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Posted by Toller on October 9, 2007, 7:23 pm
> chicagofan wrote:
>> My house is 20 yrs. old, and I'm tired of leaving parts of these 3
>> pronged cable plugs in my outlets, because I can't remove them without
>> so much force. Living in the SE I have to unplug my computers, and
>> video stuff *frequently*, and just today destroyed another $50 surge
>> protector pulling it out of the wall.
>
> In the last sixty years, I've unplugged many an AC cord, but I've
> yet to 'leave parts of the plug' in the outlet! I hope you mean by
> 'pulling it out of the wall', you aren't pulling on the AC cord itself?
> Rather than grasping the plug near the outlet and gently but firmly
> unplugging it?
>
> Just wondering.
>
I was wondering about that also, I have never heard of anything breaking off
in the outlet!
30 years ago lighting struck the building across the street from my office
and destroyed one of the 9 computer monitors in my office. That is the only
damage I have ever seen from lighting, despite never unplugging anything. I
am wondering just why she is unplugging everything. (I expect it did a bit
more damage in the building it hit; it is also the only lighting strike I
have ever seen hit.)
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Posted by mm on October 9, 2007, 9:19 am
>
>> chicagofan wrote:
>>> My house is 20 yrs. old, and I'm tired of leaving parts of these 3
>>> pronged cable plugs in my outlets, because I can't remove them without
>>> so much force. Living in the SE I have to unplug my computers, and
>>> video stuff *frequently*, and just today destroyed another $50 surge
>>> protector pulling it out of the wall.
>>
>> In the last sixty years, I've unplugged many an AC cord, but I've
>> yet to 'leave parts of the plug' in the outlet! I hope you mean by
>> 'pulling it out of the wall', you aren't pulling on the AC cord itself?
>> Rather than grasping the plug near the outlet and gently but firmly
>> unplugging it?
And wiggle it if it is hard to get out, pull on one side, then the
other. Most plugs from computer stuff are really big and easy to get
a hold of. I have lamp plugs that are 50 years old and only a
half-inch deep and they might be hard to grip.
>> Just wondering.
>>
>I was wondering about that also, I have never heard of anything breaking off
>in the outlet!
I'm wondering too. And what is a three-pronged data cable? What kind
of data cable is plugged into the wall in the average house?
>
>30 years ago lighting struck the building across the street from my office
>and destroyed one of the 9 computer monitors in my office. That is the only
>damage I have ever seen from lighting, despite never unplugging anything. I
I don't unplug anything either. I may have lost an internal modem via
a surge on the phone line, or maybe it broke for some other reason.
But I did have a girlfriend who lived on a wooded lot with a lot of
trees just outside her property, in Baltimore. She said that she lost
two fancier than average telephones, a fancy microwave, and the
refrigerator in one lighting storm. I replaced the electronic module
for the microwave but it was expensive, 30 to 50% of the cost of a new
microwave. 60 to 100% of the cost of the microwave used, but I've
never understood that comparison since she had no way to buy it used,
unless she wanted to spend weeks going to yard sales and looking at
ads etc.
Despite all that she lost, no one moves the fridge to unplug it in
every storm, and the odds are so low that I don't blame them.
Oh, I may have also lost the control panel for my home burglar alarm
because of lightning, but maybe it was some other cause. One morning
when I was leaving for work, there was a little smoke coming out of
it.
Lightning doesn't usually hit the house, or its damage is really
visible. It hits a tree outside and induces currents in a wire going
into the house.
Lighning rods don't conduct the lightning to ground. They are so thin
they'd melt. IIRC they conduct to ground the negagive charge that
would build up at the top of the house, and the lightning isn't
attracted to the house anymore. Something like that.
>am wondering just why she is unplugging everything. (I expect it did a bit
>more damage in the building it hit; it is also the only lighting strike I
>have ever seen hit.)
>
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Posted by Mark Lloyd on October 10, 2007, 10:39 am
wrote:
[snip]
>
>I don't unplug anything either. I may have lost an internal modem via
>a surge on the phone line, or maybe it broke for some other reason.
>
I remember several cases of losing computer equipment during a
thunderstorm. All of them were modems (connected to phoneline). That's
ONE reason why I prefer external modems.
[snip]
--
76 days until the winter solstice celebration
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com
"I have found Christian dogma unintelligable. Early
in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies."
-- Benjamin Franklin
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Posted by bud-- on October 10, 2007, 12:12 pm
Mark Lloyd wrote:
> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>> I don't unplug anything either. I may have lost an internal modem via
>> a surge on the phone line, or maybe it broke for some other reason.
>>
>
> I remember several cases of losing computer equipment during a
> thunderstorm. All of them were modems (connected to phoneline). That's
> ONE reason why I prefer external modems.
>
The NIST has a guide on surges and surge protection at:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/practiceguides/surgesfnl.pdf
According to NIST guide, US insurance information indicates equipment
most frequently damaged by lightning is
computers with a modem connection
TVs, VCRs and similar equipment (presumably with cable TV
connections).
All can be damaged by high voltages between power and signal wires.
One of the ways to protect against high voltage between signal an power
is to have a *short* 'ground' wire from the phone, cable, ... entry
protectors to the earthing wire at the power service. With any large
surge current to earth, the building 'ground' will lift far above
'absolute' ground. You want the 'ground' for phone, cable, power to lift
together.
When using a plug-in suppressor, all interconnected equipment needs to
be connected to the same plug-in suppressor, or interconnecting wires
need to go through the suppressor. External connections, like phone,
also need to go through the suppressor. Connecting all wiring through
the suppressor prevents damaging voltages between power and signal wires.
-------------------
If the plug on a plug-in suppressor is damaged it can be replaced. The
suppressor doesn't have to be junked.
--
bud--
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Posted by chicagofan on October 15, 2007, 6:39 pm
bud-- wrote:
> Mark Lloyd wrote:
>> [snip]
>>
>>> I don't unplug anything either. I may have lost an internal modem via
>>> a surge on the phone line, or maybe it broke for some other reason.
>>
>>
>> I remember several cases of losing computer equipment during a
>> thunderstorm. All of them were modems (connected to phoneline). That's
>> ONE reason why I prefer external modems.
I've lost 2 motherboards, 2 surge protectors and 2 VCRS, not at the same
time.
> The NIST has a guide on surges and surge protection at:
> http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/practiceguides/surgesfnl.pdf
Thanks for this...
> -------------------
> If the plug on a plug-in suppressor is damaged it can be replaced. The
> suppressor doesn't have to be junked.
I didn't know this, but I'd probably have to pay more to have it
repaired than it's worth. Thanks for your reply.
bj
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