ANSWERS: 5
  • Definitely! It happened to me a few years ago. Lightning came in the house through the outlets! I was on the computer at the time. and it looked like lightning arc'd from the monitor to the mouse - and my hand was on it! I wasn't hurt, but I felt a buzz sensation for a second. I had bought waht was advertized as a power strip, but later found out that it wasn't enough :(
  • Easily, and yes. Surge strips can protect against normal voltage spikes, but a full-on lightning strike tends to overwhelm even those. Imagine trying to stop a bullet with a single sheet of paper. Figure, a lightning bolt can detonate a tree two feet thick. I don't thing that a little trace of copper one-tenth the thickness of a human hair really has a chance against that sort of power. And it's electricity, so being inside the house really doesn't protect it; if it happens to be plugged in then it may as well be outside.
  • I had a lightning strike about a half a block away blow my modem out last year. I heard it pop the same time the lightning hit. Luckily that was all that was damaged. I had a spare modem handy and just replaced it but I unplug everything during storms now.
  • Unplug them. Lightning strikes can cause power surges that burn out home computers and monitors - leaving them completely worthless.
  • Yes. Yes. Also, an actual surge suppressor might not be a bad idea, but it'll never be as effective as unplugging your PC.

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