Shutting down & unplugging to avoid a LarryTT PC lighning death repeat!

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Jul 1, 2001 | 02:36 PM

GuilTTy

Thread Starter

Elder Member

Joined: Oct 2000

Posts: 15,734

Likes: 0

Shutting down & unplugging to avoid a LarryTT PC lighning death repeat!

Back after the storms.....

Jul 1, 2001 | 02:55 PM

HACK THS

AudiWorld Super User

Joined: Oct 2000

Posts: 10,540

Likes: 0

I had one of my primary server go out the other day due to lightning

It was kinda odd, since I live directly downtown Milwaukee, all of our lines are burried, but none the less it trashed my Cisco T1 router and my secondary server. I had been planning to rebuild all my machines into a rack cabinate one of these days so I got a jump start. First thing I got the the largest APC availible for the server cabinate, with a warrenty from APC in case anything should happen again I am covered by APC, renters insurance, and small business insurance for the machines. It is funny since the server rack cabinate has a nice big lock on it, the real attackers comes over the power lines :-)

Jul 1, 2001 | 03:03 PM

IslOMan

Junior Member

Joined: Mar 2000

Posts: 1,126

Likes: 0

Install an 8 foot copper ground rod outside and run a dedicated copper cable directly from the rack.

Most lightning equipment failures are attributed to bad ground so provide the best path to ground for the spike to travel (and avoid your equipment).

I once had a spike hit a power pole jump down the cable TV line which routed behind my PC (then a Commodore 64 so you know how old this story is - and I had one of the first 64s that set me back $599). The spike jumped across into my PC equipment and totaled it, proceeded to take out my TV and blew 12 transistors in my Yahama receiver in the next room. I doubt a ground would have saved me ion this case.