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By JOHN DUNBAR; Special to The Times Leader
Thursday, August 18, 1994 Page: C3
After 35 years as an electrician, Samuel Hughes has seen first-hand the
damage lightning can do to a home.
He remembers one strike that blasted down the center of a chimney, burned a
path across a living room carpet, passed beneath a door into the kitchen,
scorched another path along the carpet and stopped just short of reaching the
home’s fuse panel.
Needless to say, that was a big repair job.
“We had to replace the service and everything,” the Ashley electrical
contractor recalled.
Last weekend’s severe storms brought a strong reminder of the dangers of
lightning. Three women were struck by lightning. Two were killed and another
was seriously injured at Moon Lake. Utility service was disrupted and
countless homes were whacked by lightning strikes.
In spite of its tremendous destructive power, consumers can take
precautions that may limit or even prevent damage to household items caused by
a lightning strike.
“There’s only one solution,” said Mark Katyl, owner of a Dallas television
repair service. “Unplug it.”
Consumers are advised to pull the plug on all appliances during electrical
storms — especially televisions, VCRs, air conditioners and computers.
Katyl was inundated with service calls following Saturday’s afternoon’s
storm.
Lightning doesn’t have to be a direct hit to cause damage. It can strike a
power line several hundred yards away and still race through the electrical
outlet of a home.
Televisions are doubly vulnerable. They can be shocked through the
electrical outlet or a cable connection.
“God forbid if it comes in both,” said Al Oeller, owner of Nardy’s TV
Service in Plains Township.
He recommends disconnecting the cable as well as the electrical cord when
weather gets nasty. Television sets can withstand a mild shock with moderate
repairs, but a double strike usually means a total loss.
Beyond unplugging, protections against a shock from Mother Nature are
available — but at a price.
The cheapest is a surge protector. The device costs about $12 and acts as a
buffer between an electrical outlet and appliance. Such devices are strongly
recommended for computers.
Far from foolproof, they may reduce and even prevent damage from a power
surge. “It’s worth the investment,” Oeller said.
A more ambitious project is installing lightning arresters — a modern
lightning rod of sorts.
Arresters channel lightning from the roof of a home along a wire and into
the ground. More important than protecting appliances, arresters also offer
protection against fire caused by lightning.
They aren’t cheap. Such a system can cost between $1,800 and $2,500,
according to Hughes.
Hughes cautioned nothing is foolproof when it comes to the massive power in
an electrical storm. “If God wants you to get hit, you’re going to hit,” he
said.
Appliances aren’t the only thing vulnerable in a home. Occupants should
take care as well. It’s a rare occurrence, but talking on the telephone in an
electrical storm can be fatal. A strike may travel through a phone line to the
receiver.
“People have actually been electrocuted while talking on the phone,” said
Mike Jurewicz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Taking bath or shower in a storm may also be hazardous. A jolt can
potentially travel along the plumbing.
“It’s better to avoid contact with any water,” Jurewicz said.
Lightning precautions
When a lightning storm starts:
Unplug all appliances
Unhook your cable from your TV set
Don’t talk on the phone
Don’t shower or bathe
While no system is foolproof, minimize the potential for damage with:
A surge protector, costing about $12
A lightning arrester system, costing $1,800 to $2,500