STORMS - How to protect your equipment

[GOS]

We had a whopper of a storm that hit in the middle of the night last night. It made me think I need better protection with my audio/video equipment. Considering most of us have multiple devices that need "plugged in"......how or what do you do to help protect this stuff?

I'll start off by saying, I don't have any protection......I Know, I Know......I probably need to do something. Last night, I was awoken by screaming tornado sirens at 1:30am. The power was already off, which I didn't know. Ended up being a pretty scary event, with vicious lightning, lots of wind, downed trees. Power was out for 2 hours......and I was manually scooping water out of our sump-pump and dumping outside until the power came back on around 3am. Geez........

 

[John Svensson]

I'm glad to say that we only get little ones (tornados) around Lancaster County, PA, but the warning are getting more prevalent it seems. Seems we had one about 5 miles up the road on Sunday night. After some of the crashing close call lightning strikes....we hid out. I don't know, short of doubled-up surge protectors and a back-up generator????

 

[halbroome]

I have surge protectors, but they are useless in that I have cables to a router that itself has a Comcast cable attached.

Unfortunately, as I have found out, putting the Comcast cable through a surge protector creates too much noise and hurts the speed 8'/.

My brother lost his tv and amp to a lightning strike, so I know the odds are there for it to happen to me (that particular strike also took out a chunk of concrete from the driveway of his house and the house next door!).

 

[Fourplay]

When a storm is approaching, or is predicted if I am leaving the house, I unplug. This is the best chance to save your gear from a direct strike. I have all my gear going through a single power strip, and I power down and unplug every time.

I have a separate and more involved computer setup. Three power strips (all with surge). I unplug them as well.

I have a TV setup upstairs - would be easy to replace. I leave it plugged into a surge protector. I live on a hill near Denver, so I had a "whole house" surge protector installed by my service panel. The only way I will ever know if this is of real value is if I take a strike. I hope I never get to find out. Even with the whole house surge protection, I unplug.

One important note - if you happen to be unplugging when the house takes a strike you could take the hit yourself. If you use this method, please unplug before the storm is overhead. I have photographed and studied lightning for 30+ years. My recommendation is 10 miles away. You can check local activity here:

https://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang...ts=0;y=39.0491;x=-104.7519;z=8;d=2;dl=2;dc=0;
The map is interactive.

Found this on the interwebs:

https://www.cepro.com/article/the_myth_of_whole_house_surge_protection
Interesting reading. Good luck!

 

[MCDave]

I agree with Fourplay. Plug everything into surge-protected power strip(s) with on/off switches. The strips are switched on only during use.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I use one of these. But no longer available new.

I can't vouch for whatever protection it may or may not provide from lightning. I don't notice any audible difference resulting from "cleaner" power. I got it mainly to sequence my power amp and subwoofer when powering the system on or off.

 

[steelydave]

I run an always-on unRAID file server (using an old HP N40L Microserver and 5 x 8TB drives) and after a couple of power outages this winter, I was inspired to look in to a UPS for a couple of reasons - one was that it was scary watching all the lights in the house flicker and fade before going off (wondering what kind of weird voltage was going in to my precious computers) and also because if the unRAID computer unexpectedly gets its power cut, I have to run a parity check process that takes nearly 18 hours to complete.

After doing a bit of research, I ended up buying a CyberPower CP1500PFLCD Sinewave UPS, because of a variety of factors - it's much cheaper than the equivalent models from APC (which seem to have a reputation for making a high-pitched whining sound judging from the reviews I read), it produces pure sinewave power (important if you have computers attached to it) and it works with the APC UPS daemon, which is available for unRAID and various other operating systems. You connect the UPS to your computer via USB and if the battery power kicks in, you can set parameters within the software to make your computer shut down, either after a predetermined number of minutes or if the UPS battery reaches a certain percentage remaining. Replaceable batteries inside the UPS were also a plus for me, I didn't want to have to be buying a whole new unit every 3-5 years.

On the back of the device there are 10 outlets (6 battery backup + surge surpressed and 4 just surge surpressed) along with coax cable in/out and telephone/ethernet in/out so you can basically protect everything. I'm not sure of the technical terminology, but if there's a big enough surge there's basically something inside the UPS that will burn up and "take the bullet" for all your precious gear. CyberPower has a $500,000 "connected equipment guarantee" insurance policy type thing as well - I know nothing's perfect, but the fact that they're willing to put their money where their mouths are gives me pretty good confidence that they believe in the technology they're selling.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I run an always-on unRAID file server (using an old HP N40L Microserver and 5 x 8TB drives) and after a couple of power outages this winter, I was inspired to look in to a UPS for a couple of reasons - one was that it was scary watching all the lights in the house flicker and fade before going off (wondering what kind of weird voltage was going in to my precious computers) and also because if the unRAID computer unexpectedly gets its power cut, I have to run a parity check process that takes nearly 18 hours to complete.

After doing a bit of research, I ended up buying a CyberPower CP1500PFLCD Sinewave UPS, because of a variety of factors - it's much cheaper than the equivalent models from APC (which seem to have a reputation for making a high-pitched whining sound judging from the reviews I read), it produces pure sinewave power (important if you have computers attached to it) and it works with the APC UPS daemon, which is available for unRAID and various other operating systems. You connect the UPS to your computer via USB and if the battery power kicks in, you can set parameters within the software to make your computer shut down, either after a predetermined number of minutes or if the UPS battery reaches a certain percentage remaining. Replaceable batteries inside the UPS were also a plus for me, I didn't want to have to be buying a whole new unit every 3-5 years.

On the back of the device there are 10 outlets (6 battery backup + surge surpressed and 4 just surge surpressed) along with coax cable in/out and telephone/ethernet in/out so you can basically protect everything. I'm not sure of the technical terminology, but if there's a big enough surge there's basically something inside the UPS that will burn up and "take the bullet" for all your precious gear. CyberPower has a $500,000 "connected equipment guarantee" insurance policy type thing as well - I know nothing's perfect, but the fact that they're willing to put their money where their mouths are gives me pretty good confidence that they believe in the technology they're selling.

Great looking unit, I believe I had a similar CyberPower UPS unit years ago, don’t even remember why I got rid of it; but with increased storm activity (yes I’m a believer in global warming) it’s time for a new look at these.

 

[hafquark]

I unplug electronics from the wall outlet when a lightning storm approaches (we get bad ones around here sometimes). I use a pair of Tripp-Lite Isobar 8 Outlet surge protectors: one for the PC stuff and the other for a/v equipment. Been lucky so far and never had anything fried, though I've known a few people who have lost TVs and such from lightning strikes.

 

[steelydave]

Great looking unit, I believe I had a similar CyberPower UPS unit years ago, don’t even remember why I got rid of it; but with increased storm activity (yes I’m a believer in global warming) it’s time for a new look at these.

The other nice thing about these units (and I suppose, any that use the APC UPS daemon) is that I can log in to the webGUI for my unRAID server and get full real-time diagnostic data about the UPS so I never have to fiddle with the screen or buttons on the front of the unit, aside from the initial setup where I disabled the alarm sounds.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

The other nice thing about these units (and I suppose, any that use the APC UPS daemon) is that I can log in to the webGUI for my unRAID server and get full real-time diagnostic data about the UPS so I never have to fiddle with the screen or buttons on the front of the unit, aside from the initial setup where I disabled the alarm sounds.

View attachment 40521

Now thinking back, I believe I got frustrated with the USB connectivity (earlier days), which got hinky at times. Seems the USB drivers/software have gotten more reliable over time. Does that all run smoothly for you Dave?

 

[steelydave]

Flawlessly thusfar, my current instance of unRAID has been up for 51 days since its last reboot and I think it was up for about 80 days before that without issue.

I did some googling before I purchased the CyberPower unit to make sure it was compatible with the APC UPS daemon and unRAID and found other people saying the same thing on various forums saying the same thing I'm saying here, which was one of the things that factored in to me picking the CyberPower unit. The good thing about these kinds of things is the relatively robust and vocal userbase (especially on the Linux side) means that drivers and software are constantly being refined, and if there are problems they're generally ironed out eventually.

I obviously can't say that the USB connectivity works in every permutation with every operating system, but for me personally, i couldn't be happier. The nerd in me loves these clever little integrations too - adding USB control probably adds only fractionally to the price of the unit, but in terms of usability and convenience it's a massive bonus.

 

[ar surround]

We had a whopper of a storm that hit in the middle of the night last night. It made me think I need better protection with my audio/video equipment. Considering most of us have multiple devices that need "plugged in"......how or what do you do to help protect this stuff?

I'll start off by saying, I don't have any protection......I Know, I Know......I probably need to do something. Last night, I was awoken by screaming tornado sirens at 1:30am. The power was already off, which I didn't know. Ended up being a pretty scary event, with vicious lightning, lots of wind, downed trees. Power was out for 2 hours......and I was manually scooping water out of our sump-pump and dumping outside until the power came back on around 3am. Geez........

I have one of these power centers [EDIT/CORRECTION: I actually have the same one as LuvMyQuad]

It's no longer available. Supposedly it will sacrifice itself if necessary. I know of one time that it did what it was supposed to. There are similar units available nowadays as others have noted. Can't see being without something like this. [I'm waiting for the thread "Can you hear the difference between power centers." ]

The other thing we have is a small portable generator. It's a Honda rated for 2000va. It has an inverter which allows you to safely hook up electronics such as a TV or computer without danger of frying anything. More importantly, you can hook up your sump pump to it...a lot easier than manual bailing, which I also went through before buying the generator.

We had a whopper of a storm that hit in the middle of the night last night. It made me think I need better protection with my audio/video equipment. Considering most of us have multiple devices that need "plugged in"......how or what do you do to help protect this stuff?

I'll start off by saying, I don't have any protection......I Know, I Know......I probably need to do something. Last night, I was awoken by screaming tornado sirens at 1:30am. The power was already off, which I didn't know. Ended up being a pretty scary event, with vicious lightning, lots of wind, downed trees. Power was out for 2 hours......and I was manually scooping water out of our sump-pump and dumping outside until the power came back on around 3am. Geez........

 

[Audiowannabee]

Yep lightening UNPLUG

 

[HomerJAU]

I’m using CyberPower UPS’s with power and Ethernet protection in my home office (my 12 disc NAS, PC and wifi printer) and in my network hub room (under stairs - Cable modem, router, network switches, security camera NAS, gate automation and UI interface).

At my two media systems I have lightning protection power boards that include Ethernet and TV aerial protection.

I’ve not had any bad experience protecting Ethernet for many years.

I told a story in another thread about my mate having ALL his AV gear destroyed by a lighting strike outside on his cable TV cable. Since all hi equipment was interconnected via Ethernet cables everything was affected.

 

[Tornado Red]

Here's what I did for protection a few years ago on my system. For outside spikes coming from the power grid, I have a whole house surge protector at the entry of my main panel. My belief is that spikes coming from outside will not likely be stopped by anything you plug into the wall. While the whole house protector will hopefully take care of that, there are also internal spikes from within the house created mostly by compressors (for me, air conditioning, fridge/freezer and air compressor). Since these come from within, the whole house protector may not capture the energy here, so I used these Leviton 20 amp surge protected plugs behind my system when I rewired with AC90 cable:
https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-5380...hite&qid=1558654714&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
...and as has already been mentioned, if your fear is a direct lighting hit, nothing here will help short of unplugging.

 

[Fourplay]

I agree with Fourplay. Plug everything into surge-protected power strip(s) with on/off switches. The strips are switched on only during use.

And just to be clear, switching off the strip but leaving it plugged into the wall is not adequate for a direct lightning strike. Yes, unplugging is slightly inconvenient, but imagine the inconvenience of losing your whole system, going through insurance, and (whether covered or not) replacing the system. My protection process consumes less than 2 minutes time per day.

As for components that offer reimbursement for damaged equipment, that is encouraging, but again there is the downtime and hassle of reassembling a system if ever there is a breach. Makes your choices and place your bets!

 

[Frogmort]

I just have 2 powerstrips. I always shut everything down at the end of the night, then turn off the powerstrips, then unplug them. If there's a power surge or lightning strike while I'm not in my HT/listening room, nothing is even plugged in, so it's fine, if I'm in the middle of listening to something when a storm hits, I just hope for the best and turn it up.

 

[bossfan]

I have my system on a Sony power strip that also "cleans" the line. A month or two we had a weird power surge in the neighbourhood that blew out of stove and furnace. The Sony strip I am sure saved my equipment. It was buzzing like crazy (first time it ever made that sound) but it saved the equipment. It happened again a day or two later...Same buzzing sound but equipment all ok.

 

[markshan]

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-5t3h9FLU5bh/p_299M5100EX/Panamax-MAX-5100-EX.html

I was very lucky to get this at the thrift for $5.

That said, unplugging is the only sure thing.