Computers and Thunderstorms

[paints]

Or,  "Why I Don't Leave My Laptop Plugged In All The Time"

I had just unplugged the laptop from the charger when BOOM!  The lights went out, the windows rattled, and I heard a loud pop.  My surge protector is fried. 

[annadote]

I thought surge protectors were supposed to prevent this from happening. Did your house get hit by a lightning bolt? I don't know how anything else would cause this. Glad your laptop wasn't plugged in at the time.

[BATISTAGIRL663]

Omgosh!! Scary stuff!! Glad you had unplugged it!!!

[Skyisbluetoday]

    That's good advice to unplug if you know that a storm is approaching. I have surge protectors & hope that they hold up to the electric power outage's. Glad you saved your laptop!     

[countrygirl12]

Or,  "Why I Don't Leave My Laptop Plugged In All The Time"

I had just unplugged the laptop from the charger when BOOM!  The lights went out, the windows rattled, and I heard a loud pop.  My surge protector is fried. 

Surge protectors do not always protect.  Our power was off and when they turned it back on there was a major surge and it jumped the protector and not only fried the computer but actually SET IT ON FIRE.  Glad I was there when it happened.  If it is storming and I think about it I will disconnect the power from my laptop.

[countrygirl12]

I thought surge protectors were supposed to prevent this from happening. Did your house get hit by a lightning bolt? I don't know how anything else would cause this. Glad your laptop wasn't plugged in at the time.

Surge protectors do not always work.  Like I already said, we had a surge that jumped the protector.  It was too much.  No we didn't get hit by lightening.  It happened when they turned the power back on.  Surge protectors are like anything else they are there for protection but sometimes things still happen.  Just like seat belts in cars.  They do protect you but you can still die in a car crash even if you are buckled in.

[paints]

I thought surge protectors were supposed to prevent this from happening. Did your house get hit by a lightning bolt? I don't know how anything else would cause this. Glad your laptop wasn't plugged in at the time.

Yeah, they're supposed to. 
The way it was explained to me is , a surge protector is like a boxer.  When a boxer takes too many hits, he quits.  Same thing. 

I am soooo glad my laptop was unplugged!

[paints]

    That's good advice to unplug if you know that a storm is approaching. I have surge protectors & hope that they hold up to the electric power outage's. Glad you saved your laptop!     

I was lucky.  There was no warning at all that a storm was coming up. 
It's habit for me to unplug when when it's charged up. 

[paints]

Or,  "Why I Don't Leave My Laptop Plugged In All The Time"

I had just unplugged the laptop from the charger when BOOM!  The lights went out, the windows rattled, and I heard a loud pop.  My surge protector is fried. 

Surge protectors do not always protect.  Our power was off and when they turned it back on there was a major surge and it jumped the protector and not only fried the computer but actually SET IT ON FIRE.  Glad I was there when it happened.  If it is storming and I think about it I will disconnect the power from my laptop.

They don't, no.  Electricity is unpredictable.
When I was growing up, whenever it started raining, my mom would run around the house and unplug everything, just in case.  I'm not quite that bad.  Yet. 

[shasha2210]

I have a desktop

[Tresbn00]

I think it would make more sense to sat computers and lightening storms. Thunder is the noise behind the jolt of electricity called lightening. I have not heard anything about the noise of thunder causing damage while lightening damage occurs quite frequently. I used to own an insurance brokerage and people would call in to make claims when their computers would fry as a result of lightening causing a surge that their surge protectors could not absorb. It generally didn't make sense because the homeowners deductibles were between five hundred to one thousand dollars and their computers were usually worth four to six hundred dollars. I always buy surge protectors with at least a five year, one hundred percent replacement cost guarantee but have yet to collect. I unplug my computer when not using it to save energy and avoid a possible surge. Even though it is covered I have valuable information that may not have been backed up yet.

[nannycoe1]

My mom always unplugged the tv and we were not allowed to use the phone during a storm

[appy9104]

If I have the Laptop plugged in and I here grumbling or see lightning I unplug it. 

[Kiraleen]

Yikes! You were sooo lucky!

[bshee58]

Amazing, that's scary.