Lightning $trikes (1 Viewer)

[GotFrogs]

So our house or something very close by got struck by lightning last night. We were sleeping and woke up to the loud thunder and our fire alarm going off. The alarm turned off on its own so I did not think much of it and went back to sleep.
The next morning when I got up I noticed that the water level in my main 280 tank was low and the pumps were not on. Future investigation revealed that at least two electrical circuits were out in the house. I went out in the rain and was eventually able to get power back on. The bad news was that the Internet was down (modem and router fried) and 3 of my apex controllers were completely dead.
Long story short, it looks like we lost about $4,000 worth of electronics (thankfully no livestock). I rushed to FJW and purchased two new Apex units and after a full day (and over an our on the phone with Neptune) was able to get everything back online.

 

[steveb]

Wow sorry to hear - that sucks...

kind of after the fact and they say lightning never strikes the same place twice but maybe look into getting one of these installed...


Panel Mount Surge Protector

 

[GotFrogs]

Will do for sure! I already ordered an rj45 filter. My guess is the surge can in through the Comcast coax cable. Lost the cable modem, apple router, 8 port switch, pool controller, 3 apex controllers, Neptune DOS, TiVo and who knows what else! All were hard wired via cat5. The only Apex I did not lose is connected wirelessly in my bedroom.

 

[reeftopia]

Actually there are people who have been hit by lightning more than once.

 

[steveb]

Actually there are people who have been hit by lightning more than once.

I know it was kinda tongue in cheeck.. Lighting does strike twice... Empire state building gets struck on average 23 time/year

 

[GotFrogs]

Looks like the Leviton 51120-1 does not protect against lightning, just surges.

 

[steveb]

Will do for sure! I already ordered an rj45 filter. My guess is the surge can in through the Comcast coax cable. Lost the cable modem, apple router, 8 port switch, pool controller, 3 apex controllers, Neptune DOS, TiVo and who knows what else! All were hard wired via cat5. The only Apex I did not lose is connected wirelessly in my bedroom.

Yes putting surge suppression on coax and any other service entrances such as phone line is recommended...

 

[steveb]

Looks like the Leviton 51120-1 does not protect against lightning, just surges.

They are. High energy transient == lightning

Check out their website Leviton 51120-1 or go on amazon and search on 51120-1 and watch the video.

 

[GotFrogs]

I ordered one of these.
Siemens FS140 Whole House Surge Protection Device Rated for 140,000 Amps
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013WINMK6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_QYlXxb7E9BT2F

 

[Tangs]

I got my house hit by lightning years ago. Just fried the tv but it was under warranty. Just read that 1 lightning strike killed over 300 caribou over in Europe. Take care and be thankful the strike did not start a fire.

 

[GotFrogs]

I installed the FS140 today. All went well and it only took one trip to Home Depot.

 

[jqsquared]

I just had one similar put on our house, not sure if they work but the reviews all seem to favor them, little peace of mind for about $100.

 

[GotFrogs]

I just had one similar put on our house, not sure if they work but the reviews all seem to favor them, little peace of mind for about $100.

If you don't mind me asking how much did they charge for the installation?

 

[jqsquared]

Had it put in when they installed the generac generator. Was part of the deal since he was installing a new panel anyways. Only took him 15 min or so to do it so If I had to guess a big company would charge $50 to come out, $50 to install. FWIW

 

[GotFrogs]

Sounds like you are all set. We put in a generator about 6 years ago and it has been well worth the cost.