House got hit by lightning

Mentat

Mentat

Been Around the Block
Short Story:

Lightning strike hit about a foot away from the house - only minor damage. Very happy and luck that I still have a house and no one got hurt.

Longer story:
Girlfriend called me at 3:30 or so yesterday, said the internet was down, garage doors won't open, several breakers in the back of the house were tripped. Me, I think blah blah blah power surge, I'll deal with it when I get home. Get home and Router and garage door openers are toast. A circuit with a GFCI won't reset. Can't figure out what happened. Around 9:15 or so she notices that some pictures are knocked off the wall. One of us mentions it might be lightening. Walk outside the house and notice the strike area and then the area where the ground blew up.



https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102220261883248031207/albums/5766849836017951041
 
I am in the midst of getting my insurance paperwork together for my lighting hit that happend on July 2nd.

2 tvs (one fixable) my cable modem, wireless router, Direct TV DVR, AC, two garage door openers, a DVD player, three breakers in the panel, three GFI outlets, my X-Box and wireless network hard drive, a old laptop...

PITA! I had surge protectors on a lot of that stuff.

Make sure you check the smoke detectors if they are hard wired.
 
Rusnak_322 said:
Make sure you check the smoke detectors if they are hard wired.
Click to expand...

Yeah good idea.

Justin - still owe you a beer. You coming up for Mods v. Rockers?
 
I told Meg: "Today is a good day for them to play the lottery."

Glad to hear all the important things are ok.
 
Last year our neghbours behind us had lightning strike a flag pole in there yard. Our dog who was on the bed at the time almost had a heart attack.
 
Mentat said:
Get home and Router and garage door openers are toast. A circuit with a GFCI won't reset. Can't figure out what happened.
Click to expand...
In each case, damage was lightning finding a connection to earth via each destroyed item. Use that concept to also find other 'overstressed' items. Items that may fail even a month later.

Damage is also easily averted. Lighting rods are earthed so that lightning need not strike the building. 'Whole house' protector is earthed so that lightning need not strike appliances. But in both cases, the quality and connection to earthing (not the protector or lightning rod) define that protection.

For example, garage door opener damged because a surge current entered on AC mains. And found earth destructively via the door and a good electrical conductor - concrete.

Well this and other destructive surges occur maybe once every seven years. Probably less often in your venue. So, do you spend about $1 per appliance for the effective 'whole house' protector? Or just depend on best protection already inside appliances? The 'whole house' protector is for rare surges that can overwhelm that existing protection. And maybe peace of mind.
 
Thats pretty lucky. Im in the Mid-Atlantic, and that end of June storm sent some lightning down on a neighbor. Hit his tree, tree hit his house. Pretty epic damage.
 
westom said:
In each case, damage was lightning finding a connection to earth via each destroyed item. Use that concept to also find other 'overstressed' items. Items that may fail even a month later.

Damage is also easily averted. Lighting rods are earthed so that lightning need not strike the building. 'Whole house' protector is earthed so that lightning need not strike appliances. But in both cases, the quality and connection to earthing (not the protector or lightning rod) define that protection.

For example, garage door opener damged because a surge current entered on AC mains. And found earth destructively via the door and a good electrical conductor - concrete.

Well this and other destructive surges occur maybe once every seven years. Probably less often in your venue. So, do you spend about $1 per appliance for the effective 'whole house' protector? Or just depend on best protection already inside appliances? The 'whole house' protector is for rare surges that can overwhelm that existing protection. And maybe peace of mind.
Click to expand...


I got a quote from my electrician to install a whole house surge protector including the cable and sat lines.
It was $1000 with install.

Considering my insurance deductible is $1000 and I could spend a little more to get it to $500 and the fact that I have had lighting damage exactly once in my 43 years, I decided to take a chance and forgo that.
 
Rusnak_322 said:
I got a quote from my electrician ...It was $1000 with install.
Click to expand...
Find a more reasonable electrician. Find the 'whole house' protector in Lowes or Home Depot for less than $50. $1000 would replace the entire breaker box.

Why is it sold even in Lowes and Home Depot? Even informed homeowners can install it.
 
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