Lightning

[grapeman]

Does anyone have a cure for lightning strikes? I'm getting deperate here. Lightning hit a tree near my house last year-50-60 feet away, and blew it apart. The tree was a pine 2 feet across and split it in two. About half of the branches were disintegrated and bounced off the house. I was in the basement at the time and got a major jolt from it. I removed the tree after the storm. June 19 of this year a MAJOR lightning storm struck again and hit the same spot as last year, killing the grass and doing about $5000 damage. I still haven't settled on that claim yet. Yesterday at 4:30 there was another storm, but this time was a little further away so I didn't panic(getting gun shy). All of a sudden it sounded like two gunshots in my ear and all the computers quit. The lightning hit a tree about 15 feet from where I sit at my home office. It tripped the circuit breakers and surge supressors and blew my phone interface box apart, melting the insides. The desk I was sitting at has a burn in it from where the phone sits two feet from my head. I'm thinking I have an X on my head. I need help with any home remedies for keeping it away from me!

Here's a couple pictures of the desk and outlet.

Edited by: appleman

 

[PolishWineP]

You are one scary guy!

When ever we have any electrical activity heading our way we unplug all the electronics.
Do you have lightening rods on your house? Maybe it's time to install some of those...

 

[grapeman]

I had unplugged most things before it got bad last time. The computers were unplugged from the power. The lightning came in through the cable modem and hit the network. Luckily it blew a port in the router and pretty much isolated it from the rest of the network. I took out 2 CAD systems, routers, hubs and all the phones. This time all the phones, possibly one computer (it took 30 minutes to boot) and my 26 inch wall mounted TV/monitor for viewing house plans with clients.


I'm not sure lightning rods are the solution either, but am looking into it!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Lightening can be real scary and cause a lot of damage....Glad you are okay.
With 3 strikes so close to you I'd say you have some sort of 'luck'????
Maybe you should buy a Lottery ticket, and see how 'lucky' you can get.

 

[MedPretzel]

Ugh,


You're freakin' me out... I have 3 trees roughly 40-60 years old, and one that's roughly 100... I'm on the top of a hill, but I don't think we're the biggest tree on the street. Everytime it thunderstorms, I call my mom to make sure we're insured. You might want to check with your insurance for extra coverage..... Other than that, I agree, a lightening rod might be in order. Or surge protectors? I've heard both good and bad things about them.....


Luckily, though, you live in a house with grounded wiring... Mine are all those 2-prong kind without ground, and I'm probably keeping those "two-prong-to-three-prong" people in business.


SOrry to hear about your loss. Maybe think of getting a generator for your freezer and stuff. Aldi (www.aldi.com) has them on sale now and then for a good price.


Otherwise, talk to your local weatherman/woman... Perhaps they can at least direct you in the right direction. Or weather station.. There's got to be someone who could help you more....

 

[earl]

Dude
Go buy a lottery ticket...NOW!!!!!


earl

 

[Funky Fish]

Lightning striking in the same spot isn't as uncommon as all that. Just be glad your house isn't 60' from where it currently sits!

 

[NorthernWinos]

A few years ago when we lived at our other place we were sitting on the porch enjoying a strong thunder storm...lightening struck a huge oak tree about 50 feet from the house....Deafining noise and a huge ball of white and pieces of the tree as big as me flew about 100 feet...luckily from the other side of the tree....
After the storm we went over to look at it and we were amazed as to how many birds HAD been in that tree...the ground was littered with birds of all sizes...Robins, Sparrow, Goldfinches large and small, some babies, some still alive fluttering on the ground, it was such a sad sight, the death of an old friend 'the tree' and all those birds......a dog and cats delight!!!

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

This was our old oak tree that got hit by lightening, sure was sad about all the dead birds.
When we drive by the old place we see the new people have cut the tree down and planted a new one, so it must have died...it was alive for about 6 years before we moved....

 

[OilnH2O]

I think someone's trying to tell you something... been to church lately?


In all candor, when I lived in Kentucky nearby lightening strikes caused me to fix a Sony Trinitron twice -- then it happened a third time andthe guy told me it wasn't worth what he'd have to charge to replace the fried circuit boards. We had lightning rods and all that, but he also said that the electrical energy could "jump" from the grounding cablesinto the wiring system in the house and still do damage (we had an overhead utility drop) -- which is how he thought the TV was fried. We had a PC then and it was okay, the difference being the surge-protector between it and the wall plug. The TV repair guyhad no other suggestions for how to prevent damage....


Good thing it wasn't near my so-called "vinyard" -- we'd have started another major forest fire!


Dave