Add getting your house struck by lightning to the list of things I do not recommend.

Tuesday night. Florida doin' Florida things. Notice the storm is spicing up nice. Suddenly a flash and a loud pop. Suddenly both my TVs were dead. Ok.... this ain't good. 

Yep, my house has just been hit by one of the most common afflictions in Florida. Excellent. How bad is this going to be? 

Check the living room TVs. Those don't fire up. Uh oh. could be the surge protectors. Nope, those appear to be fine. plug in other known functional charging implements and test. Solid. Fuuuuuu.... Yep. Those TVs are d-e-d dead. Internet is down. That's...whatever. Spectrum sucks anyhow. Fire up Xbox #1. It makes the familiar noise. Fire up Xbox #2. Or...attempt to. It stares at me blankly, refusing to light up its on button, dull black hue and grayed over x suggesting a far more cartoonish (and accurate) dead eye than a portal to entertainment. Storm 2- me-1. Next up is the ps5. That one I am concerned about because it was in rest mode and is now completely black. FORTUNATELY, it appears to work, or at least turn on after a press of the manual on button on the unit itself. We're making progress. The ps3.....not so lucky. It appears to be a brick. Could be dead ports in the surge protector, I don't know for sure. That isn't AS much of a concern, as ps3's have pretty much bottomed out right now and are very inexpensive to replace. And I have a spare. Bedroom TV is fine, all other inside appliances appear to be ok. So far. Go out to the garage where the breaker panel is to see if there's any blown switches. All appear to be in order. Hit the garage door opener to go outside and see what else happened. 

Nothing. 

Uhhh.....

Notice that the button is not lit up. Ok, that's...less than ideal. Not bad, because the car was actually outside and I know how to pull the emergency handle thing anyhow. Check the lasers and all the lights on the unit. Dead. Plug the charger for my Stihl Kombi unit into the outlet the opener is on to verify it still has power. Fires right up. Outlet is fine, but my garage door opener is berkeleyed. EXCELLENT. Good thing I don't use that EVERY SINGLE DAY OR ANYTHING.  Whatever. Go outside, assess the area, determine that it's not going to burn down, decide I've had enough fun for the evening, and turn in. 

The next morning- Verify all the electrics. Yep. Still no TVs and no Xbox. Ok, we have insurance through Duke and our renters. Time to start makin' phone calls. Also call the rental company to tell them to come and fix their garage door, and spectrum to fix their internet, since that still isn't working. Spectrum is the first to arrive. As terrible as they are, their techs are oddly prompt, and easy to work with. They verify that there was indeed a "Surge event" and that half my neighborhood still doesn't have internet. They had to replace a main line that morning. It had also apparently taken both my modem and my router, so that's fun. Get my internet back, decide we need to get on the road because we've got to go to Best Buy to have Geek Squad verify that my Xbox is indeed berkeleyed (because apparently those guys are smarter than me? Like I don't know how to push an ON button?)  and start the claims process. I run back inside to grab something, when I hear the door open.

"Car won't start"

The berkeley you say. Go out, sure enough, car will not start. She's fooked. Turns on, lights up, turns over, will not start. It's going to be one of two things given what I know, and I am officially really not happy. Get that bitch towed to the dealer (because based on my WAG I want documentation- and I'm figuring dealer documenation is gonna work a lot better here....) and find a rental car. Book a rental car. Get to the rental car place.

They don't have the motherberkeleying rental car. According to them "You can book whatever you want on the site but it's not guaranteed to be in stock". So my choices are a minivan, or a Nissan Talltima that someone's just smoked a pound of weed in (I wish I was joking here.) I would have taken the berkeleyin' van but the Mrs. does all the driving and hates big cars so off in the felony flyer we go. A cursory inspection indicated this thing has almost CERTAINLY been used in interstate drug trafficking, because all the hatch panels are moved around/misplaced, so that's fun. At least it's documented on the rental agreement that the car was like this when we got it? IDK.

Fast forward to today. Get the estimate back from the dealer. Yep, they think it's the ECU. I had a feeling the car too, took a hit from the lightning. That's pretty fun. So now is the debate, how do we handle this. I can claim it on insurance and let them fix it. I don't really want to buy a new car right now, especially since I JUST put a clutch in this stupid thing, but there is a very real possibility they could mechanically total it if it goes through insurance. I can get a (used) ECU for this car for as little as $40, or a verified working/programmed one for $400 (I Don't know that it needs to be programmed? it doesn't have chip keys or anti-theft of any kind that i'm aware of, but I am not a nissan service tech) and I am just violently frustrated right now. 

All in all, don't get your house struck by lightning. It's a bad time. 

Yeah, sister's house got hit by lightning last year.  Berked a lot of stuff up - HVAC system, TVs, an appliance or two, a computer, a router in her son's house next door  that was connected by ethernet cable across the yard, and some other stuff.

Best of luck getting it all sorted out.

When I was in the USAF we had a Major that our entire squadron more or less hated.  Just a solid dick bag of a guy.

He screwed us all over on the way out to go get some position that would hopefully lead to Lt Col.  (It didnt) and on the way out the door and moving his house was struck by lightning and completely burned down.  Thankfully his kids and their dog were at their mother's that week.  No one inside.

They sent the hat around to collect money and I dont know anyone that donated.

If it doesn't have chip keys or anti-theft you can probably slap a used ECU in and fire it up. Because the lightning was in no way your fault they shouldn't be able to find any excuse to raise your rates so this should be one of those rare situations where you can make the insurance pay for itself, but if you're worried about it getting totaled it may be worth spending the $40~$400 out of pocket.

GameboyRMH said:

If it doesn't have chip keys or anti-theft you can probably slap a used ECU in and fire it up. Because the lightning was in no way your fault they shouldn't be able to find any excuse to raise your rates so this should be one of those rare situations where you can make the insurance pay for itself, but if you're worried about it getting totaled it may be worth spending the $40~$400 out of pocket.

That's what we're gambling on at this point. We will see what happens. 

In reply to Mndsm :

I hate it for you. That sucks.

BTDT. Lightning struck the power pole in the front yard. 

Took out the TV, washing machine, refrigerator, every clock in the house, the phone, a pair of Cerwin Vega D9 speakers, and the Onkyo M-510 they were hooked to. 

The washing machine and refrigerator I was able to fix with parts from the local appliance junkyard The rest of it was permanently dead and this was in the days of repairable electronics. I guess it was a good thing it was before computers. 

Yeah I'd try and fire it up with an ECU off of some sketchy website before going down the insurance road myself...  As much of an annoyance as it is, tvs are cheap enough, I'd hate to risk a rate jack or even a nonrenewal for a few tvs, an xbox, and possibly an easy-ish car fix.

But that really does suck, regardless. 

Man, that's rough. As a kid, our house got struck by lightning. Loudest sound I ever heard. Then when I went into the kitchen I asked my father, "Why does it sound like a waterfall in here?" The lightning strike put tiny holes throughout the copper plumbing in the house.

We deal with this at work all the time. 
Another issue is that electronics don't always fail right away from the strike...we often get a radio tower struck, and dispatch the technicians...

Replace what has failed: surge suppressors, power supplies, etc. 

4 weeks later, something else fails at that site....6 weeks later, another component fails. 
The veteran techs I work with tell me it can take 3-4 months for all the damage to show itself. 

that was a funny read though

golfduke said:

Yeah I'd try and fire it up with an ECU off of some sketchy website before going down the insurance road myself...  As much of an annoyance as it is, tvs are cheap enough, I'd hate to risk a rate jack or even a nonrenewal for a few tvs, an xbox, and possibly an easy-ish car fix.

 

But that really does suck, regardless. 

 

Insurance option # 1 is duke energy. Unbeknownst to me- swmbo has been paying them "surge insurance" for an unspecified amount of time. This is something I might normally decline, but in the wake of how much they're charging me to keep my lights on, berkeley those guys. This one might actually work out in my favor, too. The two TVs in question were (definitely) purchased on sale, but the ARV is significantly higher than what I paid, and the way insurance generally works, at least as I understand it is it's a same for same, and the 2024 version of the TVs in question is 1100. Each. I could actually make a profit here if I do things right. 

camopaint0707 said:

that was a funny read though

I have a flair for the dramatic, what can I say. 

A few years ago, lightning hit the transformer in my back yard.  Fried my in ground well pump which was about ten feet away from the base of the pole.  $3,500 later, I had water again...

Been on three different sailboats that have had the mast his while I was on board.  Once in the Bahamas with 5 gallon jerry cans strapped to the shrouds!

We got struck by lightning in our old house. Lost the a/c, microwave and answering machine. Insurance covered it. 

Got struck last year. Garage door openers, various electronics and TVs to the tune of a couple grand-plus. We're in Florida, and insurance agent told us a claim would kill our chances of a renewal--and since even a no-claim renewal brings a hefty increase here, we sucked it up ourselves. I'm about one liveaboard boat or good-sized trailer away from going bareback. Let the storms take it, adapt to tiny living and move on.

Margie

Small update- Nissan dealership is going through the car to see if anything addtional is wrong, treating it as if it might be an insurance issue. I am officially NEVER buying a car from this particular dealer though- while the service department has been fine (they did the clutch a while back) berkeleyin' scumbag sales guy called and tried to sell swmbo a new car "because we noticed your car has been in for service several times recently" berkeley you man. She then said she wanted a Camry. He suggested a Leaf. She replied "Iono- this one was just struck by lightning, I'm not sure how I feel about electric cars right now". Which...is true a Camry Hybrid was on our short list. If this thing DOES get totalled I am absolutely buying a new/used ECU for it and seeing what happens. I don't GAF if it has a salvage title. it's got a brand new clutch in it. 

Mndsm said:

camopaint0707 said:

that was a funny read though

I have a flair for the dramatic, what can I say. 

The tags are pretty funny to go with the story. Although I'll take snow on my roof all winter to avoid the destruction of a direct lightning hit. 

Mndsm said:

She replied "Iono- this one was just struck by lightning, I'm not sure how I feel about electric cars right now". 

Yeah, I hate to think what would happen if lightning struck the house while an EV was plugged in.  Bricking the car is probably the best possible outcome there.

Sorry to hear it my friend.  Great write up.  I also have BTDT.  I actually saw it hit the house.  I was less than a block away, getting ready to pull into my driveway.  A few TVs, a radio, about 10 outlets, ac, and misc other stuff.  Good time was had by all.  I was shocked to see it hit the house.  Thank you... I'm good at dad jokes.

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

Sorry to hear it my friend.  Great write up.  I also have BTDT.  I actually saw it hit the house.  I was less than a block away, getting ready to pull into my driveway.  A few TVs, a radio, about 10 outlets, ac, and misc other stuff.  Good time was had by all.  I was shocked to see it hit the house.  Thank you... I'm good at dad jokes.

The scary thing is, I am A- reasonably sure this isn't the first time my car has been hit by lightning and B- it's DEFINITELY not the first time my home has been struck. My old apartment building got struck about once every other year or so and it would take out our elevator and set off all the fire alarms. That was always fun- but it never broke my TV. I'm pretty sure I was IN the Corolla one time when it got struck, or very NEARLY got struck, whole world went white, hugely loud crack, etc etc- but that car still ran fine. Who knows. 

It's funny what survives and what doesn't. Last summer we had. Strike close to the house while my mother was staying with the kids and dog.  

Thr lightning took out the inducer fan and both PCBAs in the boiler, the dishwasher, the dogs invisible fence (I think that was the path into the house for the surge since it wasn't a direct strike), and a TV. It also tripped the GFCI for the garage freezer and everything in there was ruined. 

Luckily 3 other TVs (one plasma), internet, and other appliances all survived unscathed  

Not fun to return to after vacation, but manageable. 

Good luck with the car.

And I think I've found where it struck. 

There's a giant hole in the ground out on the boulevard (you know, that strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road? ) where WOW recently came in, buried some lines, broke a water main, put us on a boil order for a week, and still hasn't managed to give us fiber to our door. There was not a hole there earlier this week. No dirt or anything around, but it was still raining pretty good after the fact, so I'd assume that's all washed away. Going hypothesis- hit the WOW line, traveled underground, chose random electronics to chew up, monkeyberkeleyed my car, and proceeded onward. 

How do you make your house or shop less likely to be damaged by lightning?

my buddy is building a big shop for his auto restoration business , 

There are a lot of expensive machine shop  machines , Bridgeports , CNCs etc  that would need to be protected , 

Its out in the desert  so lots of open land . 

Anything you can add when designing the shop ?

Thanks

Not quite the same thing but I had a transformer slowly die on the pole in front of our house. I had randomly tested the voltage at a plug as I was changing The plug that at the time randomly arked  to the ground when I plugged something in to it. When I checked it said 147 volts. Ok so that is weird.  Went to the breaker panel and was seeing about 150 volts on both legs.  I killed the main and called the electric company and they were their in less than 30 minutes and killed the power at the poll to the transformer and all the houses on that circuit. 
 

Long story short was they tested and re certified every circuit in the house. As well as the ground. 
 

They told us they would pay for went electrical appliance that I had replaced in the last 6 months. The did not care about me having proof of purchase. They sent out an adjuster that visually verified the new appliances.  This ended in being a big bill as we had replaced several computers a couple TVs washer, dryer and most of the appliances in the kitchen. I thought I was just having a bad run of luck with appliances aging out and I am sure the oven/stove was an age thing but the adjuster did not bat an eye and we got a check a couple weeks later that took was greatly appreciated at the time. 
 

californiamilleghia said:

How do you make your house or shop less likely to be damaged by lightning?

my buddy is building a big shop for his auto restoration business , 

There are a lot of expensive machine shop  machines , Bridgeports , CNCs etc  that would need to be protected , 

Its out in the desert  so lots of open land . 

Anything you can add when designing the shop ?

Thanks

 

This is a great question. I know we sold lightning poles which are giant long copper conductive rods, designed to attract the lightning, theoretically mitigating the the problem away from say.... hitting your house. Truth be told, I don't know what happens after that. I think they run the line from them away from the building and into the ground somewhere.

As far as the machines themselves, HEAVY duty GFI's and surge protection wherever you can. I'm of the belief that part of my failures were caused by a surge protection bypass in one of my TV installs (not my fault, not something I really want to discuss right now). Basically you want to A- draw potential away from the machines in all possible cases, and B- since lighting is all "berkeley you I do what I want" anyhow- threat mitigation. You want your failure points to be well ahead of the bridgie, and it's a lot nicer to replace a circuit in a 220 panel than it is a half-million dollar machine. If you can put another layer (or two) between the GFI in the wall and the machine itself, that's even better. I don't know what that looks like for commercial machinery, the heaviest duty thing I run is a Playstation.