Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 So I'm taking a nap yesterday when it starts to storm. The lightning was close, but I didn't think it was THAT close. All of the sudden, I just feel something funny. I can't describe it. It was just a quick, weird sensation. Then the whole house just goes white and I hear the crack, but no thunder. My wife was in the other room and she said she saw white too and waves of light around her and on the ceiling of the 2 nd floor. I jump out of bed and run downstairs, then upstairs again. After a very quick check, I realize that there's no hole in the roof, no fire from outlets, and our large electrical devices like stove and heat pumps all have power. No twc, no directv. Dish is mounted on the opposite side of house as cable/phone junctions. On the dish, the outside SWM unit is melted. Cable going into house looks fine, but 6 inches to the left is a different story. The whole gray phone box thing is blown up. Literally melted plastic and shards of plastic from exploding out. Luckily we don't have phone service here, but it may have traveled in causing the arc that my wife saw. We have no tv or Internet (sans this iPhone connection) but I'd have to say we really REALLY dodged a bullet. House is fine. Major appliances are fine. Sensitive tv/computer equipment is fine, and most importantly we are fine. I know there's a near death experience thread already. This wasn't so much near death as it was just being lucky, but I thought I'd share. Any other lightning experiences out there??
mead107 Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) 1342867337[/url]' post='2509758']So I'm taking a nap yesterday when it starts to storm. The lightning was close, but I didn't think it was THAT close. All of the sudden, I just feel something funny. I can't describe it. It was just a quick, weird sensation. Then the whole house just goes white and I hear the crack, but no thunder. My wife was in the other room and she said she saw white too and waves of light around her and on the ceiling of the 2 nd floor. I jump out of bed and run downstairs, then upstairs again. After a very quick check, I realize that there's no hole in the roof, no fire from outlets, and our large electrical devices like stove and heat pumps all have power. No twc, no directv. Dish is mounted on the opposite side of house as cable/phone junctions. On the dish, the outside SWM unit is melted. Cable going into house looks fine, but 6 inches to the left is a different story. The whole gray phone box thing is blown up. Literally melted plastic and shards of plastic from exploding out. Luckily we don't have phone service here, but it may have traveled in causing the arc that my wife saw. We have no tv or Internet (sans this iPhone connection) but I'd have to say we really REALLY dodged a bullet. House is fine. Major appliances are fine. Sensitive tv/computer equipment is fine, and most importantly we are fine. I know there's a near death experience thread already. This wasn't so much near death as it was just being lucky, but I thought I'd share. Any other lightning experiences out there?? Very lucky the house did not catch on fire. Edited July 21, 2012 by mead107
Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Posted July 21, 2012 Very lucky the house did not catch on fire. I know. I was pissed yesterday about not having tv and internet. Today I'm thankful for my roof
BuffaloBill Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Glad to know you are safe. I've never had one that close. One time I had the outside phone line take a hit. It fried the modem on my computer (back in those scary days). It turned the modem board to a lump of carbon but did not damage anything else.
Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Posted July 21, 2012 Glad to know you are safe. I've never had one that close. One time I had the outside phone line take a hit. It fried the modem on my computer (back in those scary days). It turned the modem board to a lump of carbon but did not damage anything else. This is actually the 2nd near miss on my house. Te first one, somehow the arc did absolutely no damage except for completely melting a gigabit switch that I had behind a ups. Only thing damaged.
Pete Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 My old house got hit by lightning in the middle of the night. By far the loudest noise I have ever heard in my life. I was sleeping and jumped up out of bed. After I tried to check radar online- but modem card was fried. Then next day I tried to cook something oven- fried. Coffee pot- fried. It took a few days to figure out everything that got fried from the strike. Thank God for insurance. My next door neighbor had their well get hit by lightning, and had to replace it. And I know well this white flash you are speaking of. I have witnessed it a few times, and it is blinding. Once it flashed outside my window by my bed, and I saw it with my eyes closed. I have read that blind people in Hiroshima saw the nuclear blast and believe it. Not only is thunder the loudest noise I have heard, a nearby lightning strike is by far the brightest thing I have ever seen
BuffaloBillsForever Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 So I'm taking a nap yesterday when it starts to storm. The lightning was close, but I didn't think it was THAT close. All of the sudden, I just feel something funny. I can't describe it. It was just a quick, weird sensation. Then the whole house just goes white and I hear the crack, but no thunder. My wife was in the other room and she said she saw white too and waves of light around her and on the ceiling of the 2 nd floor. I jump out of bed and run downstairs, then upstairs again. After a very quick check, I realize that there's no hole in the roof, no fire from outlets, and our large electrical devices like stove and heat pumps all have power. No twc, no directv. Dish is mounted on the opposite side of house as cable/phone junctions. On the dish, the outside SWM unit is melted. Cable going into house looks fine, but 6 inches to the left is a different story. The whole gray phone box thing is blown up. Literally melted plastic and shards of plastic from exploding out. Luckily we don't have phone service here, but it may have traveled in causing the arc that my wife saw. We have no tv or Internet (sans this iPhone connection) but I'd have to say we really REALLY dodged a bullet. House is fine. Major appliances are fine. Sensitive tv/computer equipment is fine, and most importantly we are fine. I know there's a near death experience thread already. This wasn't so much near death as it was just being lucky, but I thought I'd share. Any other lightning experiences out there?? Did you have a whole house protector on your utility box or outside line?
Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Posted July 21, 2012 Did you have a whole house protector on your utility box or outside line? Power is buried. There's nothing on the house but it's obviously grounded where it enters the neighborhood. Upon further inspection, the lightning struck the manhole cover outside in the cul de sac and must have traveled through the data lines in the neighborhood. Somehow it didn't travel the power lines. The satellite dish seems like collateral damage as there are coax lines running from dish to the wall parallel and in close proximity to the phone lines.
ajzepp Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Dang, Corp...glad you're okay! That's one of my biggest fears, even though I love lightening storms.
Nanker Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Yikes! Scary story for sure. Glad you're okay. Reminds me of the vignette in "The World According to Garp" when he buys a house he's looking at right after he watches a plane crash into it. 'The odds of that happening again are astronomical,' so something to that effect. Hope you get back to normal again soon and nothing like that ever happens to you again - ever.
/dev/null Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Wow, glad nobody was hurt and there was no serious damage. My Dad's house was hit a couple years ago and it fried his phone line. A few years ago, at least 2 cuz it was before I quit smoking, I was outside my apartment smoking a cigarette during a storm. All of a sudden my body got really tingly. I don't mean Chris Matthews watching Obama tingly. Just electric tingly numb all over, it felt really weird Then I see this blue thing rising up from the ground a few feet away from me. It wasn't a bolt it was almost like watching a tree grow in slow motion. Then all of a sudden it just shot up into the sky and I heard the loudest thunder I've ever heard That was freaky
boyst Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Was on the tractor a few Springs ago, spreading fertilizer in a lower part of pasture as a storm was rolling in. It rolled in quickly, and I did not realize it. Hail starts, pouring rain, drops real cold - normal stuff. I am spreading with just a 1/4ton broadcaster, nothing too fancy. Lightning picking up by the minute. I decide to get to the lowest point of the area furtherest from trees because I would have to climb a hill and be exposed atop what is similar to a crest to get back to the barn. As I turn around about 150' from me I do not remember what exactly happens because I was so frightened but I see the whole area of to my right get blue? white? intense? it clears quickly and just as quickly I see this tree have icicles of white (lightning) coming from the branches to the ground, then the whole thing get even whiter as I guess the bolt hit it because the crack was at the same time - that crack nearly blew me away probably in as much fear and shock as it was power. It was like a scifi scene. As quick as it started it was over, in less then a second. The thunder was not thunder, it was more like the percussion from a shotgun blast from
Nanker Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Wow, glad nobody was hurt and there was no serious damage. My Dad's house was hit a couple years ago and it fried his phone line. A few years ago, at least 2 cuz it was before I quit smoking, I was outside my apartment smoking a cigarette during a storm. All of a sudden my body got really tingly. I don't mean Chris Matthews watching Obama tingly. Just electric tingly numb all over, it felt really weird Then I see this blue thing rising up from the ground a few feet away from me. It wasn't a bolt it was almost like watching a tree grow in slow motion. Then all of a sudden it just shot up into the sky and I heard the loudest thunder I've ever heard That was freaky . Was on the tractor a few Springs ago, spreading fertilizer in a lower part of pasture as a storm was rolling in. It rolled in quickly, and I did not realize it. Hail starts, pouring rain, drops real cold - normal stuff. I am spreading with just a 1/4ton broadcaster, nothing too fancy. Lightning picking up by the minute. I decide to get to the lowest point of the area furtherest from trees because I would have to climb a hill and be exposed atop what is similar to a crest to get back to the barn. As I turn around about 150' from me I do not remember what exactly happens because I was so frightened but I see the whole area of to my right get blue? white? intense? it clears quickly and just as quickly I see this tree have icicles of white (lightning) coming from the branches to the ground, then the whole thing get even whiter as I guess the bolt hit it because the crack was at the same time - that crack nearly blew me away probably in as much fear and shock as it was power. It was like a scifi scene. As quick as it started it was over, in less then a second. The thunder was not thunder, it was more like the percussion from a shotgun blast from Sounds to me like you narrowly escaped an alien abduction!
Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Posted July 21, 2012 These stories all seem pretty similar. Lightning is so very fascinating. A quick update. 2 houses down got their power affected. Looks like it took out half the housewares electric. Possibly one of the two 100amp mains? I don't really know though. Another neighbor lost a $600 speaker amp outside. None of us have cable. A big FU to the time Warner tech who called but hung up before I got my phone out of my pocket. And a double FU for not leaving a message or returning my call. After its all fixed, I will be persistsant about getting a credit or at least an admission of guilt. No Internet or and tv sucks balls. No wonder the unabomber did what he did.
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 At work some years ago, the antenna for the marine radio got struck. The antenna is easily the highest point around... Must be about 100 feet or so. Well, the lightning traveled down the antenna and shot out the back of the radio. The radio of course was fried. The radio is parkerd near an electrical panel. When it left the radio, it went right to the metal panel... Leaving a nice dimple in the cover... Looked like somebody took a hammer and center punch to it! Here's to getting everything fixed and up and running corps... Best of wishes. These stories all seem pretty similar. Lightning is so very fascinating. A quick update. 2 houses down got their power affected. Looks like it took out half the housewares electric. Possibly one of the two 100amp mains? I don't really know though. Another neighbor lost a $600 speaker amp outside. None of us have cable. A big FU to the time Warner tech who called but hung up before I got my phone out of my pocket. And a double FU for not leaving a message or returning my call. After its all fixed, I will be persistsant about getting a credit or at least an admission of guilt. No Internet or and tv sucks balls. No wonder the unabomber did what he did. Why is Time Warner guilty?
Corp000085 Posted July 21, 2012 Author Posted July 21, 2012 Why is Time Warner guilty? I'm just pissed at the tech at this point. Not twc
/dev/null Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Why is Time Warner guilty? Yeah, it's George W Bush's fault
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Yeah, it's George W Bush's fault That's besides the point...
BuffaloBud Posted July 22, 2012 Posted July 22, 2012 As BBF noted with the whole house protector, let me clarify. I believe he is talking about a whole house surge protector and some have dual inputs for power and data. Check with your power company for cost and installation. I used to work for Sq D and we made these (still do). Got 2 on employee disc and installed on my and parents house. After my parents house was hit.
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 22, 2012 Posted July 22, 2012 As BBF noted with the whole house protector, let me clarify. I believe he is talking about a whole house surge protector and some have dual inputs for power and data. Check with your power company for cost and installation. I used to work for Sq D and we made these (still do). Got 2 on employee disc and installed on my and parents house. After my parents house was hit. Mechanical protection (EMT conduit) also aids... Better than just just romex.
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