lightning damage????

[m3trj]

Benjamin Franklin proved that static electricity was the basis of lightning. Lightning is caused by static electricity, and therefore there is a high presence of static electricity in the atmosphere when there is an electrical storm. This is usually what damages computer equipment.

EMI is electromagnetic radiation. This is things like radio waves, and they are given out during lightning strikes but do not cause damage, only interference to radio services.

Appliences may well explode if lightning strikes nearby, as this happened to my parents once. The fridge, TV, and the electric fire literally exploded causing rather a lot of damage. A surge protector isn't designed to cope with these voltages.

A residual current circuit breaker (RCCB) is designed to cut when there is an inbalance in the current in the live and neutral wires, and this takes a few milliseconds, the time taken for lightning to travel across the connections.

EDIT

I also notice that a lot of surge protectors say they will protect from lightning, but I'm not sure how well this works, and it still won't protect from static in a storm.

 

[jolancer]

static electricity may be how lightning is formed, but its not static once it starts causing damage.

EMI is actually totaly different then radio waves. EMI is caused by the expantion or collaps of a magnetic field EMI- electro magnetic induction, or interfeirence, or whatever i dont remember. Every electrical line has a feild around it when its powered, once u turn off the current the field collapsess witch can cause an induction to a nearby line. this is all dependent on other factors though.

id have to see an applienece explode to believe it, its more likely that there was a gas leak, and a spark or something caused the fridge and stuff to explode.

like i said though, the breaker isnt protecting agains a direct lightning strike, its protecting against the current spike from the lighting passing by.

 

[m3trj]

Sorry, I misunderstood about EMI. I don't know a lot about induction, and I don't know what it does to computers. But it's usually the static in the atmosphere during a storm that causes damage to computers. His computer won't have taken a direct lightning hit or I guess it wouldn't turn on.

 

[majistic]

During any thunderstorm you should make sure that your computer and modem are off...

 

[jolancer]

But it's usually the static in the atmosphere during a storm that causes damage to computers

i dont see how that is. please explain?