Lightning storm question ?

Question

if there was a lightning storm what would happen if i left my pc - tv - ps3 on and the wires got hit by the lighting and what do you do if a storm happens.

10 points 4 best scientific answer

Answer 1

I'm not much on being scientific, however, I always unplug my electronic stuff (like computers) anytime I hear thunder.  A lightening strike will burn the stuff up.  I use a surge protector, but I really doubt that it would stop lightening.  I use it to protect against power line surges that can occur for many different reasons.

Answer 2

My friend had a lightning strike on her house a couple of years ago and anything that was plugged in to the electricity, tv antenna or the phone line was toast

Answer 3

In the event of a lightning strike, there is a surge in the amount of electricity that's normally flowing through your house's wiring.

Your PC, PS3 and your TV all have circuit boards inside of them, and circuit boards contain delicate components. The excessive amount of voltage being introduced to these appliances can easily exceed their design capacity ~ and it destroys their circuitry.

The best thing to do is to plug electronic components into a surge protector. It looks like a short extension cord with multiple plug ins, and it's designed to blow a fuse or trip the circuit within the cord in the event of an electrical surge. Even when your stuff is plugged into a surge protector, it's still a good idea to avoid using them during a thunder storm.

Answer 4

A guy I work with had a lightening strike at his home just last July.  The Computers, TV, telephone were cooked.  The surge protectors they had were inadequate to protect them.  In one section of his house the wiring was damaged and had to be replaced.

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Answer 5

It all acts like an earth to a ligtning strike and deffo come off the phone.

lightning needs a leader to strike and these objects with copper wires are a prime target. Fit an anti surge plug to all electrical equipment but as i say do not use a phone  

Answer 6

Many of the electrical items you use in your home have a high output - like kettles -  and are protected by a 13 amp fused plug.  Some are less, like your tv or pc which can be as low as 3 amps.

A lightning strike is around 100,000 amps and has a temperature of several thousand degrees fahrenheit which causes the surrounding air to explode - which is what thunder is.  Six amps can kill a human.

The upshot of all this is that should your home encounter a direct lightning strike all electrical equipment including the junction box could be destroyed.  It is very likely that your house would also be structurally damaged and it may set on fire.

The odds are of course against this but should you be concerned you can simply unplug any electrical items you wish to safeguard.  Surge protectors do not protect against the catastrophic effects of lightning.