How To Protect Your Computer In A Storm

By Cloud Geek
in Essential Guides

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Grand Master

GrimReeper

Posted
Posted
I bought a REAL UPS it was $200. last spring we had a big storm (normal in Texas) and the electricity went out -

For 10 minutes, I still had the computer on - w/ an annoying beep every 5 seconds coming from the UPS - I powered everything down and unplugged from the wall - now my battery inside is dead - and that was the only time the battery was ever used...

guess it was a waste of $200

;(

I just wish the geek squad logo would come off.

What do you mean by a "real ups" is that brand or are you stating that cheap ups arent real. I'm not really following you sorry. That sucks it only lasted 1 use :( I wouldn't expect anything more from BestBuy or the geeksquad who as everyone knows are hardly geeks at all.

Grand Master

TEX4S

Posted
Posted
What do you mean by a "real ups" is that brand or are you stating that cheap ups arent real. I'm not really following you sorry. That sucks it only lasted 1 use :( I wouldn't expect anything more from BestBuy or the geeksquad who as everyone knows are hardly geeks at all.

Sorry I shouldnt have capitalized it --- I meant "real" as in those el-cheapos arent even surge protectors - they are surge suppresors - (think of the $20.00 Wal-mart versions)

I am referring to pretty much any surge protector less than $30. +/- Not necessarily referring to the smaller less expensive UPS - the smaller APC are great, pretty reliable - I just had to get a bigger one because of all the junk in my system.

Sorry for the confusion there :blink:

I know those supposed Geek Squad guys dont know as much as my c0cker spaniel (well most of them) - youre right about not expecting much - but I thought it was an APC just re-badged - because obviously BestBuy didnt make it - I always lived by the rule of get the more expensive stuff - it will pay off in the long run - I guess this time my life-long theory went to crap.

Proficient

[deXter]

Posted
Posted
Do you have a link to Mark's article on this? I'd love to read it!

I read it in his book "The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide". I doubt it would be online in any legal form, but I can quote this from the book:

"Believe it or not, some researchers found this one out. It makes the lightning surge work against itself, and burn out the power cord, NOT the PC. And it works--Washington had the biggest thunderstorm it had had in years in the summer of 1989, and the stuff with knots in the cords rode it out without a hitch. The TV didn't have knots in the cord, and I've got to get around to buying a new TV."

"The following year, a bolt hit my Telephone line. It literally toasted the line from the telephone pole to my house, little crispy brown bits flaked off at the touch. But once inside, the bolt hit my five knots, and nothing inside was fried. Why did I tie the knots? I got tired of losing a modem every summer to lightning."

The basic theory is that the knots in the cord act like a coil. When a high enough power flows through the knots, the magnetic filed (or emf) generated is strong enough to oppose the flow current, thus supressing the surge.

Mentor

wst50

Posted
Posted

The basic theory is that the knots in the cord act like a coil. When a high enough power flows through the knots, the magnetic filed (or emf) generated is strong enough to oppose the flow current, thus supressing the surge.

Keep it away from hard discs though... saved the hardware, lost everything on the HDD though. not a good comprimise.

I lost a graphics card from a power cut. When the power came back on, it must have fried it. Turned on the compy and nothing happened minus a mega load roaring from the fans...

Whooops!

Mentor

_dandy_

Posted
Posted

I've always followed Mark Minasi's advice of tying 4-5 knots in the main power cord (the one that connects your spike guard to the mains). The idea is that incase of a lightning strike, the only damage that will be done will be to the wire. I've been doing this since the last 10-15 years and have never faced a problem. :)

So exactly how many times has your system actually been struck by lightning, and thus actually saved by those knots?

  • 2 weeks later...
Grand Master

Cloud Geek

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
I just leave mine on and have a UPS. Never had a problem, although that might be just due to luck.

probably just luck but this advice is to those who do not shut down during thunderstorms and the people who do not want to loose their data or hardware that they payed for "precocious" "careful" people

and probably should shut down during wind rain and ice storms due to the fact that falling trees may also affect power

and computers should be off and unplugged when changing fuses.

Edited by MvT Cracker
  • 1 month later...
Community Regular

TakeNothingBack

Posted
Posted

My modem has been fried a few times now, no problems though, my isp replaces them free of charge for the next few years but still, i get very concsious when I see black clouds, ive been planning on buying something like a 6 port power board with ethernet ports and so forth but it's about AU$200, not only do I need more 6 plugs but are the things reliable? Would leaving my computer on in a storm be safe in the case of lightning?

Grand Master

Raa

Posted
Posted
my PC is always ON ... approx 17-18 hours a day ...and in night some time also it is ON ....

You really should turn it off, or at least standby the pc so you can resume quickly (I do this)

I can't believe you run your pc that much - do you download all day? :p

Having said that, I leave my pc on during storms (been 15 years now), funnily enough it was my iMac that got struck while at a friends place, $140(AU) for a new power card and it was working again! lol. Talk about unlucky!

I have a double surgeguard/line filter on the main pc, and the server/switch/modem/phone/voip is on UPS.

Collaborator

Sigmatic.Minor

Posted
Posted
funnily enough it was my iMac that got struck while at a friends place, $140(AU) for a new power card and it was working again! lol. Talk about unlucky!

Yeah I never did give you the money for that replacement part either :p

then again, wasnt completely my fault my house decided to become a hostile imac killer... *ahem*

Mentor

|Rapture|

Posted
Posted
I've always followed Mark Minasi's advice of tying 4-5 knots in the main power cord (the one that connects your spike guard to the mains). The idea is that incase of a lightning strike, the only damage that will be done will be to the wire. I've been doing this since the last 10-15 years and have never faced a problem.

This sounds like a great way to set your house on fire.

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