Lightning can damage your health!

[Rik]

As we move towards warmer weather (well, hopefully ), it's perhaps worth pointing out the dangers that lightning can pose to your router and even PC.

As I understand it, and please do correct me, the risk is that the earth potential at the exchange can become very different to the earth potential where you live in the event of a local cloud-to-ground strike. The higher potential will seek to flow to the lower one by the easiest route, which usually means your phone line. Along the way, it's likely to take out your router, and in a worst-case scenario, your computer. The recommendation, therefore, is to disconnect the router from both the mains and telephone line when lightning is around. However, by the time you hear thunder, it's often too late, so you may find this site useful to keep an eye on storm activity.

Even if there are no ground strikes, the cloud-to-cloud lightning can often cause sufficient electrical noise to force a re-sync, and as 10 or more re-syncs an hour will trigger a downward move in your profile, you may want to disconnect anyway.

Thanks to Bill Ford for discovering the site.

[mrapoc]

Thank god for surge protection 

[Rik]

Don't put too much faith in it.

[Lance]

But at least with a surge protector, depending on who it is from you normally get some sort of guarantee. Mine covers me for up to £10,000 worth of damage to equipment connected to a surge protector which has failed to do it's job. Fortunately, I've never needed to claim yet!

[jupiter]

But I've often wondered what hoops you would have to jump through to make a successful claim.  The point of insurance for the company is to fix it so that they never pay out!

So just for starters it would need a receipt for everything affected, plus some kind of expert report to confirm that such a strike took place (fee for that of course), plus another expert report on each piece of affected equipment (different expert so another fee) etc. etc.

Just cheering you up.

[Rik]

You're right to be sceptical, Jupiter. Most of the connected equipment warranties I have seen have been full of small print, the classic one being that the surge protector and connected equipment must be connected directly to the mains. If you use an extension lead at any point the warranty is null & void. There are other clauses which can make it very difficult to claim and, as you say, there's usually a cost for 'expert' reports.

[jupiter]

If you use an extension lead at any point the warranty is null & void.

Is there actually any technical justification for that?  I can't figure out what it could be.

[Rik]

I suspect their argument would be that an extension lead might be incorrectly wired, specifically, the earth lead might not be functioning. That said, they could simply examine the lead, but it's easier and cheaper to make it an exclusion.

[Inactive]

Should this thread not be titled....Lightning can damage your wealth... 

Seriously, a surge protector is better than no surge protector.

Not just on your modem and computer, but also on your TV etc. equipment.

Remember, all Sky Receivers have a modem built in. ( so that Uncle Rupert can drain your bank accounts ).. 

[Rik]

I guess it depends what you're holding at the time of the strike, Inactive.

My Sky receiver has a disconnected modem built in - I don't like giving to Uncle Rupert!

[Inactive]

My Sky receiver has a disconnected modem built in - I don't like giving to Uncle Rupert!

Ditto, likewise.. 

[Rik]

Like minds...

[eagle75]

Thankyou for the link to (The uk storm guide).
My house was hit by lightning last August.
It hit the main BT outlet and threw the filter across the room which was like a roast potato.
My computer was okay maybe the surge protector did help.
                                                                                   eagle75

[Rik]

Lightning is pretty scary stuff. Glad that you didn't suffer worse damage, I saw one house where the chimney stack collapsed, it was a full demolition job.