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Comment by neilv | Hacker News Reader

I usually use my laptop plugged into AC, rather than on battery, but will unplug at the first thunder.

If it sounds like a bad storm, I'll start unplugging other electronics.

I thought I was doing overkill abundance of caution, but maybe it's actually a good idea.

Living in storm prone regions for most of my life has given me the same habit. All my sensitive electronics get unplugged when storms approach.

Two of my family members have had devices fried by lightning strikes over the years, and not even in regions known for the worst electrical storms.

I keep some portable battery packs handy in case I need to charge a phone, and if I'm working will switch to my laptop and tablet screens.

Of course, one can't conveniently unplug everything (HVAC, big kitchen appliances, etc.) but it's easy enough to safeguard work and lifestyle electronics.

Turning the TV off and listening to the storm is usually a nice change of pace, too.

I'm pretty sure you can just buy various surge protection systems for this, am I wrong?

What if you're out somewhere, do you drive home in a bad storm and unplug it all?

> What if you're out somewhere, do you drive home in a bad storm and unplug it all?

If we're traveling overnight we'll unplug things before leaving, but otherwise, no rushing home out of concern for the TV :)

A defining characteristic of lightning is that it jumps the gaps (ie, all the air between the cloud and earth), so I believe it will jump right over surge protection.

If that's the case, wouldn't there be no point in unplugging devices?

No, unplugging works because cables are antennas. Power cables being disconnected dramatically reduces the ability for the lightning to couple into the device

The device itself usually has shielding, capacitors, transient suppressors, etc… as well as usually designed to make a poor antenna so on it’s own it will be affected much less than when charging

Surge protectors do work, mind you - but only for weaker storms or pulses coming in from the outside power lines. Just by physically being separated from the final device they are limited in how much they can protect from direct coupling

Unplugging works but it's pretty impractical, you basically need to be always awake an always near your devices to make it work.

There is also a risk of electrocution when unplugging a device during a storm.

I suppose the difference is that surge protection provides a guide to a possible circuit. Whereas unplugging greatly increases the micro-states where you are not in a viable path.

Its funny what you can get used to. We had so many storms and general bad weather events growing up, that I don't really give them any thought. Certainly didn't back then.

Out in Seattle, though, if there is a single crack of thunder, everyone is at the windows trying to see what happened. It is almost comical on how this place never really gets a storm.

Does make me somewhat at odds with the crowds that hate firework noise, "because it scares pets." I'm in agreement that it is just obnoxious and I don't miss it. I'm pretty sure thunder was far more frightening for any pets I had, growing up.

All that is to say, probably wise advice on unplugging things. I know that quality of power has gotten a lot more relevant in recent years, such that you should only be worried about very local events. Still, seems safe enough not to take a risk, if you can avoid it.

30 years of Midwest thunderstorms i never lost a single device to a thunderstorm but i moved to Chicago and now I've lost maybe like, 3 chargers and a VCR that got got in a storm last year.

Sadly I've still been too lazy to upgrade my surge protectors lol

I do the same thing. The 20-30 minutes it takes for a major storm to roll through is not worth the time/hassle/money of getting fried electronics replaced. Surge protector or not, I just unplug them. Since most of my equipment is connected to some sort of device with on/off switch, it reduces the number of plugs that need to be disconnected to 3. I feel like a surge protector is just there for when something happens to mains from human causes. Putting all of my luck on them for lightning is just too much faith in modern manufacturing and faith in companies honoring a warranty on those devices.

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