In an article earlier this month, we discussed personal lightning safety both outdoors and indoors and the need to observe, the sage advice, “When Thunder Roars Go Indoors!”
In this article, the discussion focuses on indirect lightning strikes that can enter your home via multiple paths and cause damage to appliances and sensitive electronic equipment.
What is an Indirect Lightning Strike?
A nearby direct lightning strike (proximity) may hit your neighbor’s house, a flagpole, a fence or wall, a tree, the ground, or some other nearby object. Because lightning is seeking the least resistant path to ground, it can cause a power surge into your home. Indirect lightning strikes are more frequent and less severe than direct lightning strikes, which will be discussed in our next article.
The path into your home from an indirect lightning strike can be your electric service, cable/satellite service, telephone service, gas service, or even the water lines; and in some cases, the powerful electromagnetic field can induce a surge into the home.
Because Lightning Loves Technology, it is capable of destroying sensitive electronic components in computers, TVs, garage door operators, furnaces and A/C controllers, motorized chairs and sofas, irrigation systems, refrigerators/freezers, sound systems, microwave ovens, telephone answering machines, corded telephones, car and golf cart charging stations, radios, electronic games, and other appliances.
In assessing the level of risk to your valuable appliances and electronic equipment, you may wish to consider Primary, Secondary, and Point of Use Surge Protection since Surge Protection is a Layered system.
What is Primary Surge Protection?
Primary Surge Protection protects the “hard wired” equipment that you do not plug into a 120-volt wall outlet, including your furnace, A/C, and electric dryer. It also protects motors in your refrigerator, freezer, and washing machine.
The best way to achieve primary surge protection is by installing a Type-1 Surge Protection Device that your electric utility will install at your exterior electric meter and a Type-2 Surge Protection Device by contracting with a licensed electrician to install a surge protector at your electric panel.Type-1 surge protection protects your home from power surges originating from the power utility which happens statistically 20% of the time, and Type-2 surge protection at the circuit breaker panel protects your home from power surges originating from everywhere else.
What is Secondary Surge Protection?
Secondary surge protection or Type-3 is sometimes called “point-of-use” (POU) or “plug ins” that you plug into a 120-volt wall outlet.
These POU devices can be purchased at hardware, electronics, and big box stores or online. When purchasing POU devices, consider only those labeled “Type 3, UL 1449.”
These surge protection devices will NOT protect you from a direct lightning strike to your home and are the subject of the next article.
The above is the current state-of-the-art, but safety is never absolute. It should be recognized that anything man-made can fail; but the equipment discussed above functions as designed an extremely high percentage of the time.
As a homeowner, you should conduct your own due diligence for your lightning risk.
Villager Len Hathaway is a recognized expert on the topic of lightning. John Reformato also contributed to this report.