Hello,
We've had two thunderstorms inn the last three days. I realise I am not sure what are sensible precautions to take and what are old wives' tales: unplug the tv and don't use the phone seem plausible but keep away from radiators, windows, and don't have a bath? Are they good ideas or just mad?
Our tv equipment is plugged into one of those Belkin surge protector extension leads, as is the computer but they look untidy on the floor. I was thinking about getting more sockets put on the ring main to tidy up these cables. Are there any cheap surge protector sockets, or are the extention leads the cheapest way? I see that CPC sell some sockets but IIRC they are £14 each for the surge protection and even more for ones that filter RFI. By the way, is the RFI filtering worth having? Do you know of any cheaper ones? I would have thought there would be a demand for these protecting equipment in offices and industry?
What about telephone and tv protection? Other than the extension leads, are protected sockets available?
I was thinking about the aerial cable. If lightning strikes, the current will have to travel down the cable to the suppressor in the extension lead. Won't it have melted the coax by the time it gets downstairs? Shouldn't the suppressor be as soon as the cable enters the loft?
To complicate things even further, we live in a dip, so we have to have the aerial on a 16' pole and even then we need a masthead pre-amp. That amp requires a power supply, so would I be right to think the suppressor has to be after the power supply? Would it block the power otherwise?
Is there anything I can do to prevent the 16' pole attracting lightning? Whilst I realise the odds of a lightning strike are 1 in
3,500,000, there was report on the news about an unexposed house in Derby being destroyed after lighting hit their aerial.I guess these precautions only protect against small charges from distant lightning? I guess a direct hit would be so powerful it would melt whatever earthing or suppressors you had connected?
One last question: is there some sort of surge protector you can fit at the CU to protect the whole house?
Thanks, Stephen.