On Sun, 30 Oct 2016 19:59:56 -0500, wrote:

When there is a power outage, I normally shut off all the breakers
except one, That one is just somewhere that only serves a few outlets,
and I will plug in a lamp or something that wont get harmed, to tell me
the power came back on. When they turn the power on, there can be a
surge.

I have considered shutting off the breakers, but I just unplug the stuff
that has blown in the past due to power outages, such as the motor control
board on my washing machine (which had holes blown in it that showed up the
first time it was used after a series of power outages during the night).

I agree though that your method of shutting everything off is better, but we
get a lot of power outages (sometimes as many as a dozen a year) as I have
never seen a single year without at least a one day power outage.

We just got rain, for the first time since May or April, and the trees just
start to fall on the wires. They'll continue to do so until the rains stop
in about April or May.

However, I think lightning does more damage. Even if it dont hit the
power lines directly, it comes thru the wires. That includes the phone
lines. I have lost several modems over the years. Now, I unplug the
phone line all the time I'm not using the modem, and shut everything
down when there is lightning in the area.

I would tend to agree with you. We don't get lightning much out here, but it
sometimes happens (once every five years or so). It even makes the news when
it happens, it's that infrequent.

So, for us, it's the frequent power outages, particularly the ones where the
power flickers on and off repeatedly for fifteen minutes to an hour, before
finally going out for a half day or two.