lightning Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Do surge suppressors actually work?

Posted on February 13, 2025

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Question from Ana: I bought a new iMac from Best Buy a couple of years ago.

I also bought a surge suppressor to go with it because the salesman said it would prevent the computer from being damaged by lightning.

We had a thunderstorm last night and our power went off. It came back on a couple of hours later but now my TV, dishwasher and iMac are all dead. None of them will do anything when I turn them on.

My question is, do surge suppressors really work?

[Read more…]

Q&A: Can lightning damage something that’s turned off?

Posted on February 20, 2024

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Question from Karen: I have a question about surge protection after reading this article of yours.

If there’s a lightning strike and your TV and computer gear are not on at the time, will the strike still damage the equipment? [Read more…]

4 tips for protecting your computer from lightning strikes

Posted on July 6, 2023

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Well, summer is officially here, and that means the long, hot days to come will be spawning plenty of electrical storms.

There’s really nothing you can do to keep the coming storms at bay, but there are several things you can do that would greatly reduce the risk of a lightning strike damaging your expensive computer equipment.

Here are a few tips for protecting your computer from lightning strikes: [Read more…]