How To Protect Pc From Lightning Surges

[RDN]

Has anybody got anything between or in parallel with their PC's modem (lap top PCMCIA card) and the telephone line to help protect it from power surges caused by lightning strikes?

Also, what about the PC and the mains power supply?

This rainy (lightning) season is getting me quite worried....

[Highwayman]

I use an APC CS-500 which cost about 3000 baht l think. Look at their website, lots of good information, one of the best brands around.

There are a lot of different brands available at the big IT stores at Panthip Plaza, many cheaper than what l ended up getting but if you read the APC site you will be able to work out for yourself the features that suit you best.

[fatter than harry]

Me too, no worries about lightning ever.

Except for the one time my APC wasn't working properly and I hadn't fixed it, I had a problem then.

[stumonster]

UPS ( uninteruptable power supply )

start at around 1600 baht at panthip, has a telephone in/out.

[KevinN]

UPS is all i use and has the computer and telephone surge covered,but I had a brand that I bought up in CM that the lightening took out and then I bought a SAFARI mod 600 and it has lasted 2 years and no surge problems and it is still running and kicks in when we get a droop instead of getting so low that it kicks the PC off.and I think it cost me 2500 B.

[RDN]

UPS ( uninteruptable power supply )

start at around 1600 baht at panthip, has a telephone in/out.

I got the UPS ages ago, but have only just connected the modem through it - because I didn't have an extra telephone cable to connect the UPS to the telephone socket. But now, I am very happy to report that I often connect at 44 kbps, whereas before I was getting 42.6. So the UPS must be cleaning up the telephone line a little to allow the better speed.

Maybe people with really low connection speeds could borrow one and see if it helps

[astral]

Unplug the cable when you are not using it.

Direct hits on power lines are not uncommon here.

Disconnection is the only really safe option.

[Goat Roper]

My wife always disconnects all electrical appliances from the world when not in use, a little irritating to me but it keeps out all the weather issues, like another member said,, the only way to guarantee keeping your stuff safe from the weather is to unplug the system from the power source, I do now, my wife taught me.

[kabal1234]

Get yourself a metal oxide varistor (MOV) surge supressor preferably w/ built-in fuse. Doesn't have the power storage capability of a UPS but will be cheaper.

[Mr_Happy]

Make sure your UPS is actually grounded, no ground = no protection

[Crushdepth]

Make sure your UPS is actually grounded, no ground = no protection

Excuse my ignorance - how do you tell if something is actually grounded or not ? Also, can anyone suggest a reliable and reasonably cheap UPS for home use ? Are there any low end models that will actually shut the computer down before the power runs out ?

Thanks.

[terry74]

A UPS will not help you especially the cheaper ones without the Isolation transformers, a surge supressor may help, best way disconnect the line during the lightning .

There is this surge supressor that u can fit on your phone socket, that will help if the surge comes through the phone line

Also ensure the computer is earthed, use the 3 pin sockets and wire it up, make sure it is connected

[kabal1234]

A UPS will not help you especially the cheaper ones without the Isolation transformers, a surge supressor may help, best way disconnect the line during the lightning .

There is this surge supressor that u can fit on your phone socket, that will help if the surge comes through the phone line

Also ensure the computer is earthed, use the 3 pin sockets and wire it up, make sure it is connected

Yeah that's right... and for the best of both worlds hook up a surge supressor before a UPS.

[cathyy]

Unplugging everything, phone cord as well as power cords, is the only real protection from a hit on the phone or electric lines in the near area.

Think about it logically. You have, oh, 250,000 volts arcing over 30,000 feet, cloud to earth. Do you *really* believe that a 1/8 inch gap in the MOV is going to even slow it down? Do you?

I don't. I used to work in a computer shop where we did letters to insurance companies for computers killed by lightning. More than one owner complained "but I had the power unplugged!" and looked shocked when we explained that it was killed by lightning that came in over the phone line they failed to unplug.

Next best might actually be leaving the computer ON. Then the over voltage protection circuits will function. That might be enough, assuming the lightning strike isn't TOO close.

[RDN]

Of course, when its raining hard and there's lots of lightning, who wants to go out? So it's either TV, PC or other indoor games....

And as UBC usually says "goodnight" when it gets damp outside , the choice is either PC or .....

So, during heavy rain and lightning, it's even more likely that I'm on the phone and using the PC! (which is exactly when I shouldn't). Can't win

[kabal1234]

Unplugging everything, phone cord as well as power cords, is the only real protection from a hit on the phone or electric lines in the near area.

Think about it logically. You have, oh, 250,000 volts arcing over 30,000 feet, cloud to earth. Do you *really* believe that a 1/8 inch gap in the MOV is going to even slow it down? Do you?

I don't. I used to work in a computer shop where we did letters to insurance companies for computers killed by lightning. More than one owner complained "but I had the power unplugged!" and looked shocked when we explained that it was killed by lightning that came in over the phone line they failed to unplug.

Next best might actually be leaving the computer ON. Then the over voltage protection circuits will function. That might be enough, assuming the lightning strike isn't TOO close.

cathyy,

There are other sources of spikes and surges apart from lightning. In fact lightning is one of the least likely culprits as its v/high voltage will more than likely take out the curcuit much further upstream. Running aircons and other high power devices that could surge are much more common. In either case a good surge protector is always a good idea.

[redwood13]

A Thai acquaintance who has a internet shop has simply been unplugging everything in the shop each time there's a thunder storm. That is he simply does no business until the storm passes and is obviously losing income in doing so. This is exactly the time when folks are likely to pop into the shop to get out of the rain so he's losing those potential customers and he's also likely pissing off the customers in the shop when he pulls the plug on them. He seems pretty technically clueless - even more so than myself! I suggested maybe he look into the possibility of using surge surpressors and he had no idea what I was talking about.

Any suggestions I might pass along to him so he can stay in business?

-redwood

[kabal1234]

If the lightning strike does reach that point, the average everyday surge supressor will be quite useless. If you friend wants to blow some serious coin then he could invest in the more industrial quality units that protect data centers and the like. As I said before, you should get a surge supressor regardless as spikes and surges come from multiple sources.

[stumonster]

ok

I use my computer(s) during lightning storms with just my UPS as protection, the telphone connection is run through this also. My UPS is not earthed. the lack of earth will not affect the performance of the UPS.

A direct strike on your telephone lines ouotside of your house, or withing a small radius should be taken care of by the Lightning protection unit where you telephone line comes in from the pole.(this should have its earth strap connected to ground ). any spikes caused by problems elsewhere should be taken care of by the surge protection on your telephone pass through connection on your UPS.

the UPS because it reforms the AC sine wave via a CHOPPER circuit on the output of your UPS will not give you a surge or spike.

the UPS will take care of the small power outages that are common during storms here in thailand.

The worse case scenario should be your UPS goes 000.

[kabal1234]

Personally, I think your being optimistic your UPS is gonna save you from a well placed lightning bolt, but I agree having one is better than nought.

[cathyy]

Unplugging everything, phone cord as well as power cords, is the only real protection from a hit on the phone or electric lines in the near area.

There are other sources of spikes and surges apart from lightning. In fact lightning is one of the least likely culprits as its v/high voltage will more than likely take out the curcuit much further upstream. Running aircons and other high power devices that could surge are much more common. In either case a good surge protector is always a good idea.

You are absolutely right. I would never argue the efficacy of a good line conditioner, surge suppressor, and UPS. I will definitely have my equipment set up that way.

But the original question was referring specifically to lightning, and I stand by my answer as the best (the ONLY!) way to protect from nearby lightning strikes.

[RDN]

But the original question was referring specifically to lightning, and I stand by my answer as the best (the ONLY!) way to protect from nearby lightning strikes.

Thanks to everyone for all the very useful information. My original post did ask about lightning because I went to Bangkok for a week and when I returned to Phuket, the DVD player no longer worked - it wouldn't power up. So I assumed the stormy weather (lightning or power surge on the mains power) had caused the problem. I usually disconnect all electrical devices - apart from the 'fridge - if I leave for any extended time, but I simply forgot to unplug the DVD. It was turned off, but still plugged in.

[waldwolf]

Minor point of info:

Unplugging your computer (especially desktops) from its main power source will cause a higher power drain on the motherboard battery, used to retain BIOS and system clock memory functions.

Therefore one should keep an eye on the clock, and if it starts to consistantly loose time, that battery will need to be replaced.

[kabal1234]

But the original question was referring specifically to lightning, and I stand by my answer as the best (the ONLY!) way to protect from nearby lightning strikes.

I understand what your saying I just wanted to clarify the point that other destructive electrical forces exist and surge protector is a worthwhile investment irrespective of the fact they may not save you against lightning.

[cathyy]

I understand what your saying I just wanted to clarify the point that other destructive electrical forces exist and surge protector is a worthwhile investment irrespective of the fact they may not save you against lightning.

It never hurts to broadcast common sense. I had a networking Prof who put up a Powerpoint slide with this on it:

1. All hard drives will fail.

2. Electricity is fickle.

3. Murphy wasn't kidding.

Thus began the section on hardware redundancy and backing up....often.