Thunderstorm Damage

[Riley-Maine]

Over the weekend a severe thunderstorm came throughmy area. I suffered a lot of damage to electronics in the house. I lost a TV, a Direct TV receiver and a PlayStation 4. I had all connected to surge protectors butthat did not matter. Also, no electric in the bathroom and a bedroom.

My Skeeter was charging at the time. After thestorm, bank 1 of my Minn Kota 330 charger was showing red. I replaced the fusesand then reconnected. Upon reconnect, with the charger unplugged, it sparks bigtime at the battery. I verified all connections are proper: + to + and – to -.So, I’m going to replace the charger. I assume it is junk. Could the batteryhave been damaged? It is only a week old. How about the boat? It turns over butI have not had a chance to run it. What should I be looking for as far asdamage to the boats electric system & electronics?

Thanks,
Riley

[ColdSVT]

Surge protectors are good for a slight power surge but they are no match for a bolt of lightning...

I'd test the batts to see if they are ok

[bshort]

You can test the batteries with a load meter. It will tell you their overall health.

[bdog7198]

Do a full house surge protector, had them installed in 2 of my houses and have gotten hit twice since the install. Lost no electronics, just a quick replacement of the surge protector which is WAY easier than a bunch of fried electronics.

[catjuggin]

Do a full house surge protector, had them installed in 2 of my houses and have gotten hit twice since the install. Lost no electronics, just a quick replacement of the surge protector which is WAY easier than a bunch of fried electronics.

Is this installed between the meter and the shut off panel or in front of the breaker box?

[bdog7198]

Is this installed between the meter and the shut off panel or in front of the breaker box?

Both of mine are installed right before the breaker box.

[gr8shot]

I had the power company put a surge protector at my meter after losing a TV and 2 computers to lightning. Have not had a problem since. Best 5.00 per month i have spent.

[BigDave65]

Lightning ran in on my on board charger a few years ago. Killed the charger, my cranking battery, the system check tachometer, and not long after I had to replace the power pack. Turned into a pricey ordeal!

[imthemedic]

The surge protectors work up until a point. One overlooked area is the low voltage side of the house. Lighting frequently travels through phone, cable and internet lines.

[CastingCall]

Both of mine are installed right before the breaker box.

Do you get any discount from your insurance co. having this installed?
Curious if that is an option, since I'd think it could reduce their claim expenses.

[Jim R]

Over the weekend a severe thunderstorm came throughmy area. I suffered a lot of damage to electronics in the house. I lost a TV, a Direct TV receiver and a PlayStation 4. I had all connected to surge protectors butthat did not matter. Also, no electric in the bathroom and a bedroom.

My Skeeter was charging at the time. After thestorm, bank 1 of my Minn Kota 330 charger was showing red. I replaced the fusesand then reconnected. Upon reconnect, with the charger unplugged, it sparks bigtime at the battery. I verified all connections are proper: + to + and – to -.So, I’m going to replace the charger. I assume it is junk. Could the batteryhave been damaged? It is only a week old. How about the boat? It turns over butI have not had a chance to run it. What should I be looking for as far asdamage to the boats electric system & electronics?

Thanks,
Riley

Sorry to hear that, hope you make out ok.

[bdog7198]

Do you get any discount from your insurance co. having this installed?
Curious if that is an option, since I'd think it could reduce their claim expenses.

If I remember correctly yes, we did them 2 years ago.

[ericm]

Do a full house surge protector, had them installed in 2 of my houses and have gotten hit twice since the install. Lost no electronics, just a quick replacement of the surge protector which is WAY easier than a bunch of fried electronics.

I just had this add to my main box when we had our backup generator installed. The surge whole house protector was only $255.00 installed. They mounted ours reight at the main panel.

[trashmanssd]

Getting whole house surge protector put on my panel in next few weeks along with adding a few outlets and putting a mini split in our bedroom.

[dean c]

Neighbor took a hit...same thing, lost all his TV's, GFI's, and damaged his whole house generator..actually saw fire bolt come out of his bedroom outlet...scary!