Do you turn off ?

When a thunder storm is immanent I still switch off my TV and Computer , I guess old habits die hard.

When I was a child my Mother died and I went to live with my Aunt for a while. At the first sign of a thunder storm the electricity was turned off and we all took refuge in the cupboard under the stairs in case a thunderbolt came down the chimney and struck us all dead

I know many appliances have power surge protectors and my son says if everyone turned things off the world would grind to a halt, but I still find myself turning some things off during a thunder storm .

Re: Do you turn off ?

My mother-in-law had a thunderbolt come down the chimney once so she always opened the back door so it could roll out.

Re: Do you turn off ?

I have a surge protector on the computer, so leave it on,although it does make me a bit nervous, and I won't use it during the storm, nor the phone either. Although my friends at the telephone company many years ago insisted that lightning striking the wire and coming down to the phone was an old wives tale.

A friend was in the mountains when ball lightning came in the house during a violent storm, it circled the room and then exploded with a bang!

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You have all the fun Eileen in America those electric storms wow, all we get is very wet rain!.

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I would gladly send you some of our awful t'storms if you wanted them, Annie, although I sort of hate to wish them on friends! I am very much a wimp during them

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I have surge protectors on my lappy, TV, etc but still switch off if thunder is very near.

Meg, two things sent my mother under the stairs, thunder & the drone of German bombers.

If it was thundering, mirrors were covered & knives removed from the table if it was a mealtime & the curtains closed... She really was terrified.

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Yes Iris we did that too and no standing near a window which I loved to do to watch the storm over Dovedale way.

On one of the rare occasions I didn't switch off both my sons PC and the TV gave up that was a few years ago now..

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That bit about the mirrors and knives is a new one to me! But I never stand in an open door during an electrical storm.

Re: Do you turn off ?

When my Mum was alive, if she thought we were going to have a storm, I had to go all round the house unplugging everything and turning the electric off. Also had to open the front and back doors in case of a thunderbolt so it could go right through. I used to like to watch the storm through the window, but that wasn't allowed either.

Now I never switch anything off and I watch it all happening through the window!

Re: Do you turn off ?

Modern surge protectors will do the job in your home . . . however, if lightning stikes directly on your home no amount of protection will stop massive damage . . . in built-up areas like towns, the chances of it earthing through your house are remote, there are other structures providing an easier path to earth like power pylons and tall buildings . . . if, on the other hand, you live in a tower block on the top floor . . .