[Villageshooter]

Originally Posted by EnglishJW

Since lightning is common, is there any reason why more lightning rods aren't installed in TV?

cost! And do the rods really help,, the lightnig will go anywhere it want to,,,, has there been a house burn or get struck with the rods?

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by EnglishJW

That (surge protectors) would have been my next question, with or without lightning rods. Thanks.

We do not have lightning rods.

Twice we have experienced interior equipment damage from the surge of nearby lightning strikes.

First time: A ground strike that appeared to be about 15 yards away from the house tripped a couple of circuit breakers, one of which was to the refrigerator. When the circuit breakers were reset we noticed that the refrigerator was no longer providing cooling. A visit by a repairman disclosed that the refrigerator system is controlled by a circuit board, and he showed us a burned out component on the board. We have upgraded the insurance on our appliances to include this part of the refrigerator.

Second time: A ground strike that appeared to be about 10 yards away caused a surge that did more damage.

I was using my netbook computer, plugged into an AC outlet, and I felt a slight electrical charge on a finger that was touching the netbook. The transformer between the wall outlet and the netbook was burned out and had to be replaced. The netbook was undamaged.

Two of our three cable boxes were disabled due to the transformers between the wall outlet and the boxes being burned out. The transformer to one of our three television sets was burned out.

We have four electric powered reclining chairs. The transformers to two of them were burned out.

Our largest HD flat screen TV still works, but the HDMI input, where the cable box was plugged in, is burned out. The other video inputs still work.

Our Wii game was burned out, both the transformer and the game box.

Since that time we have had the power company install their "whole house surge protection" and have plugged some of our electronic equipment into the two AC outlet surge protectors that came with the offer.

We have not yet experienced another "near miss" lightning ground strike nearby, so don't know how well protected we may be.

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It should be noted that lightning surges are not limited to entering the house through electrical lines; they can also enter through strikes to cable systems and telephone lines in areas where those services involve hard wire installation.

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We live in the most active lighting strike area of the United States. Maybe that should have been mentioned when the discussion was about bugs, heat, humidity and alligators prior to moving here.

[buggyone]

I not only have the SECO surge protection and the individual surge protectors and power strips but also have UL lightning rods that are grounded deep into the earth. I feel pretty safe.

[nhelleks]

Contrary to what you might think, lightning rods are not that expensive. The SECO surge protection is limited to large appliances. If you have gas lines in your house, it's a good idea to have lightning rods.

[EnglishJW]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Whole house surge protection sounds like a very good idea and we will also look into the cost of installing lightning rods. Hopefully, none of us will ever need any of these things.

[Fanman]

A reputable lightning rod installer will recommend a whole house surge protector as part of the package as well as individual surge protectors on individual electronic devices. One of the easiest devices to forget is your microwave.

[sbjaly]

We also heard that tremendous BOOM. It shook the whole house and we all jumped!! I don't think we had damage. So sorry you did, and good luck.

I grew up in Central Florida...welcome to the Lightning Capitol of the World!!

Good luck with your repairs.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by sbjaly

We also heard that tremendous BOOM. It shook the whole house and we all jumped!! I don't think we had damage. So sorry you did, and good luck.

I grew up in Central Florida...welcome to the Lightning Capitol of the World!!

Good luck with your repairs.

Thanks. We will have to watch our electronics and other stuff to see if there was any computer chip damage. The electrician said it sometimes takes days for the problems to occur.

[sharonga]

Fire chief told us 2 years ago not to bother with lightening rods. This was the night my house was hit. He said NOTHING will stop a direct hit.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by sharonga

Fire chief told us 2 years ago not to bother with lightening rods. This was the night my house was hit. He said NOTHING will stop a direct hit.

I believe the neighbor next door's front yard got the direct hit. Not sure what though. All their Internet and cable service are out and their cell phones which were charging got fried. We just lost power on two sides of the house due to two fried circuit breakers. We both have Prism. Ours was OK once the power to the Prism router was restored. Theirs needed a Prism repair person.