Lightning strike takes out almost every TV in apartment complex

[Modelworks]

Last night about 2 am there was a huge lightning strike. I have been around a lot of power discharges and close to strikes, but this one was massive. Everyone this morning around the apartments was talking about how it woke them up and I know it made me jump straight up in bed.

Everything of mine was fine. All run off a ups + surge protectors + arrestors on all incoming lines so my stuff was okay. We have about 55 apartments here and so far the tally is:

14 TV dead
11 Cable boxes dead
12 apt whose sat boxes either don't work or are showing no satellite found.

A few people here know that I am an EE so they came to me this morning and I just got through making the rounds trying to help people get some TV back.

Posting this to give others a heads up .
Some of the things I found:
Majority plugged directly into the wall no protection.
Satellites installed with no grounding blocks.
Cable installs with no grounding blocks or arrestors.
Grounding blocks installed but not connect to any ground wire.

You might want to walk outside and make sure the cable/sat is installed properly . Just follow the cable and make sure it atleast goes through a grounding block.

 

[jumpr]

Eh, it's a pain for you I'm sure but I think my renter's insurance would cover it. I think it would be easier to collect from Allstate than it would to get my apartment complex to rewire the cable install.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Maybe you need to switch out your surge protection now.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
Maybe you need to switch out your surge protection now.

I'm going to change out the wall mount ones , even though the lights show them as good. I know that strike last night had to of weakened their ability.


edit: I did find one of mine that the surge light is out so it did its job and now can RIP.

Anyone know if these people that got hit and equipment destroyed can file against the companies for damages , since they had improperly installed cable line ?

The way the cable works here is it isn't all off one block then run to the apartments.
each apartment has a line that comes out of the ground in the back and runs through a hole in the wall. About half apartments have a ground block there , others just run staight inside the apartment.

 

[jumpr]

Who would they sue? The original builder of the apartment complex for not installing the cable line properly? Good luck. I doubt you could sue the cable company as they don't own the lines inside the apartments.

Their best bet is to file a claim on their renter's insurance. They do have renter's insurance, right?

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: jumpr
Who would they sue? The original builder of the apartment complex for not installing the cable line properly? Good luck. I doubt you could sue the cable company as they don't own the lines inside the apartments.

Their best bet is to file a claim on their renter's insurance. They do have renter's insurance, right?

That isn't the way the cable works here.
The apartments were built before there was cable in the area so there is no wiring installed unless the person orders cable. Then the cable company comes out and wires each apartment. There are some here that have no cable lines at all.

I can tell where they had a good installer because on the outside , they install a plastic box, inside the box there is the grounding block with arrestor and it runs back to the meter.

The bad installs are just a wire out of the ground and into the wall of the apartment.

 

[jumpr]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Originally posted by: jumpr
Who would they sue? The original builder of the apartment complex for not installing the cable line properly? Good luck. I doubt you could sue the cable company as they don't own the lines inside the apartments.

Their best bet is to file a claim on their renter's insurance. They do have renter's insurance, right?

That isn't the way the cable works here.
The apartments were built before there was cable in the area so there is no wiring installed unless the person orders cable. Then the cable company comes out and wires each apartment. There are some here that have no cable lines at all.

I can tell where they had a good installer because on the outside , they install a plastic box, inside the box there is the grounding block with arrestor and it runs back to the meter.

The bad installs are just a wire out of the ground and into the wall of the apartment.

I understand what you're saying, but you will have a very hard time collecting against the cable installers (your cable company probably uses subcontractors for its installs). Again, renter's insurance is really your best bet here. It sucks that you can't hold the people who made the error responsible, but sometimes that's the way life goes.

 

[Tiamat]

Of course under a direct hit, even unplugging your devices won't save them from the high magnetic fields. Best protection is renter's insurance with replacement policy.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: jumpr
I understand what you're saying, but you will have a very hard time collecting against the cable installers (your cable company probably uses subcontractors for its installs). Again, renter's insurance is really your best bet here. It sucks that you can't hold the people who made the error responsible, but sometimes that's the way life goes.

Yeah I know it is probably a lost cause. I would just like to offer some of these people some hope . Most are 65 years old + and don't even know what a surge protector is and assumed that when they got cable or sat installed that it was by someone that was doing it right.

The majority I don't think have renters insurance either.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
Of course under a direct hit, even unplugging your devices won't save them from the high magnetic fields. Best protection is renter's insurance with replacement policy.

I found where the strike was . It was a pole that then feeds into the power transformers that are the on the ground type. The pole is charred and one of the glass insulators has multiple cracks .Also right next to it is a cable tv pedestal, along with a telephone pedestal. Looks like it picked the perfect spot to do the most damage.

The thing that has me puzzled is the sat systems that are not working.
The boxes that are working can't find a satellite signal.
Each apartment has its own dish run, so they aren't connected.

 

[Gothgar]

crazy...

 

[Modelworks]

Was just sitting here and heard two big bangs. Lights flickered off and I knew right away what it was. Walked outside, that power transformer that was by the pole that got hit, just went bang , smoke everywhere.

Thankfully my pc and tv are connected to a ups that has a loooong run time.