Those with lightning storms, how do you protect electronics?

[buickanddeere]

Lightening and surge protection is a specialized science . Radio and TV broadcast towers are designed to take a direct strike and return to operating within a few seconds . Grounding , bonding and voltage clamping is critical.
If the property had a drilled well. Run a #2 bare copper from the well casing to the main ground lug in the service entrance panel . No extra bends or sharp corners on the ground . Install a set of those surge suppressor 澱reaker in the main panel .
Not 100% protection but it will reduce some damage from some lightening strikes .

 

[buickanddeere]

One big point being missed here. The purpose of a lightning rod, and similar devices, is not to aid in a direct hit. Rods and wire will be fried by a direct hit. The purpose of a lightning rod is to discharge static charge in a radius of the rod. By doing so it greatly reduces the likelihood of a strike in the surrounding area. During a storm, when lightning is likely to hit there is a voltage gradient (build up from the ground) of a few hundred volts per meter of elevation. The lightning rod discharges, or drains, this static charge build-up making it less likely that a strike will occur in that area. A good example of this protection are high-tension power lines. You will always see two small ground wires on either side, near the top. These are static drain wires and they create a curved field over the power lines with a lower static potential than other areas during a storm. This is why, believe it or not, why high tension power towers and lines are rarely hit by lightning. I live on top of a hill, in front of power towers, and we have never had a strike near the house. The hits are to trees hundreds of feet from the house, despite the fact that the power towers are quite a bit higher and metal. Another example is in Florida where tall light poles have an array of smaller wires in the shape of a fan on top of the lights. These wires, pointing upwards are likewise used to drain static fields to greatly reduce the chance of a strike in the area. A strike can hit a light or power line, but it is rare compared to not having ground drain devices.

paul

Well said . I was hoping somebody was going to post that info .

 

[bigtiller]

I always heard as seen by slow motion video first thing is a dart tracker goes from ground up to the cloud, then lightning follows that back down. The people who survived a lightning strike it couldn't have been a direct hit but one of the secondary ones. My thought is lightning rods work because it's a ground potential up in the air, lightning will strike someplace else. If lightning were to directly hit a rod it would blow it and the wire apart.

I remember seeing a TV show with a video like that. Back in the 80's, my neighbors house 3 doors away from mine, was hit by lightening that traveled up to the clouds. It left a big hole in his roof and all of the debris, drywall, insulation and shingles was blown out and landed in his yard. It even left a hole in the ceiling above the kitchen sink.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I remember seeing a TV show with a video like that. Back in the 80's, my neighbors house 3 doors away from mine, was hit by lightening that traveled up to the clouds. It left a big hole in his roof and all of the debris, drywall, insulation and shingles was blown out and landed in his yard. It even left a hole in the ceiling above the kitchen sink.

Were they ok? I hope so. We're having a terrible lightning storm right now...wish my lightning rods were up.

 

[bigtiller]

Were they ok? I hope so. We're having a terrible lightning storm right now...wish my lightning rods were up.

Mom, Dad and baby were in the living room, shaken up and a little confused but safe and unhurt.