Shxt Shxt Shxt Lightening Strike......

[jacko 8,814]

Just a little while ago a lightening bolt hit earth near my house...

So far, my big new Samsung TV, my bedroom TV, 2 DVD players, my computer power supply, True TV box and my gate opener are all kaput. Might be a few other things around the house. Had one of those protective extension distribution things on 3 of these items, fat lot of use that was, Relieved not to find a hole in my roof. Surprised my router seems to have survived. Looks like Numchai or Homepro are in for a bit of business.

Time to change underwear!

Edited October 8, 2017 by jacko
spelling

[forcebwithu 4,853]

I lost a computer and printer to a lighting strike a few years back. I had both plugged into a UPS bought from Tukcom, but as like quite a few products in Thailand, it was lacking in quality and my electronic gear paid the price. I now have everything in my home office plugged into the APC 1400 which is large enough to handle the load of everything in the office. It also has a monitor/status app that tracks how often electrical events occur. Here's an example of what the UPS has had to deal with over the last 24 weeks.

[js007 795]

In the last few years, I've lost thousands of dollars of electronics to lightning strikes. I also lost a heat pump. First it was a heat pump. The electronic parts inside the house went up in smoke. $3300. The next year, it was stereo equipment in my bedroom. $4000. The following year, lightning hit the cable TV system and everything that was hard-wired via ethernet was fried. $6000.

 

Now, I've got lightning protection, plus, nothing is connected via ethernet. It's all Wi-Fi.

[jacko 8,814]

Frightened to test my 4 AC units........

[short 215]

Even underground fiber optic cables are vulnerable to lightning.

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

The power of Nature is greater than the power of man.

[Idefix 2,275]

// I had both plugged into a UPS bought from Tukcom, but as like quite a few products in Thailand, it was lacking in quality and my electronic gear paid the price. //

That seems unfair to me. Even the cheapest UPS can protect you against surges arriving on your electric line but if the lightning fall very near your house there is another phenomenon: induction. Every electric or electronic device can then been damaged, even if not switched on, and even if not connected to an UPS or electric plug! The only protection is a Faraday cage. Data centers and many military places integrate a Faraday cage in their building structure.

[Idefix 2,275]

Even underground fiber optic cables are vulnerable to lightning.

Not 100% true. A real fiber cable would not be damaged, but cables used in cities include a metal cable so that it can be detected by people who need to dig (for water, gas, electricity...). It's this added cable that make many "fiber cables" vulnérables to lightning.

[js007 795]

Supposedly, surge protectors are great when it comes to protecting against power surges, but not really much help with a direct lightning hit. Anyway, the lightning situation was beginning to really piss me off. The cable company wasn't much help last time around, when, apparently, the lightning strike somehow hit my internet cable. Fried the Wi-Fi router, and everything that was connected via ethernet. All the cable guy could say was that what happened to all my equipment was "impossible." Asshole. My advice is to connect equipment via wi-fi only, if possible. You still have to plug it in, but at least you're eliminating one potential source for the problem.

Edited October 9, 2017 by js007

[short 215]

Not 100% true. A real fiber cable would not be damaged, but cables used in cities include a metal cable so that it can be detected by people who need to dig (for water, gas, electricity...). It's this added cable that make many "fiber cables" vulnérables to lightning.

 

Thanks for playing.

 

In certain parts of the US, the ground contains high levels of copper. When lightning hits those areas it heats the ground hot enough to melt the fiber.

[losgrad 264]

Just a little while ago a lightening bolt hit earth near my house...

So far, my big new Samsung TV, my bedroom TV, 2 DVD players, my computer power supply, True TV box and my gate opener are all kaput. Might be a few other things around the house. Had one of those protective extension distribution things on 3 of these items, fat lot of use that was, Relieved not to find a hole in my roof. Surprised my router seems to have survived. Looks like Numchai or Homepro are in for a bit of business.

Time to change underwear!

 

 

Jacko,

 

Sorry to hear about your significant loss. A faster surge protector or quality UPS may have helped, or sometimes a disconnection; otherwise sometimes, "Shit Happens!" That was a BIG lightening storm and sounded very close to us and we're near Big C Extra..

 

Thanks for the report. Now, I'll look into quality surge protectors and UPSes for my electronic stuff.

 

 

.

[forcebwithu 4,853]

That seems unfair to me. Even the cheapest UPS can protect you against surges arriving on your electric line but if the lightning fall very near your house there is another phenomenon: induction. Every electric or electronic device can then been damaged, even if not switched on, and even if not connected to an UPS or electric plug! The only protection is a Faraday cage. Data centers and many military places integrate a Faraday cage in their building structure.

 

Not entirely unfair. I had two other UPS units bought at Tukcom that within a year I noticed battery acid leaking. When I opened the case I found the once sealed batteries were bulging and had cracked. Either the batteries were of poor quality or the charging electronics were shit and were overcharging the batteries.

[Lantern 193]

Any chance of getting insurance?

[short 215]

In the US, home owner's insurance typically covers lighting damage. The issue is typically the deductible.

[jacko 8,814]

Supposedly, surge protectors are great when it comes to protecting agains power surges, but not really much help with a direct lightning hit. Anyway, the lightning situation was beginning to really piss me off. The cable company wasn't much help last time around, when, apparently, the lightning strike somehow hit my internet cable. Fried the Wi-Fi router, and everything that was connected via ethernet. All the cable guy could say was that what happened to all my equipment was "impossible." Asshole. My advice is to connect equipment via wi-fi only, if possible. You still have to plug it in, but at least you're eliminating one potential source for the problem.

Well my TV would be connected, hardwired, to several other things.... my True cable connection, and my Sophon cable connection so not much I can do about it. Pretty sure it came down the power line though as my computer PS got fried and obviously that is only connected to AC power, Amazed the router survived. I think it is the PS that has gone on my True box... that could also be the case on my smaller bedroom TV as it has an AC/DC supply too.

My neighbour also lost his automatic gate. I took a look at mine and it seems to have power etc, but it is locked on driving the gate open and won't stop.

 

This is going to cost me. (No insurance).

 

Many years ago I did have one of those invertor/ battery things but regarded it as a device to keep my router and computer going long enough to get things saved if there was an outage. It started to play up and I had to change the battery and when I took a look inside I decided it was more of a fire hazard than a protective device.

 

I shall look into a better protective mains strip, and get into the habit of unplugging things when a thunderstorm is around. At the moment I was only doing that when we had a power outage in fear of how it might return.. (lost a contactor in my pool pump panel previously).

Edited October 9, 2017 by jacko

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

There is strengths and weaknesses to being networked. This is one of the weaknesses. God is great.

[js007 795]

In the US, home owner's insurance typically covers lighting damage. The issue is typically the deductible.

 

 

As a general rule, insurance adjusters can be real jerks. When I had the first lightning strike damage to the interior heat pump electronics, I called the insurance company and they sent out an adjuster. The first words out of his mouth were "how do we know it wasn't a manufacturing defect?" He backed off on that line of reasoning when he realized that a water heater on the other side of the house had also been affected by the same storm. Then I had to argue with him about the cost to fix it all. In the end, I think I got about 2/3 of what it cost to fix the problem. By the time the next two storms fried my other equipment, I wasn't in the mood to screw around with a bunch of assholes, so I just replaced the equipment. If I ever buy another house, I'll look into some sort of whole house protection they

[js007 795]

Whole house protection they install at the point where the electricity enters the house.

[Gary 4,119]

Things like that make me even more happy that my computer room runs off solar. My printer and router also run of the solar system I have TOT fiber Internet but the steel cable is not attached to the router, only the fiber cable. Other electronic and electric appliances are vulnerable but no problems for the past ten years. My grid electric supply is now the worst it has ever been. Very frequent outages. Some for a few seconds or minutes and others for hours. It is an everyday occurrence. At least my computer room has fans, lights and of course my computer and related equipment.

 

Good luck sorting out your mess.

[short 215]

 

 

As a general rule, insurance adjusters can be real jerks. When I had the first lightning strike damage to the interior heat pump electronics, I called the insurance company and they sent out an adjuster. The first words out of his mouth were "how do we know it wasn't a manufacturing defect?" He backed off on that line of reasoning when he realized that a water heater on the other side of the house had also been affected by the same storm. Then I had to argue with him about the cost to fix it all. In the end, I think I got about 2/3 of what it cost to fix the problem. By the time the next two storms fried my other equipment, I wasn't in the mood to screw around with a bunch of assholes, so I just replaced the equipment. If I ever buy another house, I'll look into some sort of whole house protection they

 

 

In my younger days, I worked in the electronics repair business. People would bring in their dead electronics for a damage estimate as a request of their insurance company after lightning storms. Unless there was evidence that it wasn't lightning damage, we would certify it as lightning damage for.

[wacmedia 277]

 

 

As a general rule, insurance adjusters can be real jerks.

Hi,

 

You said it.

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

I believe fibre cable is glass ?

[jacko 8,814]

Hi,

 

I believe fibre cable is glass ?

Yes fibre glass.... sort of. Didn't you get one of those lamps, they were all the rage when lava lamps went out of fashion.

Well I had better go buy a new TV, can't be doing without one for another evening! Probably try to put another in for repair at the same time. The old CRT ones were bulky and heavy, modern ones are like trying to transport dry wall.

Edited October 9, 2017 by jacko

[biggles 509]

My dear old mum would switch off the TV and fridge when the lightening started and I used to p..ss myself laughing.

when one of her neighbours TV blew out, she had the last laugh though !

[jacko 8,814]

My dear old mum would switch off the TV and fridge when the lightening started and I used to p..ss myself laughing.

when one of her neighbours TV blew out, she had the last laugh though !

Well obviously with the advent of remote controls, they are never fully switched off.... unplugging them, power and cable inputs, is probably the only sure way.

Edited October 10, 2017 by jacko