Should you unplug your electronic devices during a storm ?

© Unsplash/Jonathan Bowers

• Lightning can indeed damage or destroy electronic devices, especially when living in a sparsely populated area
• To protect yourself, you should therefore unplug your devices a priori
• However, alternatives exist for more sensitive devices

Lightning is an electrical discharge that occurs between two areas of opposite charges, in clouds or between clouds and the ground. Lightning can reach several million volts and several tens of thousands of amperes. When it strikes the ground or an object, lightning can cause thermal, mechanical, but also – and this is the number one problem for electronic – electromagnetic devices.

The risks associated with lightning are significantly lower in cities than in the countryside, due to the proximity of high points more likely to attract lightning. According to data from the French Tornado and Violent Storm Observatory (KERAUNOS), there were 1,362,000 lightning strikes in France in 2022, including 1,045,000 on the ground.

Some electronic devices are very sensitive to the effects of lightning (but not all)

However, if many electronic devices are sensitive to the effects of lightning, it is because they contain components that can be damaged by overvoltage or overcurrent. Depending on how the lightning strikes them, the consequences can be more or less serious.

If lightning directly hits the device or the cable that connects it to the electrical network, it will generally destroy it completely (burn it), or even cause a fire . If lightning strikes an electrical line, telephone line or antenna near the device, it can create an overvoltage which propagates in the network and reaches the device, then more often causing malfunctions, breakdowns or damage.< /p>

The electronic devices in the home that are most sensitive to lightning are those that have contact with the outside, such as televisions, computers, internet boxes, landline phones or game consoles. These devices can be struck by lightning either directly or via power lines, telephone lines or antennas and satellite dishes.

It is therefore advisable to unplug them in the event of a storm or to couple them to a surge protector power strip with antenna or telephone line protection. In some cases, such as computers, an inverter may be necessary, especially if the latter must remain permanently switched on – but this is not necessarily essential.

Other electrical appliances can also be damaged by lightning, even if they have no contact with the outside. These include appliances that have sensitive electrical components, such as the compressor or capacitor. These appliances include the refrigerator, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, oven or microwave.

Some electrical appliances are less sensitive to lightning because they have low power consumption or good insulation. Examples include lamps, fans, radios, and phone chargers.

How to protect everything in the event of a storm?

Obviously, as the title of this article suggests, the easiest way is to unplug all the devices that need it in the event of a storm. But this solution is not always very practical. Above all, it is impossible to implement it when you go on vacation, for example.

The first thing to do for a more permanent solution, especially if you live in a house located in an open area, is probably to have a lightning rod installed, that is to say a long metal rod on the roof that will attract and conduct lightning to the ground safely. Contacting a professional will allow you to determine if this is necessary or recommended in your case.

A complementary device is the installation of a surge protector at the electrical panel. This device blocks surges that can affect your power line. In addition, there are surge protector power strips with antenna and telephone line protection. They are ideal for televisions, landline telephones or ADSL boxes.

If you are worried that lightning will trip your system, you can also install an inverter on certain devices such as the ADSL box that remain on permanently. This can help you keep internet access active for a few dozen minutes or hours if lightning has caused damage to your power line.

These inverters are equipped with a more or less powerful battery, as well as filters that prevent surges. Protect your electronic devices against lightning ? Have any of your devices ever burned out after a storm ? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

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