Lightning Time of Year

Here in Florida as well as in other areas of the country summer time means the beginning of lightning season. Lightning is the bane of all electronic devices. Lightning can strike some distance away and still cause damage to your electronic equipment unless you have taken steps to protect it. This electronic equipment includes your computer and all devices attached to it including your DSL modem, router, switch, printer, scanner etc. as well as other microprocessor based electronic equipment. This equipment includes LCD or LED TV's, music players, DVD players, and DVR's (Digital Video Recorders.)

One of the best ways of protecting everthing from your computer to your flat screen TV is with a small UPS (Uniterruptible Power Supply) such as this one: APC Back-UPS ES 8 Outlet 550VA 120V. This small UPS will protect your equipment much more than a surge protector. For example the UPS works by taking AC from your wall outlet (where the lightning comes in) converting it to DC and then using the DC to charge a battery. The battery is then used to power an inverter which converts the DC back to AC for output to your electronic device. In the process of doing this on a continuous basis the electricity is filtered through the battery on a continuous basis. This eliminates any dangerous electronic spikes caused by lightning no matter how fast they are.

UPS units have traditionally been used to provide back up power so that a device such as a computer can be shut down in an orderly manner when the power goes out and before the UPS battery runs out of juice. However,the UPS should be considered as more protection for transient spikes of electricity and brown out protection
than for back up power. This is especially true when the UPS is small and inexpensive and does not provide much back up time.

In the case of a surge protector like this:Belkin 12-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Phone/Ethernet/Coaxial Protection and Extended Cord there is a small amount of time while the surge protector switches off or limits the power to protect your device. During this time your device could be damaged because lightning is.. well lightning fast and may get into your device while this switching is occuring. In addition, something may occur called a brown out during other times of the day when there is an unexpected large demand on the electrical grid causing a shortage in voltage. This results in your device trying to operate at a lower voltage and drawing too much current. This could also fry your device and is prevented by using a UPS.

So, it's worth it to spend $50 for a small UPS rather than $25 for a surge protector. And if that weren't enough you will also be able to continue using your device during short outages such as when power is being rerouted after a transformer has been struck. The power may only be out a few seconds but meanwhile you may have to reboot your computer, reacquire a satellite signal, or otherwise wait while your equipment powers up. With a small UPS you will keep running while everthing else in your house powers down and back up again.

A small $50 UPS may only be able to keep your equipment powered up for a few minutes in a power outage but that may be enough to prevent a lot of inconvenience. Add to that the additional power spike and brown out protection over a surge protector and you've got a case for spending the $50. Remember, you have to buy one of these for everthing that you want to protect inlcuding your large screen HD TV. These are computer processor based devices and can be fried by lighting just as your computer can. And do not forget to plug your DSL modem, router, and or switch into the same UPS your PC is plugged into to proved them protection as well.

Other considerations for lightning protection include fiber optics and wireless both which still rely on conventional power sources and outdoor equipment that are also sources of lightning damage. For example, you may use an outdoor satellite antenna for wireless reception of TV. This antenna is susceptable to being struck by lightning and subsequent transmittal into the home of the high voltage spike that could damage your new HD TV. Be sure the outdoor antenna is properly grounded. It must be tied to a moist earth ground. When mine was installed they attached it to the hose bib on the outside of the house which converted to PVC pipe the minute it went inside of the wall. This meant it was not grounded. I removed the ground wire and purchased a ground rod such as thisErico 613840UPC Copper Ground Rod 3/8"x4'. I then made sure I pounded the ground rod into the ground outside the edge of the over hang on the house to be sure it was a moist earth ground. This properly grounded the satellite antenna and helped shunt some ot the lightning to ground before it came into the house. The same would be needed for any outdoor antennas you have.