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Old 10-15-2018, 02:56 PM   #1
Frank G
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When Lightning Strikes!!!

Returned to our fifth wheel today in central FL after a 4 week absence.

It was left hooked up to power with a Progressive Industries surge protector, water hooked up, turned off at the source, Direct tv dish tripod mounted and hooked up. Everything was turned off except the rear A/C set on 85.

When we returned nothing was on and the main breaker inside the unit was tripped. Here is what we found; Main TV won't come on, Electric side of water heater trips circuit breaker, Main A/C, nope no work, and yes that wonderful 18 cu ft 4-door Norcold Refrigator is dead on all functions, full of food, in 90+ heat for 10 days or so. Where the power cable attaches to the Fifth Wheel the Ground Contacts were lightly welded together. A while back someone challenged the design of the new style power cord connectors grounding method, I think it worked well as designed.

The bright side, we pray for those in the path of the storms, we are so lucky and it looks like Progressive will take care of it. Yes it looks like a Lightning strike, probably not direct, but who knows. The neighbors are confirming this, they all thought they were the ones hit.

The interesting find is that Progressive Industries surge protectors have a disclaimer that protects them from any damages. Wow, they could care less if there product works or not in protecting your RV or you.

The Mobile Toy Doctors are coming out tomorrow to assess the damages and fix what they can.
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Old 10-15-2018, 03:05 PM   #2
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Wow...we had a highly unusual thunder/lightening storm in the San Diego area last Friday. We had the power go out, flicker back on and then go out again. I and all of my neighbors unplugged from the power pedestals just to be on the safe(r) side.

Surge protection is on my "need to get" list. I do thank this forum for the knowledge I've acquired regarding surge protection. I don't think the thought would have ever occurred to me if I hadn't learned about it here.

I don't think anyone that stayed plugged in suffered any damage, rather safe than sorry though.
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Old 10-15-2018, 03:05 PM   #3
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Wow! I am very sorry to hear of the problems. It really wreaked havoc sounds like. It's one of those things that crosses people's minds that they hoe just doesn't happen because there's nothing you can do about it if it does. You're probably better off that you weren't there from the extent of the damage. Lightning is very powerful and there's no telling what could have happened to someone in the family when it hit. Thankfully they are coming out to try to get you going. Good luck and hope you get back in order soon.
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Old 10-15-2018, 03:36 PM   #4
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"we are so lucky and it looks like Progressive will take care of it.
The interesting find is that Progressive Industries surge protectors have a disclaimer that protects them from any damages"
Can we assume that you are speaking of two different Progressives here?
As Danny said, nobody injured, that's the most important part.
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Old 10-15-2018, 03:54 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notanlines View Post
"we are so lucky and it looks like Progressive will take care of it.
The interesting find is that Progressive Industries surge protectors have a disclaimer that protects them from any damages"
Can we assume that you are speaking of two different Progressives here?
As Danny said, nobody injured, that's the most important part.
Yes, Progressive Insurance

Progressive Industries is the manufacture of the Surge Protector I have. Yes I was quite surprised to read on there web site that they cover the device only and nothing attached to it. I have purchased other surge protectors in the past for electronic gear and they came with a $xxxxxx protection plan if you could prove there device failed to protect. Now, I do not believe any device will protect form a down stream lightning strike. So I would not expect Progressive Industries to have any liabilities for my losses.
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Old 10-15-2018, 04:04 PM   #6
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I don't have Progressive insurance on the RV but I'll relate a conversation with my insurance company when we had a desktop PC and fridge ruined by power fluctuations.

We have terrible power where our house is and we had one extremely dismal day when the power would surge then brown out to the tune of 20+ times (wind was blowing). During that period I lost one refrigerator and one desktop PC. I called the insurance company and described what had happened wondering if there was insurance on that type of occurrence. The rep (Geico) advised that they did not cover poor power or surges etc. but the did cover lightning and told me, after I had told her all that, "if you tell me it was hit by lightning we will cover it"! I told her there was no way I would do that because that wasn't what happened - so I bought new "stuff" (I figure and adjustor would have questioned it anyway). Just saying be careful how you describe the events and make sure from your initial conversation they understand you were hit by lightning.
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Old 10-15-2018, 05:00 PM   #7
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Lightning doesn't have to directly strike the power line to do damage. Many years ago we had a tree struck about 60 feet behind a bedroom of our house. The 50' + tall, over 5' diameter tree was reduced to tooth pics. The induced voltage blew out the power diodes in that bed room's television. This was over 35 yrs ago when electronics were not as sensitive. If it was a direct hit, no surge protector will stop the potentialy millions of volts, thousands of amps that a lightning strike can generate.
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Old 10-15-2018, 06:53 PM   #8
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Lightning, like a large hurricane, can cause unbelievable damage and we don't actually comprehend their power. I was driving to my house in the mountains in a rainstorm at about 9000' elevation; it was a thunderstorm. I've seen pretty close lightning strikes and you see the lightning and hear the boom a bit later; maybe a fraction a second later, but a bit later. On this day as I drove along I was startled by a large blue light on my left almost blinding me. At the moment I saw the blue light it shot straight down a 100+' pine about 50' to my left. I saw the light, the tree shot all of it's bark off and splintered and about the same time I heard the boom - the tree was decimated and I couldn't see for a few seconds.

All that to say that nature can do things and carries powers beyond our comprehension so we must always keep that in mind and hope that we aren't caught by it in some form or fashion.
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Old 10-15-2018, 07:36 PM   #9
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The use of a pure 'surge protector' does not do much to protect all the electronics and other things in these rigs, as they do not open the circuit when a voltage issue happens, whether a high surge or a low voltage situation which can also damage things. The better option, whether portable or hardwired, is an EMS device, which will open a magnetic contactor if any voltage deviation occurs, and with the contactor open inside the EMS, the hot legs are disconnected from the source. These devices usually have even better lightning or surge capability than a regular surge protector.

Progressive Industries and Southwire Surge Guard are two of several manufacturers that make these devises.
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:57 AM   #10
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What does EMS stand for?
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Old 10-16-2018, 06:10 AM   #11
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Quote:
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What does EMS stand for?
Electrical Management System

Here is the one we use....
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:04 AM   #12
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Which means it not only protects against surges/spikes, but a list of other possible electrical issues. Once it's plugged in & breaker turned on it takes 2 minutes +/- to check e everything before power goes through it to the rv. You definitely want/need the surge/ems! If you don't don't have one GET IT ASAP!
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:07 AM   #13
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Thank you!
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:29 AM   #14
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BTW, if a lightning strike is close enough no EMS or surge device will protect you. The effects of a near direct strike will energize the very air in the surrounding area. Lightning can fry electronics without any direct wired path.
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:43 AM   #15
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^^^ What he said.....

If you think about what a million volts at 200,000 amps can do to a 90' tall pine tree (split it from top to bottom as the electricity travels down the trunk) you'll realize that a 1/4" gap between two contacts on a "EMS switch" won't be much of a "protection device" against that kind of electrical surge......
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Old 10-16-2018, 08:00 AM   #16
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The lightening storm that we had was a rare event for the San Diego area. The news said we had 2,307 strikes in the area (who counts this stuff).

An EMS device has been on my list of things to get anyway (again, thanks to the knowledge that is shared on this forum), the lightening storm just moved it up a bit on the priority scale. Besides the storm, we had an issue at the RV park we are in a month or so ago where we were only getting one leg to the pedestals...there again I figured the best option was to unplug until they got it fixed.

I figure I've pushed my luck enough and better get with the program!
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Old 10-16-2018, 08:57 AM   #17
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Quote:
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^^^ What he said.....

If you think about what a million volts at 200,000 amps can do to a 90' tall pine tree (split it from top to bottom as the electricity travels down the trunk) you'll realize that a 1/4" gap between two contacts on a "EMS switch" won't be much of a "protection device" against that kind of electrical surge......
Exactly!

Not to mention the miles of sky it traveled through to get to that pine tree?

Lightning is no joke... when I was young, I fixed televisions for a living, got called out to house where they had no picture, just snow and saw the twin lead dangling from the antenna when I drove up. Thought, well this will be easy, got up on the roof and skinned back some insulation... there was no copper left in the twin lead, the plastic sheathing was fine, just no conductors, at all... had to run all new wire and replace the balun at the back of the set too, since all the copper on the internal circuit board was evaporated off. lightning had struck, somewhere near by but not on their house.

Several years ago, a guy was walking into a convenience store, nearest cloud was 5+ miles away, lightning bolt stuck him dead

Be careful out there.

-Brian

-Brian
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Old 10-16-2018, 11:14 AM   #18
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Quick Update...First of all a big thanks to the "Toy Doctor" mobile repair service out of Dade City Florida, they were here at 9 this morning. The technician was a RIVA Certified Master Technician. He had all the parts but one on the truck.

The A/C required a new control board and thermostat. The Refrigerator requires a new control board (on Order). The water heater took a direct hit and descentagrated the left side overload. Replaced and now working. TV is Junk.

The damage was split between the low and high voltage stuff, even some of the LED puck lights were affected, yet the converter survived.

This could have been a lot worse and thank full no one was in the unit at the time.
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Old 10-16-2018, 11:38 AM   #19
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Frank, I'm glad to hear things are coming together for you. As you said, it could have been a lot worse and no one was hurt.
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Old 10-21-2018, 08:04 AM   #20
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Electrical Management System
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