Standard Procedure during thunderstorms?

[JnMHayes]

I'd like to hear what other people are doing when a storm rolls in. I've heard surge protectors can't protect against everything. Does anyone turn off, unplug everything (inc. modem) like my wife insists. What about your cable (for cable modem users)? Are there surge protectors that really protect against everything?

I've never lost a PC or component, but I've seen a VCR get fried and lots of friends that have lost modems.

Jn

[OuTpaTienT]

I don't shut down. Unless I see the power flicker or something, them maybe I'll turn the 'puter off for a while.

Never given any thought to the cable being a way in. There's probably a decent size market for a product like that...a cable splitter/surge-protector.

[Gomer]

It really depends on the severity. If it looks like there is going to be lots of cloud to ground lightning, I'll yank the phone cord. That's about it. I have never lost a computer component. However, we have lost a few VCR's and my grandfather down the street had his furnace toasted.

[nilknarf]

My personal system has a direct vulnerability through the coax cable interface, but not for much longer. Otherwise everything, including the phone line, has a surge protector on it. All my stuff runs off a UPS, so it can take a little bigger hit than the average surge protector.

Any cable carrying power or signal can carry an energy surge. Optical connections provide the best isolation. If someone says their system is optically isolated, it means everything but power runs through an optical isolation system. They are very cool, and not too expensive. If you have the means, and the power problems to demand it, I highly recommend picking one up.

If it's a real bad lighting storm, I do disconnect everything completely, just in case. Lighting arrestors for power mains can be very expensive. Only a handful of facilites I've worked in have them. Those were big data centers which couldn't afford to lose time or data. One of the houses my family lived in would always blow the range during a major lightning storm. It was cheaper for the insurance company to keep replacing the range than to put a lightning arrestor on the house!

In short, pop the cash for good surge protectors on everything, phone line, cable, power, everything. To do otherwise is asking for trouble. If you do this, you shouldn't have to worry about disconnecting. If lightning stikes the house, everything is toast anyways, but the warranties on a good surge protector will typically cover lost equipment, and most insurance covers only if protective precautions (surge protectors) were in place at the time of the incident.

Try to find out (from the manufacturer if possible) if the surge protection you buy protects ALL wires. As any unprotected wire could allow enough surge through to do damage.

Tim

Edit - darn KB!


[This message has been edited by nilknarf (edited 06-27-2001).]

[Fingers]

All of my components are protected by surge suppressors at the point of entry, and fortunately, I've never had opportunity to find out whether they actually work. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

My computers are all on UPS systems, so I usually work right through small storms, but when the lightning get severe, I shut down and start unplugging everything.

[This message has been edited by Fingers (edited 06-27-2001).]

[daveleau]

If it starts to storm, and I hear really close thunder and lightening, then I yank the phone cords. If it gets worse, I will pull the surge protectors out of the wall (systems are plugged into surge protectrs).

Dave

[club_med]

I'm noz sure but I think my house is protected.

At least I have never had problems.

cm.

[surrealchereal]

I used to live in Florida, it was the lightening capitol of the world I think. It's were they went to study it, and when it started I ran for the outlets, and started unplugging, phones too, or loose another modem.

[Bsdboy]

If it"s getting bad I unplug everything.
If you have cable don't forget to put a gas discharge tube on your cable line(don't use a diode shunt).

Bsdboy

[Madcap]

I live in the boonies where the power goes out with pretty much every thunder storm that comes through. So I usually unplug everything. I'm in an apartment for a few more months so I don't have any kind of insurance on that stuff. Better to be safe than out a bunch of components

[JnMHayes]

Bsdboy, what, pray tell, is a gas discharge tube? Is that a part on a surge protector?

It seems our degree of caution varies, depending on whether we've been burned ourselves. Thanks for the perspective.

Jn

[Bsdboy]

Yes a gas discharge tube is a type of surge supressor I recomend this type on a cable line over a diode shunt which is a diode that fries when a surge hits.Many people have surge supressors on their power and phone lines but don't think of the cable line which can be just as dangerous.

Bsdboy

[JnMHayes]

Thanks, I was able to find one made by GE (SurgePro) available at The Home Depot. Seems like awfully cheap insurance.

Jn

[Bsdboy]

This (http://matelectronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=OC&Product_Code=SE-1) is what I use they are only $3.25 I have seen this same unit for more than $20, total ripoff.Sorry there is no picture and the site is very slow.

Bsdboy

[hawkeye177]

Do you unplug everything? Or do you just unplug the power cable and the phone line?

[Bsdboy]

If it's bad I unplug the power and cable I'm not connected to the phone line but if I was I would unplug that also.

Bsdboy

[Ivory]

I live in FLA and the boonies..been hit twice

Its UNPLUG everything!!

[falcompsx]

i live in california, i've lived there my whole life... ...what's a storm? http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by falcompsx (edited 06-29-2001).]

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Only been hit once, first strike knocked out power, UPS kept running through that, second hit blew my modem (Which was replaced under warranty by a nice company(Zoom)) other then that I leave my 3 comps on 24/7, my internet connection is wireless (Similar to satalite) the dish is grounded to the hydro system before it even comes in. no phone connection. Haven't had a problem since I got off dial-up. so I'ld recommend unplugging your phone connection, and unplug anything that doesn't have a good surge supressor on it (APC or some other high end back up supply with a good warranty)

[JacobM5727]

well personally i dont do anything. we have an 80 dollar surge protector (ripoff) with a surge protector for the phone line as well.. so i am putting my trust in it for the time being

[elroy]

I use $20 surge protectors on everything. I never shut down during a storm. I've never lost a computer component. During a storm I had a 220 volt air conditioner fried while my wife was sitting right next to it using the computer on the interent. If you use a modem get a surge protector with a phone line jack. They also have protectors with cable hookups now too. I got one of these for my sat dish.

[Goldwingnut]

Surge protectors are like fuses, they protect once. If the power grid gets hit twice, too bad.

A second consideration: Here in NM we frequently have brownouts during storms. Not quick surges, but prolonged sags in voltage. This causes the PS to try to pull more current to compensate for the reduced voltage.

My stuff gets unplugged during our daily thunderstorms.

[angryidol]

I found this to be a quality surge product by the Tripplite company. The "Tel" model provides a jack to plug your phone line into before it goes to the computer. They also have a model that takes coax. Of course, the safest thing to do in a storm is to unplug. I don't want to sound like a salesman, so here's a link: http://www.tripplite.com/products/family/surge/isobar.cfm

[seanc]

I use a UPS for my system, monitor and speakers. Printer, scanner, ZIP drive get plugged into a surge suppressor when I use them. Otherwise those 3 are unplugged when not in use. If there is a storm, the PC gets shut off. A bad storm I unplug everything.

Sean

[Ballastboss]

At the frist sign of serious trouble I simply take the safest course... I unplug ALL my computers.

[Tekkitan]

I myself dont unplug anything, I let my computer go. I have a friend in Jacksonville though, had lighting strike his cable line, and it fried his NIC, his tv, his cable modem, and a couple more cable related things. This should be a lesson with people that dont have their cable lines underground like me. Although it could probly still happen.

[daveleau]

What type of phone line surge suppressors do you use? I have had top of the line Belkin surge protectors and my modem will get hit and it was like it was unprotected. Luckily that was all that got hosed.

Dave

[nilknarf]

I use APC for my UPS's and Panamax for my surge protectors. I do also have some commercial and medical grade surge protectors from Transtector.

Be sure you are buying a surge protector, not a power strip with a suppressor or fuse/C.B. If ever you have a protector that has taken a big hit, it's probably fried. They are designed to destroy themselves to save connected equipment, but they will sometimes still allow equipment to function after a hit.

Most small hits will be stopped without damaging the protector. However, I have seen small power (not lightning induced) spikes/surges totally destroy every surge protector, fuse, and power strip in a building. It darn near set the building on fire! All the APC UPS's were still fully funtional. It doesn't take a lightning stike to cause problems.

I have my computers connected to surge protectors and those are connected to my UPS. The theory is that the UPS transformers and batteries can take several massive hits before it stops working, and the surge protectors can stop anything that gets through the UPS. Fortunately, I've not had to test that theory.

Unfortunately, I can't take a direct strike. So far, the nearest lightning strike has been just under a quarter mile. But, I live in a construction area, so power problems are frequent.

Tim

[struggles]

At the frist sign of serious trouble I simply take the safest course... I unplug ALL my computers.

Me too!

[Moogs2K1]

Yeah, I wouldn't take any chances... Just unplug anything that you don't want fried...