Thunderstorms are a beautiful and scary aspect of mother nature.However, if you know that a thunderstorm is around the corner, make sure to get yourself indoors as this is your safest option.
Being indoors, will protect you from strong winds, heavy rains and the scariest of them all, lightning!
So, you are indoors. The only thing now is to keep yourself entertained during this thunderstorm (as having a barbecue now is not really ideal). Obviously you turn to your electronic devices (computers, televisions, gaming consoles etc) to pass your time.
But, are you putting yourself at risk when using electronics during a thunderstorm?
Should you unplug electronics during a thunderstorm?
Yes. The safest precautions you can take during a thunderstorm when indoors, is to unplug your electronics and avoid the use of electronics completely.
Lightning can generate voltages of up to 15 million volts and has temperatures that reach up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,760 degrees Celsius)! If a power line is struck near your home, this voltage can travel through your electrical system frying all your electronics.
What is involved in a thunderstorm?
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, is essentially rain and thunder.
If you have experienced a thunderstorm, you know you first see lightning and shortly after hear thunder. This thunder is caused by lightning.
Since light travels faster than sound, you see the lightning first and then hear the thunder.
Lightning
Lightning is one of the main attractions of a thunderstorm. The thing that most people might not know is there are two types of lightning; Cloud to Cloud, and Cloud to Ground.
Cloud to Cloud lightning is the most common of lightning and occurs when light jumps from one cloud to the next. Most of us will probably only have witnessed cloud to cloud lightning as it makes up 80% of lightning strikes.
Cloud to cloud lightning strikes do not pose any threat to people, homes, electrical systems etc. So, electronic devices will not be affected by them.
Cloud to Ground lightning is the second kind of lightning and is synonymous with destruction. As the name suggests, cloud to ground lightning involves lightning that travels from clouds to the ground or objects on ground (including humans).
This kind of lightning poses the most amount of threat. If a person is struck by cloud to ground lightning it can cause serious harm and even death. So, if ever you find yourself in a thunderstorm, make sure to get yourself indoors and away from open spaces.
It can strike trees, houses causing fires and power lines causing power outages.
This is the type of lighting that can cause damage to your electronics if they are plugged in during a thunderstorm.
How to stay safe
Like I mentioned, if you are caught outdoors during a thunderstorm, get yourself indoors or undercover as soon as possible.
If you are indoors here are some measures you can take to keep yourself and others safe.
Avoid the use of corded phones, computers and devices which put you in direct contact with electricity.
Also, avoid the direct contact of plumbing, including sinks, baths, and taps (faucets). Concrete walls and floors should be avoided too.
How often does lightning strike?
Cloud to ground lightning is said to strike the earth at least 100 times per second. This is about 8 million strikes per day and 3 billion per year.
This frequency is quite frightening. But, you might not be in an area in the world where lightning occurs everyday.
Lightning may not be evenly distributed worldwide, but 70% of lightning strikes occur in the tropics.
Venezuela is a country that has the most lightning strikes worldwide. But, Africa is the continent that is the main hot spot of lightning strikes.
Saying this however, no matter where you live you are not exempt from thunderstorms and lightning strikes.
So you will have to put measures in place to protect yourself and your electronics in the event of a thunderstorm.
Power Surges
You would have most likely witnessed a power surge sometime in your life. When all the power goes off for a split second and then back on again (that is why if you are working on a computer, saving your work constantly should be a habit).
A power surge or voltage spike happens when something boosts the electrical charge of a power line, which then increases the potential energy, and current flowing into your homes.
Power surges are common, so do not be afraid if one does happen to you in the near future. It is also more common in homes with faulty or older wiring.
Signs that a Power surge has occurred
There are few signs that indicate that a power surge has occurred.
The most obvious and one that people would have first hand experience with is, when all power shuts off briefly and then back on again.
You might have been watching TV when it turned off and then back on. Or, maybe you had the misfortune of writing an essay on your computer and a power surge wiped out all your hard work (save constantly!).
Next, is that your circuit breaker would have been tripped. Circuit breakers are put in place as a way of combating power surges (I will talk in more detail later on).
Also, surge protectors might reset during a power surge.
Why are electronic devices affected by power surges?
Power surges, depending on the external source, can cause large spikes in voltage and current flow through your power outlet which all your electrical devices are connected to.
Depending on where you live in the world your home will receive a different level of electrical power.
For this example let us look at the electrical power of the United States of America which is 120 volts. This voltage is an alternating voltage with its peak being 169 volts.
Home appliances like your toaster, television, microwave are connected to a power outlet, and are designed to operate below this 169 volt range.
Trying to operate electronic devices outside this range can be harmful to them.
What a power surge does is increase the voltage past its nominal values for a certain time period. This can cause damage to electronic devices as it causes a spike in current which causes an increase in heat that can damage circuit boards and components.
Ways to protect against power surge?
Modern devices are much smaller and more sensitive to surges in power. So, they require protection from spikes in energy.
Microprocessors (which are found in many devices found at home) are sensitive devices that require a stable voltage to operate. So fluctuations in voltage are not ideal.
So, how do we protect them against these power surges?
Surge protectors are your best option when it comes to protecting your devices from power spikes.
It is a device that is plugged into an electrical outlet and our electronic device which you are trying to protect gets plugged into the surge protector.
If there is a power spike, the surge protector will divert that energy into its grounding wire.
Another option is something called a surge arrestor. It is installed at the point where power enters your house. It can protect your devices from voltages up to 6000 volts.
Some complicated systems even monitor the weather and cut power to sensitive devices.
You will need to consult a technician if you are considering installing a surge arrestor system.
What causes Power surges?
There are several causes of power surges, but some of them are more common than others.
The most common factors are high powered power electrical devices, faulty or older wiring, and lighting.
First on the list is, high powered electrical devices.
High powered electrical devices, include devices that run using large compressors and motors.
They include things like elevators, air conditioners, and fridges. The reason they can cause power surges is, due to the fact it takes a lot of energy to turn on and off these compressors and motors.
This switching causes more power needed by that device and hinders the steady flow of voltage. This then causes a power surge which affects other devices.
Second is faulty or older wiring.
Delivering power from a power station to a home is a very complex task.
It involves a lot of power lines and wiring. This opens up the possibility to many points of failure along the way.
Faulty wiring as well as older wiring (which is more prone to failure) can be dangerous and upset the flow of electricity thus causing power surges.
Finally, one of the greatest causes of power surges, and the most lethal is, lightning.
Lightning can strike power lines or underground systems causing massive spikes in energy.
Now while a lightning strike to a power line near your house is less likely, it will cause more damage to your electrical devices than your fridge would.
As we saw earlier, lightning can generate voltages up to 15 million volts. This is enough to overpower any protection you have in place.
Why it is important to unplug your electronics during a thunderstorm
So I have covered thunderstorms, power surges, surge protectors and electronic device ratings.
You now know that electronic and electrical devices have ratings of voltage that are safe for them to operate within.
Lighting is one of the most dangerous aspects of a thunderstorm and the most damaging of power surges.
It can generate voltages in excess of 15 million volts. This type of energy will destroy any surge protectors put in place to protect your electronics.
So, the only thing you can do to protect your electronic devices during a thunderstorm is to unplug them.
I know the likelihood of a lightning strike on a power line near your home is low, but it is best to avoid any risk.
You do want to risk getting zapped while unplugging devices during a thunderstorm, so it is best practice to unplug them before a thunderstorm.
Keep an eye out daily on your local weather forecast for reports on any incoming thunderstorms.
Staying one step ahead will allow you to be safe and keep your electronic devices undamaged.
What devices are likely to get damaged?
Now while you would not go unplug every single device connected to a power outlet, as I mentioned earlier, there are some devices more prone to damage than others.
Devices that have microprocessors or that are more sensitive to a spike in voltage.
They could include things like your computer, television, gaming consoles, corded telephones, modems, microwaves, toasters, coffee machines, hair straighteners etc.
While this is just a small list, there are many more devices. This is just to give you an idea of what kind of devices you would want to unplug.
Safety
If you ever come across faulty wiring that you suspect is causing power surges, consult an expert like an Electrician to evaluate it. Do not try to fix it yourself.
Also, if a power line is struck by lightning near your home and your household has been affected, stay away from power points during the duration of the thunderstorm.
Use phones that do not have cords to contact your power company to see what they are doing to rectify this issue.
