blybo Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) I know it's been talked about before but what device should I be looking for, to get installed in my fuse box to protect from lightning strikes? Last night apart from very distant barely audible thunder we had 1 strike with a god all mighty crack that sounded like it hit the house. My ears were ringing afterwards. I was watching my HT system at the time and lost sound, and was getting some loud static crackles coming from the rear sub. I switched everything off and thankfully everything seems fine, although took a LONG time to calm my kids down... Edited January 30, 2018 by blybo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorkBun69s Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I think the fuse box should be ok (I think?), was told that tv antenna's are the culprit. Best to unplug the antenna during the storm perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Since the most likely entry point for a damaging charge is through your TV antenna, then that should be unplugged during a lightning storm. The chances of damage through power lines is almost non-existent. If, however, you want to protect yourself, then you need to contact a sparky, who can install a suitable transient absorber. It won't do much, but it has a better chance than any dinky power board you can buy. This is the product (or similar) you are asking about: https://www.clipsal.com/Trade/Products/Switchboards-Circuit-Protection/Residential/Overvoltage-Protection#.WnAGBHxx1pg FWIW: I used to be a belts and braces kind of guy. I had DIY transient absorbers and I even had a lightning arrestor for me TV antenna. That was 30 years ago. Since then - nothing. NO problems either, BUT I aways unplug the TV antenna during a lightning storm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swervyn Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said: Since the most likely entry point for a damaging charge is through your TV antenna, then that should be unplugged during a lightning storm. The chances of damage through power lines is almost non-existent. If, however, you want to protect yourself, then you need to contact a sparky, who can install a suitable transient absorber. It won't do much, but it has a better chance than any dinky power board you can buy. This is the product (or similar) you are asking about: https://www.clipsal.com/Trade/Products/Switchboards-Circuit-Protection/Residential/Overvoltage-Protection#.WnAGBHxx1pg FWIW: I used to be a belts and braces kind of guy. I had DIY transient absorbers and I even had a lightning arrestor for me TV antenna. That was 30 years ago. Since then - nothing. NO problems either, BUT I aways unplug the TV antenna during a lightning storm. Good to know that info, I dont even bother with the antenna but we get very few lightning strikes in Tas. So all those "must buy" surge protecting boards are a waste of time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thathifiguy Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 43 minutes ago, swervyn said: Good to know that info, I dont even bother with the antenna but we get very few lightning strikes in Tas. So all those "must buy" surge protecting boards are a waste of time? They are surge protectors, not lightning repellent. The two don’t go necessarily hand in hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shugg Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 2 hours ago, blybo said: I was watching my HT system at the time I had to do a double take on this, the first thing you should do in any thunderstorm, even if, and especially if the thunder sounds distant, is to switch OFF all your electrical equipment, unplug it from the wall, disconnect your telephone and modem lines as these can carry a strike from a distance away, and ride out the storm. That is the only protection you have unfortunately. If you keep all your equipment plugged in, you could/will do irreparable damage, and it is not worth the risk with expensive gear. I would hazard a guess you may have already damaged some delicate components in your system, some chips and logic controllers can be affected by just static electricity generated by a carpet or a hot dry day. I have seen the damage caused by static electricity and some of it can be quite subtle, and some of it can be quite explosive. I would suggest something like this for future protection especially if you are not at home during a thunderstorm with the advantage of pristine clean power at all times https://www.thortechnologies.com.au/product/ps20-smart-power-station/?v=6cc98ba2045f or the slightly cheaper PS10, depending on the equipment you want to protect https://www.thortechnologies.com.au/product/ps10-smart-power-station/?v=6cc98ba2045f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 When it's all out in the backyard..................make sure you've got a good tarp handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 4 hours ago, blybo said: I know it's been talked about before but what device should I be looking for, to get installed in my fuse box to protect from lightning strikes? Last night apart from very distant barely audible thunder we had 1 strike with a god all mighty crack that sounded like it hit the house. My ears were ringing afterwards. I was watching my HT system at the time and lost sound, and was getting some loud static crackles coming from the rear sub. I switched everything off and thankfully everything seems fine, although took a LONG time to calm my kids down... hi blybo rather than lightening I have gone a 2 part approach with these boards to catch surges, and then part 2 along lines of what zaph has suggested with surge protection at the main board, this is on my sparkies suggestion you want to do best to stop this stuff at the board. as if gets in the house the damage is horrendous... along lines of a re wire ! you cant stop a lightning strike... but eg the main board thing i have posted before photo of same device @agelessgoodguy had on his main board at his old place and saved a lot of damage surge running through the house. ps industrially i have investigated lightening protection and can tell you it soon starts to get in the "black arts" with all sorts of supposed devices you can buy with lightening rods and what not ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 1 hour ago, swervyn said: Good to know that info, I dont even bother with the antenna but we get very few lightning strikes in Tas. So all those "must buy" surge protecting boards are a waste of time? Oh yeah. Ignore the advertising. It is designed to mislead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swervyn Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 11 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said: Oh yeah. Ignore the advertising. It is designed to mislead. Sweet, will stick with my cruddy $5 powerboard then! Could that affect the sound tho?......ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 22 minutes ago, swervyn said: Sweet, will stick with my cruddy $5 powerboard then! Could that affect the sound tho?......ha! Well, actually, it could. Those really cheap power boards often use materials that don't last and the contacts can become intermittant. That said, you don't have to spend a lot to buy a decent power board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I think Bunnings have 4 way HPM for $2.50 when you buy them by the boxful. I used to supply one with every computer I built. Unless you unplug EVERYTHING during a storm..............it's just luck of the draw................but that's what insurance is for. That said, I once had a computer taken out that was completely unplugged...............lightning hit the tree outside the daughter's bedroom window and the static charge fried the computer. That would be only 10 metres away, if that. Another time, because our HFC cable was aerial, it came up that, took out the modem, the sixteen way switch after it, then went into my main computer which was sitting not far away, wiped out the network card and the motherboard and just the network card in another computer over a 20 metre ethernet run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereo coffee Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 4 hours ago, blybo said: I know it's been talked about before but what device should I be looking for, to get installed in my fuse box to protect from lightning strikes? Last night apart from very distant barely audible thunder we had 1 strike with a god all mighty crack that sounded like it hit the house. My ears were ringing afterwards. I was watching my HT system at the time and lost sound, and was getting some loud static crackles coming from the rear sub. I switched everything off and thankfully everything seems fine, although took a LONG time to calm my kids down... Trouble is you sometimes cannot be at home when lightning is occurring. I recall in 2009 solving lightning strike issues very effectively, but the methods we used remain quite impractical for most forum members. The solution at that time was deep grounding involving using Ground enhancing material and earthing rods dropped into the earth to a depth of 23 metres - as I said quite impractical for most. Not only did we have no further annual damage to transmission assets, but we also remained on air, during the most violent weather nature could throw at us. But one technique that can be useful and not requiring vast expenditure is to arrange antenna cabling at deliberate right angles when entering premises. Grounding and bonding is discussed here from the viewpoint of being a radio amateur http://www.arrl.org/grounding-and-bonding-for-the-amateur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 4 hours ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said: ...The chances of damage through power lines is almost non-existent.. I recall one of my neighbors suffering lightning damage through the power lines. I'm not sure if it was a direct hit or a hit close by. But he wall sockets melted. However, this was in the early 60's. I'm confident that the quality of wiring, fixtures plus improvements in the electric supply chain would mean that this type of damage would not be expected today. When violent thunderstorms hit my home I do play it safe and unplug my computer from the power socket. Insurance can buy a new (and improved) TV if that gets fried. It can't replace the data on my hard disk. Which reminds me I should do more backups than I do. And perhaps disconnect it from the home network during a storm as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agelessgoodguy Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Being no novice in the Lightening and Power surge business ( One of each so far) I can honestly atest to the help and savings a surge protector gives to your home appliances. Sure insurance can help but when lightening strikes a tree 25M away from your house, runs along the phone line into the house (it passed through the tree) and then disseminates to every toy you used to have the bill quickly goes past $25k. For instance a new set of phones and wiring in a two story house isn't cheap, add in 5 TV's (larger sizes) answering machine, Fax, PC and all components thereto, Player and Amp, its easy to see why. Then you can later on have the same tree break into 2 in high winds and bring down the 25kV power onto the 415 power lines and blow up every house in the street's electrical components but not many of mine, Al's got a pic somewhere of what's left of the surge protector. Don't undderestimate the way these things can play out, be warned. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 6 minutes ago, agelessgoodguy said: Being no novice in the Lightening and Power surge business ( One of each so far) I can honestly atest to the help and savings a surge protector gives to your home appliances. Sure insurance can help but when lightening strikes a tree 25M away from your house, runs along the phone line into the house (it passed through the tree) and then disseminates to every toy you used to have the bill quickly goes past $25k. For instance a new set of phones and wiring in a two story house isn't cheap, add in 5 TV's (larger sizes) answering machine, Fax, PC and all components thereto, Player and Amp, its easy to see why. Then you can later on have the same tree break into 2 in high winds and bring down the 25kV power onto the 415 power lines and blow up every house in the street's electrical components but not many of mine, Al's got a pic somewhere of what's left of the surge protector. Don't undderestimate the way these things can play out, be warned. I found your thread ageless with the photos in it. as you state the $85 is a very small investment when consider what a part these devices play ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Just bear in mind folks, that lightning strike may have travelled a kilometer before it hit your electrical system. With that sort of energy, there's not much you can add to your electrical circuit to stop it. Surprisingly, the vast majority of damage done during electrical storms is when the power comes back on after a blackout. Every electrical accessory, very light that was switched on, is probably in the same state as it was prior to the blackout. When the power comes back on, the load from all of this has to be overcome, so the supply transformers kick in with more power, causing an instantaneous short sharp rise in supply which may be well above what your electrical goods can handle. The result? Smoke... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSmith Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 5 minutes ago, t_mike said: When the power comes back on + 1, I always turn everything off before the power comes back on after a blackout, including the mains switch last. I have had a fridge die due to this years ago. The brownout phase can be damaging too... have had a CRT go before due to the under-voltage and voltage range. JSmith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSmith Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 14 hours ago, LogicprObe said: When it's all out in the backyard..................make sure you've got a good tarp handy. That's right, 4 times more often... regardless of shoes worn or tarps erected. JSmith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancientflatulence Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Brownouts are great ........... we had a four hour one last weekend which gave readings on the little plugin voltage meter I have of 115 to 150 volts ........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 11 minutes ago, JSmith said: That's right, 4 times more often... regardless of shoes worn or tarps erected. JSmith Men are, on average, taller and stupider* than women. *We, for instance, keep playing golf, despite gathering storm clouds. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blybo Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said: Men are, on average, taller and stupider* than women. *We, for instance, keep playing golf, despite gathering storm clouds. As a kid I used to love swimming in the pool when the summer rain/thunder storms came thru Still here though! Somebody earlier said they had done a double take and couldn't believe I was listening/watching my HT whilst a thunder storm was on... A good HT room is like an isolation chamber, I couldn't hear any of the faint distant rumblings or see flashes until my system went quiet after the 100+db crack of thunder which got the attention of everyone in the house. It was an VERY unusual storm in that there was only 1 god almighty strike pretty close to home as there was basically no delay in the crack. The rest of it seemed well over 10-15kms away and often there was no thunder at all after a flash (my kids enjoy the counting trick) If I ran around unplugging everything every time grey clouds rolled in in summer, we'd be sitting in silence 25-50% of summer evenings. The risks are obviously there hence this thread, but pretty remote. I have insurance. Edited January 31, 2018 by blybo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I unplug at the socket during thunder storms.With a direct hit you will fry everything in your house!! Stump 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSmith Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, blybo said: I have insurance. I don't understand... why start the thread and then not take the advice given because you have insurance? JSmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blybo Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 minute ago, JSmith said: I don't understand... why start the thread and then not take the advice given because you have insurance? JSmith Just because I have insurance doesn't mean I won't take precautions with surge protection like Al has suggested, but running around paranoid unplugging everything in the house on the pretty rare chance of something might happen seems like jumping at shadows. I have an electrician coming soon anyway to install a RC split system AC unit to my HT room so thought might be best to get it done then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts