Love it when people are so knowledgeable that they only need
make a declaration, never need provide any numbers, never
provide examples, demonstrate no grasp of technical facts, and
insist they should be believed blindly. Only they can be
trusted to know.
Your telco's $multi-million switching computer connects to
overhead wires everything in town. Since nothing can protect
from lightning, then one week every year, you are without
phone service when the lightning damaged computer is
replaced. Those cell phone towers stop providing service for
a week to replace destroyed equipment. Commercial FM and TV
stations atop the Empire State Building are out of service for
26 weeks every year due to the 26 direct lightning strikes
every year. No wonder those communication and equipment
manufacturers are so profitable.
When was Pop going to reconcile these examples with his
knowledge? Or are we to believe only he knows what is right?
Pop never provides any supporting theory, numbers, or
technical citation with his claim. He just knows.
It is routine to earth lightning before it gets inside the
building; no damage. If nothing can protect from lightning,
then why install any surge protector? What else overwhelms
protection already inside appliances if not lightning?
Appliances already have internally any protection that is
effective on the power cord. Protection that assumes the
seriously destructive transient such as lightning will be
earthed before it can enter the building. Computers are some
of the most robust appliances. For example, look at a
computer grade UPS output when in battery backup mode. 120
volts on this one is really two 200 volt square waves with up
to a 270 volt spike between those square waves. This output
can even damage some small electric motors. But this output
is perfectly fine for computers because computer power
supplies are (as required by Intel specs) so robust.
But even computer internal protection can be overwhelmed it
destructive lightning is permitted to find earth ground,
destructively, via that computer. Even the robust computer
needs lightning to be earthed before it can enter the
building. This is called 'whole house' protection - on every
incoming utility wire.
Whole house protection is not standard in most homes. If
the homeowner does not specifically request it during new
construction (only in the past few years) OR has not has it
installed, then 'whole house' protection does not exist.
Furthermore, if the building's earthing system is not to a
single point - is not properly installed - then the 'whole
house' protector is still ineffective.
We earth every incoming utility, either via a 'whole house'
protector or via a dedicated ground wire, to the single point
ground. That is for lightning protection - so that lightning
will not overwhelm protection already inside all appliances.
IOW we first learn what was well proven and well understood
more than 60 years ago. Back then, the only buildings with
electronics to protect were telephone switching centers,
commercial broadcasters, communication towers, etc. Today
every building has transistors - requires properly earthed
protection especially from lightning. Its called learning
from those who proved the science before declaring nothing can
protect from lightning. It is routine to suffer direct
lightning strikes to incoming utility wires and not suffer
damage. The technology was that well proven for too many
decades.
Unfortunately most homes still don't have protection
sufficient for transistor appliances. Using protectors that
cost about $1 per protected appliance.
Pop wrote:
Whole house protection is a standard option these days
for the Mains boxes and is readily avaliable. However,
that does not negate the need for surge protection on
sensitive equipment like computers: It's a different
level of protection and also surges are created within
the house environ also.
NOTHING will protect against all lightning strikes,
especially if they are close by.
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