its gunna storm tonite so is it safe to use my laptop in the storm? i have 5 windows in the living room. do you use yours in the storm?
is it safe to use laptops in storrms?
- Thread starter livebearerfreak
- Start date
Did you forget about google? 
http://www.google.ca/search?client=...oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=8e5lTO2GK8TjnAfFyomDDA
http://www.google.ca/search?client=...oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=8e5lTO2GK8TjnAfFyomDDA
I wouldn't unplug it until the storm is almost on you. Electrical surges caused by lightning can fry your computer if it's plugged in and you don't have a surge protector.
how can this affect stuff IN your house? its outside right? its not like the lighting is ganna burst in your house? i dont get it
http://www.arcelect.com/lightnin.htm
6.1 WHY WORRY ABOUT LIGHTNING?
It is unfortunate, but a fact of life, that computers, computerrelated products and process control equipment found in premises data communications environments can be damaged by high-voltage surges and spikes. Such power surges and spikes are most often caused by lightning strikes. However, there are occasions when the surges and spikes result from any one of a variety of other causes. These causes may include direct contact with power/lightning circuits, static buildup on cables and components, high energy transients coupled into equipment from cables in close proximity, potential differences between grounds to which different equipment’s are connected, miswired systems and even human equipment users who have accumulated large static electricity charge build-ups on their clothing. In fact, electrostatic discharges from a person can produce peak Voltages up to 15 kV with currents of tens of Amperes in less than 10 microseconds.
A manufacturing environment is particularly susceptible to such surges because of the presence of motors and other high voltage equipment. The essential point to remember is, the effects of surges due to these other sources are no different than those due to lightning. Hence, protection from one will also protect from the other.
When a lightning-induced power surge is coupled into your computer equipment any one of a number of harmful events may occur.
Semiconductors are prevalent in such equipment. A lightning induced surge will almost always surpass the voltage rating of these devices causing them to fail. Specifically, lightning induced surges usually alter the electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices so that they no longer function effectively. In a few cases, a surge may destroy the semiconductor device. These are called "hard failures." Computer equipment having a hard failure will no longer function at all. It must be repaired with the resulting expense of "downtime" or the expense of a standby unit to take its place.
In several instances, a lightning-derived surge may destroy the printed traces in the printed circuit boards of the computer equipment also resulting in hard failures.
Along with the voltage source, lightning can cause a current surge and a resultant induced magnetic field. If the computer contains a magnetic disk then this interfering magnetic field might overwrite and destroy data stored in the disk. Furthermore, the aberrant magnetic field may energize the disk head when it should be quiescent. To you, the user, such behavior will be viewed as the "disk crashing."
Some computer equipment may have magnetic relays. The same aberrant magnetic fields which cause disk crashes may activate relays when they shouldn't be activated, causing unpredictable, unacceptable performance.
Finally, there is the effect of lightning on program logic controllers (PLCS) which are found in the manufacturing environment. Many of these PLCs use programs stored in ROMS. A lightning-induced surge can alter the contents of the ROM causing aberrant operation by the PLC.
So these are some of the unhappy things which happen when a computer experiences lightning. But you may say, "Come on, equipment hit by lightning, that's like winning the lottery. It has never happened and I doubt that it ever will." This is a typical reaction and unfortunately it is based on ignorance. True, people may never, or rarely, experience, direct lightning strikes on exposed, in-building cable feeding into their equipment. However, it is not uncommon to find computer equipment being fed by buried cable. In this environment, a lightning strike, even several miles away, can induce voltage/current surges which travel through the ground and induce surges along the cable, ultimately causing equipment failure. The equipment user is undoubtedly aware of these failures but usually does not relate them to the occurrence of lightning during thunderstorm activity since the user does not experience a direct strike.
In a way, such induced surges are analogous to chronic high blood pressure in a person; they are "silent killers." In the manufacturing environment, long cable runs are often found connecting sensors, PLCs and computers. These cables are particularly vulnerable to induced surges.
6.1 WHY WORRY ABOUT LIGHTNING?
It is unfortunate, but a fact of life, that computers, computerrelated products and process control equipment found in premises data communications environments can be damaged by high-voltage surges and spikes. Such power surges and spikes are most often caused by lightning strikes. However, there are occasions when the surges and spikes result from any one of a variety of other causes. These causes may include direct contact with power/lightning circuits, static buildup on cables and components, high energy transients coupled into equipment from cables in close proximity, potential differences between grounds to which different equipment’s are connected, miswired systems and even human equipment users who have accumulated large static electricity charge build-ups on their clothing. In fact, electrostatic discharges from a person can produce peak Voltages up to 15 kV with currents of tens of Amperes in less than 10 microseconds.
A manufacturing environment is particularly susceptible to such surges because of the presence of motors and other high voltage equipment. The essential point to remember is, the effects of surges due to these other sources are no different than those due to lightning. Hence, protection from one will also protect from the other.
When a lightning-induced power surge is coupled into your computer equipment any one of a number of harmful events may occur.
Semiconductors are prevalent in such equipment. A lightning induced surge will almost always surpass the voltage rating of these devices causing them to fail. Specifically, lightning induced surges usually alter the electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices so that they no longer function effectively. In a few cases, a surge may destroy the semiconductor device. These are called "hard failures." Computer equipment having a hard failure will no longer function at all. It must be repaired with the resulting expense of "downtime" or the expense of a standby unit to take its place.
In several instances, a lightning-derived surge may destroy the printed traces in the printed circuit boards of the computer equipment also resulting in hard failures.
Along with the voltage source, lightning can cause a current surge and a resultant induced magnetic field. If the computer contains a magnetic disk then this interfering magnetic field might overwrite and destroy data stored in the disk. Furthermore, the aberrant magnetic field may energize the disk head when it should be quiescent. To you, the user, such behavior will be viewed as the "disk crashing."
Some computer equipment may have magnetic relays. The same aberrant magnetic fields which cause disk crashes may activate relays when they shouldn't be activated, causing unpredictable, unacceptable performance.
Finally, there is the effect of lightning on program logic controllers (PLCS) which are found in the manufacturing environment. Many of these PLCs use programs stored in ROMS. A lightning-induced surge can alter the contents of the ROM causing aberrant operation by the PLC.
So these are some of the unhappy things which happen when a computer experiences lightning. But you may say, "Come on, equipment hit by lightning, that's like winning the lottery. It has never happened and I doubt that it ever will." This is a typical reaction and unfortunately it is based on ignorance. True, people may never, or rarely, experience, direct lightning strikes on exposed, in-building cable feeding into their equipment. However, it is not uncommon to find computer equipment being fed by buried cable. In this environment, a lightning strike, even several miles away, can induce voltage/current surges which travel through the ground and induce surges along the cable, ultimately causing equipment failure. The equipment user is undoubtedly aware of these failures but usually does not relate them to the occurrence of lightning during thunderstorm activity since the user does not experience a direct strike.
In a way, such induced surges are analogous to chronic high blood pressure in a person; they are "silent killers." In the manufacturing environment, long cable runs are often found connecting sensors, PLCs and computers. These cables are particularly vulnerable to induced surges.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/wea00/wea00006.htm
It doesn't matter whether your electrical service comes into your house through the ground
or via overhead lines. Lightning is good at penetrating the soil, especially
if wet, and going into the electrical service line. From there it enters the
house, blows right past the circuit breakers (circuit breakers do not protect
you from electrical surges from outside the house, whether on or off), and
goes through all of the electrical cable and fixtures in the house, often
starting a fire in furniture, carpet, or the walls. What you described fits
this pattern perfectly. This happened in exactly the same way to one of my
neighbors ten years ago, and their house burned some as a result. Of course,
as a lightning researcher and lightning protection system designer/inspector,
I spent some time in the house assessing what had happened - a rare opportunity.
As to how lightning occurs, a thunderstorm builds up large areas of positive and
negative electrical charge resulting from the friction of water droplets being
lifted and dropped in the cloud. Even though air is a good insulator, eventually
the charged areas become strong enough that a small stream of electrons (called
a leader migrate from a positively charged area towards a negatively charged
area.
Another leader comes from the negatively charged are to meet it. These ionize the
air enough to give a conductive path and and negative electrons flow to the
positively charged area to neutralize it. The flow of energy is so great that it
actually causes the air to explode in a pressure wave and the energy also produces
light. This is a lightning stroke, and can occur as a ground stroke or from one
area of the thunderstorm cloud to another. Most of the molecules in the air at
the site of the lightning stroke are blown apart by the huge amount of energy and
then recombine into other molecules and pure atoms. A thunderstorm cloud actually
has so much charge in it that it induces a buildup of charge on the ground under
it. If the area on or near the ground area is large enough and intense enough,
it becomes a preferred site for a lightning strike. Trees, chimneys, towers, etc.
are prime targets as they are tall and can provide some distance of path that
takes the place of the leader. They can also build up charge more easily,
especially if not grounded.
It doesn't matter whether your electrical service comes into your house through the ground
or via overhead lines. Lightning is good at penetrating the soil, especially
if wet, and going into the electrical service line. From there it enters the
house, blows right past the circuit breakers (circuit breakers do not protect
you from electrical surges from outside the house, whether on or off), and
goes through all of the electrical cable and fixtures in the house, often
starting a fire in furniture, carpet, or the walls. What you described fits
this pattern perfectly. This happened in exactly the same way to one of my
neighbors ten years ago, and their house burned some as a result. Of course,
as a lightning researcher and lightning protection system designer/inspector,
I spent some time in the house assessing what had happened - a rare opportunity.
As to how lightning occurs, a thunderstorm builds up large areas of positive and
negative electrical charge resulting from the friction of water droplets being
lifted and dropped in the cloud. Even though air is a good insulator, eventually
the charged areas become strong enough that a small stream of electrons (called
a leader migrate from a positively charged area towards a negatively charged
area.
Another leader comes from the negatively charged are to meet it. These ionize the
air enough to give a conductive path and and negative electrons flow to the
positively charged area to neutralize it. The flow of energy is so great that it
actually causes the air to explode in a pressure wave and the energy also produces
light. This is a lightning stroke, and can occur as a ground stroke or from one
area of the thunderstorm cloud to another. Most of the molecules in the air at
the site of the lightning stroke are blown apart by the huge amount of energy and
then recombine into other molecules and pure atoms. A thunderstorm cloud actually
has so much charge in it that it induces a buildup of charge on the ground under
it. If the area on or near the ground area is large enough and intense enough,
it becomes a preferred site for a lightning strike. Trees, chimneys, towers, etc.
are prime targets as they are tall and can provide some distance of path that
takes the place of the leader. They can also build up charge more easily,
especially if not grounded.