This web site is made possible by support from CIS Internet. 0.1% of 100,000 Amperes is a 100 Amp surge through your lines- which may be enough to take out your computer. If the protection system takes even 99.9% of the current, then your electrical wiring may take the remaining 0.1%. With that in mind, consider if you have a lightning protection system installed, and your house is hit directly by lightning. Lightning current often peaks at 100,000 or more Amperes. In a direct lightning strike, the current will not follow only one path- it will distribute itself across all paths to ground depending on each path's resistance. (Even though plumbing and electrical wiring, for instance, may not be physically connected, lightning will use side flashes across air gaps to effectively connect them). A house or building is nothing more than a set of resistors 'connected' in parallel- the electrical wiring, plumbing, phone lines, steel framework, etc. Ohm's Law states that for a set of resistances connected in parallel, the current will be distributed across ALL resistances, at levels inversely proportional to the different values of resistance. For any system to provide true 100% protection, it must divert close to 100% of the lightning current from a direct strike every time - no easy task. While full-fledged lightning protection systems with rods, cables and solid grounding often provide a good degree of defense against a direct strike, they cannot absolutely guarantee against damage to electronics and computers. It won't think twice about jumping a few more inches, or even a few more feet, especially if the 'path of least resistance' to ground is across the contacts of the disconnect switch. A small air gap will not stop a lightning bolt that has already jumped across miles of air. As a result, they have some of the most robust lightning protection systems available, but damage to equipment still occurs on occasion.Įven 'disconnects', or devices that physically switch off power to a device by activating a set of contacts, will not guarantee protection. RIGHT: Television/radio towers are freqently struck by lightning. If your UPS or surge protector is in the way of the lightning's path, all or part of the lightning will just flash over or through the device - regardless of the amount of capacitors and battery banks involved. Direct lightning current is simply too big to protect with a little electronic device inside a power strip, or even a hefty UPS unit. A common surge protector will stop voltage spikes and surges, but not the violent, catastrophic burst of current from a close lightning strike.
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