Lightning and surges

F

frankyk

Gawd
Joined
Jan 30, 2004
Messages
891
I have a surge protector that's kinda old, like 5 years old from Radio Shack and it connects a lot of my tech items. I've been having a lot of thunder/lightning storms in my area recently and I was wondering if it was better to just unplug the devices or would the surge protector be just fine?

i don't want to get my stuff damaged or anything due to surges or anything.
 
Unplugging is always better than trusting even the best surge protector. Unplug everything in the system, including connections to the cable or phone lines and any modems.
 
So it's not bad to unplug/plug back in a few times your surge protector?
 
no...why would it be? also, if you go out and buy a new surge protector, most of them come with a guarantee so that if something does get struck, they will pay for it, up to a certain amount. keep in mind that it won't cover data loss...
 
Is coverage for data recovery included? More importantly, will data recovery be possible?

If I wanted to keep computing during a lightning storm, I'd use a laptop with a wireless Internet connection and sacrifice no more than my modem.
 
no, hence the "keep in mind that it won't cover data loss..." from my last post. Data recovery may be possible depending on surge
 
do ps3's or tv's or surround sound get fried from surges or not as badly as a computer would? also, is my radio shack surge protector going to protect my stuff even though it's 5 years old? or should i get a better one? i hear that some surge protectors are upwards to $100+, are those worth it?
 
TV's, A/V equipment, and yes, gaming consoles are just as susceptible.
 
theyre all computers, so they will all be affected the same. The $100 surge protectors are also power conditioners which are supposed to make your equipment last longer by keeping the voltage constant (it normally fluctuates). also generally, the higher the price, the more insurance that comes with them.
 
No intent to highjack, but I had my cable running through my surge protector at one time, and the cable tech said that it will kill my performance. When I disconnected it, I did notice an improvement. Did I just have a shitty sp, or is that always the case?
 
Mekanic01, not sure about that, guess it depends on what kind of decibel loss there is through that connection. I know that when I first got Dish network, they recommended a surge protector, which they sold with the dish and receiver, with protection on the coax. Never had a problem with it.

To the op, I highly recommend a decent UPS, for remote lightning strike surges. Keep in mind, nothing is going to protect against a close or direct lightning strike. That kind of voltage will literally blow up anything in it's path.
 
just put a lightning rod on top of your house and "forget about it" ;)
 
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