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Surge Suppression vrs. Lighting and Power Spikes

OK,

Here is something I have thought about on many occasions while jamming out and then being rudely interrupted by an overhead lightning storm. Should I continue my session while the storm is overhead or should I switch everything off and wait until it blows over before continuing? I have chosen to switch my equipment off but leave it plugged into the wall.

Is powered on audio equipment any more vulnerable then powered off or in standby mode audio equipment during a lightning storm or power grid spike? I mean if your house gets hit by a direct lighting strike that was the result of having an old school TV antenna on your roof or if the power station down the street gets zapped the wave of electricity is coming your way weather you like it or not, correct?

As an example, if we take 3 houses that are all on the same power grid into consideration during said event, does the house who happens to be drawing the most current at the time of the event have a higher likelihood of being the one who gets chosen by the power spike as it's target for discharge? The term magnet comes to mind as another way of thinking about it.

Now I would imagine this spike has the potential of being very powerful. I have seen some numbers on the web stating that a direct lightning strike can generate anywhere from 1000 to 100,000 AMPS of juice. If these numbers are even somewhat close to being accurate then even the fanciest surge protection/power distribution device isn't going to save your equipment.

If your lucky enough to have the direct hit occur at the power station down the road then I assume the power company has some kind of buffer device that absorbs a large portion of this electricity before it reaches your house but this is just an assumption. If they do have some kind of buffer then maybe your surge protection device has a better chance of survival since the impact would be greatly reduced; maybe even to the levels that most surge protectors found in the home can tolerate and maybe not.

It almost seems that the only real safe bet would be to fully unplug your power distribution device from the wall since we obviously can't predict how the power spike will arrive either thu a direct hit or a possible buffered hit.

I'm curious to know what the general consensus is on this topic and what others do when faced with a storm overhead?

Please feel free to post your thoughts..Thanks
eniac26

Showing 1 response by sandstone

sandstone
358 posts
 
Eniac and Hifihvn, you both have it right. If lightning is prevalent or imminent, unplug. Also, if at all possible, purchase power conditioner/surge suppressor that provides warranty against lightning damage and keep your homeowner's insurance upgraded because despite your best efforts you may still be hit.
I experienced this very event several months ago. My wife and I were outside when several ground surface lightning strikes hit in advance of any rain. As I ran inside to shut down electrical gear and unplug, one particularly violent strike hit a couple of blocks away.

My audio gear was not operating and was properly connected through the power conditioner. Three components were knocked out entirely. I speculate that damage came from either emp or a power surge as you describe, carried by the electrical service.

The company replaced all three components, and also the power conditioner under warranty.
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