[Sca-cooks] Finally back.

[Jeff Gedney]

>Which is why surge suppression is being added at the breaker box to protect
>the building electrical systems and attached appliances.  It's a one shot
>device that is supposed to bleed off the excess power and burn out.
>Unfortunately it doesn't protect telephone or cable lines.  The modem,
>router and network card sounds like an induction surge on the comm line,
>which is not too uncommon an occurence.
>

Exactly.
My Stepdad has had to replace three modems, one a DSL Modem, a NIC card, and two fax machines from induction surges on the phone lines.

They have a lightning attractor, er arrestor, on their property, and even though they have not been directly struck on the lines, it hits the pole about three times a year. If they forget to pull the phone lines out of the wall when a storm hits, they usually wind up replacing something.

As for surge protectors, the first rule is "you get what you pay for". Thouse Surge protector outlet strips you get for 6 bucks at Walmart are just not good enough by themselves. 
and NO surge protector can do any good at all without a first quality electrical household ground.

I have a SEPARATE "cold water line" ground run to a cable surge protector, installed by my cable company, for my cable modem.

I have also a cold water line ground for my household electrical system, and tested it to be sure that is is properly attached.

I have a surge protector installed by my utility company at the breaker box to the ground.

I have a separate Cat 5 and phone surge protectors grounded to the house ground, and the cable modem is also separately protected with another surge protector.

I bought surge protected outlet strips for all my equipment to plug into, but I also know that those only protect against surges on the "Hot" line of the AC, and do not protect a neutral line surge (which commonly happens in near strikes), and so I have each strip run to separate "three line" protectors.

And I refuse, despite my wife pleading that we are "vulnerable to lightning" to install a lightning arrestor. Our house is well below the brow of a hill, and while I know lightning stikes up on top, I do not see any evidence of stikes at our level. I see no reason to attract it.

I've never had to replace anything due to Thunderstorms. 

Capt Elias

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If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather 
wood, divide the work, and give orders.  Instead, teach them
to yearn for the vast and endless sea. 
  - Antoine de Saint Exupery