one more day and I would have had to pay for the modem, even though it was their mistake.