Berlin - Thunder and lightning can do more than just rattle a home's windows. That's why people install lightning rods to protect their home. But many people don't understand that nearby lightning strikes can cause damage to nearby homes and their electronic devices.
"Electrical surges are possible even if the lightning hits two kilometres away," says Oliver Born of Elektro+, a Berlin-based organization.
Such surges enter a house, either through wires or metal pipes, explains Susanne Woelk of DHS, a German group that focuses on home safety.
However, homeowners are not completely at the mercy of natural forces. There is no law forcing homeowners to take measures against surges, but doing so can save lots of subsequent work and money, not to mention the frustration of a shorted-out television, computer or washing machine.
"Surge damage is generally not covered in householder's comprehensive insurance," says Katrin Ruter de Escobar of the GDV Association of German Insurers.
Home technology is most in danger during the summer months, the prime storm season. In Germany, that stretches from June to August, reports Siemens' lightning information service. In 2008, there were 2.1 million lightning strikes in Germany, 700,000 of those just in July.
Good protection for a house involves a multi-dimensional approach, with precautions taken both inside and outside. A lightning rod is the best external protection.
"The lightning rod catches, in a matter of speaking, the lightning and guides it to the earth," explains Born.
But internal steps need to be taken to protect against surge damage, says Woelk. Many homeowners are unfamiliar with these.
The first step is installing a lightning current arrester, which protects phone and cable connections, as well as the fuse box, from lightning strikes. The next step is connecting devices like computers, telephones and televisions directly to surge protectors.
"Check the quality when using plug-in devices," advises Born. Cheap adapters from hardware stores won't do the job. The same applies to surge protectors built into connector strips. "These usually only help with surges when power comes on, but not against a lightning strike."
Woelk says homeowners can see if their house has adequate lightning protection by checking their blueprints. If there's any doubt, an electrician can check the house and install protective devices.
The price for comprehensive lightning protection in a single family home runs between 2,000 and 3,000 euros (2,750 to 4,150 dollars). But this could be a worthwhile investment, especially given the ever-growing number of electronic devices making ever more use of microprocessors in homes. Both trends have made modern life more susceptible to the problems of lightning strikes.
Of course it's possible to protect electronics from lightning strikes by simply unplugging them. "But that's not a modern solution," says Oliver Born. After all, it's not enough to just unplug a modern television or telephone. "You have to unplug the antenna or the telephone cable, which means that phones are useless until after the storm completely passes." Otherwise, small surges at the tail end of the storm could lead to damage. "If you have a lightning protection system, you can continue to use these devices during a storm."
