NFB: Bad day for me

[Dave M]

We had a horrific thunderstorm here Sunday night, about 3 am. Lighting was striking all around us and it appears that at some point we took a hit. We lost a TV and the computer, just fried 'em, and worst of all our well pump, so we woke up Monday morning with no water. On top of that, the heat pump/AC in our house runs from well water, so we had no AC today, with heat indexes reaching well over 100 degrees. Got the water and AC back on now, but we're still down a computer and television. Homeowners insurance will cover it, minus a deductible, but it won't be enough to replace the pieces with brand new stuff.

[shadyphi]

Ouch, sorry to hear that!

[Gary94Formula]

That sucks I hear you. We lost my daughters computer about 3 weeks ago during a storm. I was going to replace it when she went back to school in September anyway, so I just did it 2 months earlier...

Some good computer deals out there.

[Joe 1320]

Lighting is a killer down here in Florida, surge protectors are a must.

[Steel2686]

I installed lightning rods on my house after I took a hit three years ago. I lost a TV and the microwave. I found a place locally that sold lightning rods for a decent price. It was an easy install and well worth it.

Sorry to hear about what you lost. At least no one was hurt.

[tclelland]

Homeowners insurance will cover it, minus a deductible, but it won't be enough to replace the pieces with brand new stuff.

We had the same storm probably 30 minutes after you did. Wicked to say the least. My friends house was hit by lightning and he lost his phones and TV's.

One thing to look into on your homeowners insurance is "replacement insurance". My understanding is that it covers you for the full cost of replacing damaged items, not a depreciated value. At least it's worth looking into. Best of luck with your repairs.

[95TransAm]

Lighting is a killer down here in Florida, surge protectors are a must.

Totally agree...use 'em on anything electronic and valuable.

Sorry to hear about that Dave. No AC this past weekend.... It was a hot one.

Surge protectors and or lightning rods....don't make the same mistake twice.

Hope everything gets back to normal and you can get everything replaced without it putting your wallet on too big of a diet.

[Dave M]

The computer was plugged into a power strip which is a cheap surge protector... not a true high dollar one. It seerms to have worked but not quick enough. The CPU and cable modem got fried, but the speakers and monitor and my wireless modem that was also plugged into it were fine. It seems to have tripped but not before it fried the first two outlets in the strip.

[DeWynter]

Lighting is a killer down here in Florida, surge protectors are a must.

The computer was plugged into a power strip which is a cheap surge protector... not a true high dollar one. It seerms to have worked but not quick enough. The CPU and cable modem got fried, but the speakers and monitor and my wireless modem that was also plugged into it were fine. It seems to have tripped but not before it fried the first two outlets in the strip.

Well electricity travels at or about the speed of light. The "cheap" bi-metalic strip surg protectors arent enough for a sensitive peice of electronics. You need to haave some kind of active protection offered by a uninterupted power supply(UPS). Bi-metalics are ok for appliences but stereos tvs and computers are just way to sensitive, due to the fact that they dont run in anything higher than 12 Volts DC(well except the TV tube at 40,000 Volts plus). Some devices have surge protection built in, in the form of Diodes and Caps. Electricity will always go the path of least resistance.