On Jun 4, 11:45*am, Frank wrote:
On Jun 4, 10:43*am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:



We had a near lightening strike that sent a surge though the power lines.
Not sure where the hit was, but I did have some damage.

My wife called me at work after a thunderstorm and said she saw a big red
ball in the driveway and then some of the lights went out. *The doorbell
rang and would not stop ringing. *I told her to take a wire off the chimes
and they stopped, but a breaker was tripped and would not reset. *The bell
button has a diode in it and that may have taken the hit.

When I got home, I took the two wires off of the breaker and it still did
not reset so I replaced the breaker. *One of the circuits was OK, the other
had a short and tripped the breaker. *Since it was not getting dark and it
was still raining, the hunt would wait a day. *Next day, I went out to the
(detached) garage and found an X-10 module I use to control an outdoor light
was blown apart and burnt. *The plastic cover was gone, the insides were
soot covered. * I'm wondering if the jolt came in that way or out, it was
the furthest away from the electric panel.

I'm going to replace the receptacle it was plugged into also. *I've not
pulled that out yet, but I'm not taking any chances. *Once replaced. I'll
hook the wire back to the breaker.

Losses we *HD TV, Surround sound receiver, X-10 module, computer router,
doorbell.

The good news is: *I now have a 47" TV with far better picture than my 5
year old 32" and a better sound system.
More stuff is on surge protectors too.

I've got all my electronic stuff on surge protectors and APC's. *Don't
like the idea of a whole house protector as I've seen them get knocked
out and then you are at the mercy of getting in an electrician.
Also power company is reticent to take any blame even when it is their
fault because they saved money in tree trimming. *And, with a $500
insurance deductible plus value proration, insurance company is a PITA
too.

I know they don't work well enough every time but . I had my whole
house lightning protectors blown out of there box, nothing else was
harmed. I hate to think of the damage that would have been done if I
hadn't had them


Jimmie