Lightning Strikes and Electronic Controlled Machines Pre 2007 and LG 2001-2009

[maytagneptune]

I have this fear even though we have countless trees by our house "shielding" us from strikes because they are taller than out house. I still get this fear of lightning strikes. I unplug my Electronically controlled machines during storms but Is the washer safe or do I have to unplug the water inlet valve wiring harness and with a dryer with a metal duct outlet do I have to pull the dryer off the vent? I'm not concerned with mechanical Timer machines like my Direct Drive and 1-18 but I am concerned with my F&P W/D Set and my LG W/D set and Calypso and Neptune TL and WorldWasher. We have insurance but those boards are NLA and hard to find. F&P boards are very expensive and many are still available but a few are NLA at this age. I am pretty sure the GWL11/IWL12 SD11/P6CPE Board is still available and I have 4 spares but I don't want to fry any of them from a lightning strike. I have 1 spare dryer sensor module which is currently being used as the Intuitive console and the first gen sensor module won't cooperate with eachother.

 

[appnut]

I got a whole house surge protector installed March, 2020[this post was last edited: 7/15/2021-07:53]

 

[chachp]

I have been thinking about doing the same thing Bob.

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">We had a hit a couple of years ago that took out our cable modem.  I had two computers directly connected to it and the network interfaces on both of them were fried.  Luckily, I have apple care on both that repaired the machines at no cost to me.</span>

 

[parunner58]

When we moved to Florida there was an insert in the electric bill about a whole house surge protection, it costs us $5.95 a month. We had one installed since so many things in the house now are fully electronic. We had a freak thunderstorm in February one year when we still lived in Pennsylvania. A power pole was struck on our street and our stereo was fried, even though it had a pretty expensive surge suppressor on it. The jolt zapped the first socket on the strip which was my receiver. Luckily Home owners paid for a new one. Down in Florida, i would not be without the whole house unit.

 

[DADoES]

 
The incoming coax or other data line to a modem or TV box is also a source of zapping, which a surge suppressor on the power circuit doesn't defend.  I have an APC UPS which has an interface for the coax to pass through.

Whole-house and individual-circuit surge supressors don't last forever.  A supressor is effectively non-functional after handling accumulated surges that meet its rated protection level ... either multiple smaller surges or one large.

Surge protectors can't handle a direct lighting strike (or even one nearby on the mains circuit).  Lightning requires proper lightning-strike protection and it doesn't always work.

 

[yogitunes]

whenever possible....

the only sure fire way to protect equipment is to unplug it when not in use....

especially my Calypso....highly recommended by the tech, he also ran the traditional ground wire to the cold water pipe....it used to build up a static charge inside and cause the machine to come on by itself.....never had a problem since I unplug it...