Practice during a lightning storm

Don R Brown · From: Rochester, New York, USA

We have a split level, and my computer/music room is on a lower level, with a concrete slab under the carpet. (steel and seat are on 5/8" plywood on top of the carpet).

What are your thoughts about practicing during a thunderstorm? We're having one now, my wife was suggesting I ought to hold off till it's over, or tomorrow. I suppose with the cable, electric and telephone feed bolted on the house almost outside the room, steel everything in the gear, and not TOO much insulation between me and ground.

No big deal, or am I at risk of trading my steel for a harp?

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Many play better than I do. Nobody has more fun.

Jon Voth · From: Virginia, USA

Grew up in Kansas. I used to climb on the roof to watch the massive storms come in. The most beautiful of things I've seen.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Don R Brown · From: Rochester, New York, USA

Oh, I love watching, I just don't want to be a participant!
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Many play better than I do. Nobody has more fun.

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

You should be OK. Your gear OTOH…

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

I recently had a couple of pieces of electronics wiped out by a storm. I don't know if it illustrated that they were especially vulnerable -- poorly shielded or filtered -- or if it was just a random thing where it could have been anything that was turned on or plugged in at the time.
Bottom line -- I will assume that my 40 years old house in the woods is vulnerable to spikes and I unplug computers and other critical electronics when a noteworthy storm passes through.

Floyd Lowery · From: Deland, Florida, USA

I lost a lot of electronics during a storm with lighting one time. Florida is famous for lighting. So when the power company I am with offered a surge protector for the whole house, I rented one from them.
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Carter 12 string 4petals 5knees, Mullen G2 3 petals 4 knees
Alesis QuadraVerb, Goodrich Match-Bro II
Peavy Nashville 400 & Session 500

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I don't know if it helps or not; but, the guitar, amp, and f/x pedals I keep set up at home for practice are all plugged in to a surge protector. I always turn off the amp and then turn off the surge protector after practicing.

I don't use the equipment during a storm, just to be safe.

I also wear both a belt and suspenders! Smile

~Lee

Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

I use surge protector extension outlets but I unplug them. I don't believe they will protect against lightning. I stopped using an electric fence for my pasture because even though it was plugged into a surge protector lightning still blew several of them up. I went to barbed wire. Lightning also burned my phone system almost off the wall and it was powered through a surge protector.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Robert B Murphy · From: Mountain View, Arkansas, USA

Play dobro.
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Bob, small o.

Don R Brown · From: Rochester, New York, USA

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

sounds exciting... electrifyingly so! Mr. Green

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Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"

A Little Mental Health Warning:

Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.

I say it humorously, but I mean it.

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

I have lost some gear to lightning. While I do use surge protector and shut it off, I now unplug those power strips when I'm done playing. Better safe than sorry.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

Get a battery powered amp to practice through when the storms are around. I've seen some pretty bad stuff from my days in the IT business. Lightning hitting a building, running down to the main breaker box and then traveling through hallways. Destroying a lot of electronics along the way. Never underestimate Mother Nature.

I unplug stuff and don't rely on surge suppressors when things get bad.

Dave

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Lightning run in on a building near Philippi WV. Brad Gum was sitting in his vehicle and seen the lightning hit a pole with transformer about 200 ft. from the venue.

Some of the musician on stage got shocked, But no one was hurt serious. The Lightning jumped surge protectors and fried them. And blew up every Amp. on stage, And the PA system was Toast.
The show had to shut down for the night.

Anything connected to Electric, Phone or TV cable lines could be dangerous to ones health.

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Many good lists of all that can be blown by lightning. Disconnecting them is the only sure way to avoid damage.
Also, be aware of metal water pipes etc., as they make for excellent conductors and lightnings don't care which way groundings to pipes and other metal parts are supposed to work – it will go in all directions at once and discharge into everything conductive within reach – including humans.

Don R Brown · From: Rochester, New York, USA

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

As David Ball said, use a battery powered amp and be safe. I have a couple and do that when it gets bad.

Robert B Murphy · From: Mountain View, Arkansas, USA

Lightning struck a big oak near my house and blew a strip of bark off from the crown to the base. The earth around the roots blew up too. My habit is to unplug everything I care about and stay away from the plumbing or anything else that's grounded like the appliances or shop tools. It's a good time to read a book or play an acoustic instrument.

A guy who just did some concrete work for me said he was struck ten years ago. He couldn't work for three months and still has nerve pain at times. He didn't even get struck directly but was near where it touched down. His son saw it and thought he was dead.

I used to watch lightning travel from layer to layer in thunderstorms over the flats in the Florida Keys. You can see the entire storm from the side down there.
When those massive charges make their way to ground it can result in unbelievable potentials at the top of the storm. That can produce a clear air strike miles away from the center of the storm. Yeah, I know I sound like an alarmist, but you really don't want to take the chance. Your wife is right.
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Bob, small o.

Don R Brown · From: Rochester, New York, USA

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

I have to admit, I’m worried when I take a leak during a major lightning storm because…….well, you know……😎
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

Every time a lightning storm comes, I unplug the steel and amp, no matter how big or little the storm is. I remember in 2010, I went to Lebanon, Tennessee to get my current steel, my Jackson Blackjack Custom, and there was a big rainstorm that came through with thunder and lightning, and David and Harry Jackson had one of their Sho-Bud amps turned on, and I said, "Could we give the steel and amps a break until the lightning stops?" because I wasn't really comfortable with a steel bar in my hand with lightning flashing outside, so I think we sat and talked until the lightning stopped. I don't like having my steel plugged in during storms, even though I've got a surge protector

Robert B Murphy · From: Mountain View, Arkansas, USA

Did you tell your wife yet? Chicken!

On the subject of surge protectors, metal oxide varistors, MOVs, those little red or blue disks that are connected between the hot and return in a surge protector, can only discharge so much before they say:"adios, I'm done!" The problem is you rarely can see that they are not functioning any more. If there's a way to test them I don't know what it is. My solution is to replace them every so often like maybe once a year. I'll sometimes buy a handful from digi-key, jameco, or some other supplier when I'm buying other parts. They work by essentially shorting the inputs if the voltage is rising ridiculously fast and don't do anything for normal 60 cycle rise times. They are rated by the number of joules they can absorb. The bigger the better. Too much and they burn out although they did sacrifice their lives for the cause that one last time. Most switchable power strips have them inside but if you wired one to a dummy plug and stuck that in the socket it would work just as well. Usually damaging fast rising overvoltages are caused by lightning but EMP or failures by other devices on the same power lines could possibly cause voltage spikes on the lines too.
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Bob, small o.

Chris Sattler · From: Hunter Valley, Australia

I've lived in two houses that have been belted by lightning. First was about twenty metres away and did serious electrical damage. The second was a direct hit onto the TV antenna mast. Bigger damage. The thing is the surge will travel through the house wiring and exit at the furthest outlet. Anything plugged into those is toast. Near the middle of the house you may be ok. So move your music room to the centre of the house. Smile

David Mitchell · From: Tyler, Texas

Unplug during lightning storms and don't let the stage electrician hook the band up to 220 volts. I had that happen at a football stadium gig before the show. Smoked every guitar amp, PA amps and everything else plugged in. Ran beautifully for about 30 seconds. They do make lightning arrestors that are designed to short out before it hits the breaker box but it's a lot cheaper to just unplug.

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