Protect Your Computer From Lightning Strikes

With regard to the Irish weather, most of us are familiar with using our common sense when it comes to thunder and lightning when we’re outdoors. We’ll know not to shelter underneath trees when lightning is in the air as well as trying to get indoors as opposed to remaining exposed such as being in the middle of an open field, for example. However, what many of us fail to address is in protecting our home from lightning strikes. 

Electrical appliances are vulnerable to being burnt out during a lightning strike. It’s not so much the lightning itself that will create the problem but the electrical surge that accompanies it. Therefore, you should fit surge protectors to your computer, TV and hi-fi equipment as well as things like your washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier. Surge protection devices can also be installed at the main electrical panel or meter. Other less commonly thought about items that also require surge protection are weather vanes and satellite dishes.

It’s important to remember that whilst direct strikes from lightning are the most devastating, they only account for about a fifth of all problems caused by lightning. The vast majority are caused by the surge of power as a result of an electrical storm and the storm doesn’t even need to be overhead. Research shows that many people have had appliances affected as the result of a power surge when a storm has been located a few miles away. In fact, a storm that may be a mile away can exert enough energy to destroy a TV set or computer.

With this startling number in mind it makes sense to protect yourself from lightning strikes using state of the art lightning surge protection devices and uninterruptible power systems.

Uninterruptible Power Supplies will keep your equipment running even when the power fails completely. Surge filters offer simple but effective plug-in surge protection and LDU provides World Class direct strike lightning protection together with hard-wired surge diverters and filters capable of protecting everything from a domestic dwelling to entire Industrial Complexes.

Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Using an uninterruptible power supply makes sense. We’re one of the most storm prone countries on the planet and have extremes in weather patterns and storm cycles.

Plug in Surge Protectors
Power Protection can supply a range of different surge protection options ranging from home surge protection to whole-house surge protection. Many people realise that electrical equipment is prone to spikes in power supply leading to outages and damage. What most people don’t realise is that your electrical equipment is being damaged slowly and relentlessly by electricity and an electronic device with a good quality power filter will typically outlast one without by a factor of two to one.

Hard Wired Surge Protectors
If you’re looking for a commercial / industrial surge protection system or building surge protection for lightning and electricity spikes, then looking into hard-wired surge protectors is an option. Causes of power surges are many and varied, ranging from lightning strikes to cars crashing into power poles and on a smaller scale the use of high powered devices like elevators and air-conditioning units.

There are many reasons people look into surge protectors, for example:- surge protectors for TVs surge protectors for computers surge protectors for appliances surge protectors for refrigerators surge protectors for RV surge protectors for home surge protectors for laptops surge protectors for house surge protectors for electrical panels

You should always turn your computer off during thunder storms

Computers can be sensitive to power line interference, and thunder storms can cause power voltage spikes, brown-outs and melt-downs

We have witnessed several instances where computers and modems have been damaged, by storm activity - including melted circuit boards and internal fires.

We have witnessed several instances where computers and modems have been damaged, by storm activity - including melted circuit boards and internal fires.

We recommend that you switch off and unplug from the electrical mains. Also unplug your broadband router from the mains and from the telephone line.

Voltage spikes are transitory, higher than normal line voltage fluctuations, which can be caused by thunder storms, and by just about any electrical equipment you use in the house, particularly high current devices, such as refrigerators, generators, electric tools, heaters and pumps. These devices can cause large electrical spikes on the mains power line, as they are switched on and off.

If you wish to protect your computer from these sources of damage, buy and install a surge/spike suppressor.

However a surge-protector DOES NOT PROTECT YOUR EQUIPMENT FROM A DIRECT LIGHTENING STRIKE.

Brown-outs are lower than normal line voltages, causing power starvation to the electrical device. In other words, your computer doesn't get enough power, and this can damage it. Brown-outs are not generally transitory but can last from a few seconds to minutes. You can buy specialized power supplies that monitor the line voltage fluctuations, and when the power goes off, or has a serious fluctuation, the power supply kicks in and supplies power to the computer via a battery backup system. This sort of device is much more expensive, and is generally used by larger businesses, corporations and government departments to protect their important computers, and computer systems from damage.

A meltdown is a direct hit by a lightning strike, if this happens because of the large voltages and currents involved, normal suppressors won't do much, but there are a couple of things that will help a great deal. Turn your computer off, and also disconnect it from the wall socket and disconnect the router from the telephone line and electricity socket. (I do this whenever we have a thunder storm.) Power surges and voltage spikes can also come through the telephone line during storm activity! That's why phone companies have warnings in their literature not to use the phone during storms. This advice applies to all sensitive electrical equipment not just computers. Check your insurance policy as to what cover you are given for lightning damage. A lot of insurance companies limit your cover calling it an 'act of God'.