It has been in the NEC since 2020. Even though it is a national code it isn't a federal law. States can decide to follow the code or make exceptions if they want.
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Is "Power Supply Off" necessary?
- Thread starter Tom Albrecht
- Start date
When lightning storms threaten I also unscrew the Comcast cable from the TV ethernet cables to the WiFi router in the house and 250' underground to the one in the shop. Turn off all the uninteruptable power supplies and surge protectors to the computers, TVs, and other electronics and unplug the power cables. I have had several things fail when surges came through the Comcast cable although it is all underground in conduit (except 500' away on the poles).
All that may sound paranoid but I've seen the power of lightning where we live at the top of a hill. So many big trees hit, split, and blown apart by lightning strikes.
JKJ
Has anyone checked their home owner's policy to see what is covered in case of electrical surge damage?
I asked my agent after the last lightning strike and it would've been covered, but the damage was about equal to our $6000 deductible.
Why not trip the main breaker or pull the connector in the box? That would shut off all power to anywhere in the house. Rarely needed but I keep flashlights all through the house with fresh batteries if needed.
Had lightning hit a tree next to our house in NC. Lit up the bedroom like a searchlight. Traveled down a tree, across the yard for about 6 feet. No damage to our house or the neighbor's. My late MIL and her brother were struck by lightning. Survived with no burns or after effects. A miracle?
Lightning can breach the gaps inside a switch or breaker.
Or buy Triplite surge protectors which come with a $50,000 insurance for connected equipment. I've bought 8 of these so far, given some to others. I plug in TVs. routers, laptops, etc. I have 4, 6, and 8 outlet versions.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0000513US
FULLY BACKED AND SUPPORTED: This product is protected
by a Lifetime Limited Manufacturer's Warranty and $50,000
Ultimate Connected Equipment insurance.
My tech son uses them for everything, computers, 3D printers, and high end audio and video equipment.
JKJ
The best investment we made was to buy a stand alone outside generator. Last night a huge storm roared through Erie and headed our way (South). At 6 PM the power went out and did not come back until 10 PM last night. After 10 seconds the generator kicked in and we had whole house/shop power. Our generator will power everything we have even if they were all turned on. A couple weeks ago no power for over 8 hours but we were fine. Down in the shop when no one is there there are only 2 things plugged in and on, the furnace and the microwave (the microwave where it is plugged in is too hard to reach).
As I mentioned in post #23, surge protections (for electrical grid hiccups) and lightning suppression are two very different things. Surge protection likely won't do much, if anything, from lightning. If lightning can jump 10 miles or more, a mechanical disconnect is peanuts. Lightning suppression, which will have hardware scattered outside of the building, helps to discharge the potential difference between earth and sky to lessen the chance of a nearby strike.
So then we are all screwed? Seems lightning has a mind of its own.
Precisely. But as the statisticians tell us, your chance of that happening is about 1 in 1 million. But a lightning strike is still 300 times more likely than winning Powerball!