Got setup working to 90% and God or someone took it all away.

[pgitta]

What I had yesterday:

SageTV "almost there" after hours and hours
(2) 8-port network switches
D-Link DSL router/firewall
(2) sets surround PC speakers w/subs
PCI network adaptor
P4 2.4GHZ (Sage Media Center)
VGA port on Philips HDTV
Genie garage door opener
Channel Master 7775 Preamp
Techniques Stereo Receiver
8-port USB hub
on board LAN port Dell Dimension
who knows what else

What I have today after 20 minutes of hail and apparently a direct hit:

Depression.

P.S. Everything plugged into surge protectors or UPS got the worst of it.

[cslatt]

Aww man that sucks! Best of luck with that; you think it's covered by insurance?

[cummings66]

I sympathize with you. I work on electronics for a living and see this more than I care too, although it is what keeps me employed so I can deal with it.

I make a point on my own equipment and I even tell customers this, if there's a storm coming unplug the equipment. Unplug antennas, electricity, cat cables, phone lines, etc. If you must leave it plugged in you will get hit, it may take you 40 years but you will get hit eventually. Surge suppressors will not prevent a hit, merely reduce how much damage you get for the most part.

The kicker is that although you can get it repaired normally you end up dealing with insurance companies most of the time and they just do not care. I've had more than one tell me if it's cheaper to repair than new they do not care if the parts take 3 months to get. They're willing to wait until it's fixed and won't replace it due to taking excessive time. That's on replacement cost which is a misnamed policy IMO. They mean they'll replace it if it cost more to repair than new.

To be honest, if you're dealing with insurance it's best to hope it's damaged beyond repair and there is no questions, but unfortunately much of today's gear is repairable. I just finished putting together an old computer of mine that was hit by lightning, took out the power supply and Ethernet card.

Good luck and I hope it's resolved quickly, most are.

[pgitta]

Yeah, I usually do unplug when I know something serious is coming, but this sucker blew up out of nowhere, and as I was oooohhing and aaawwing in the neighbors garage about the hail, a bolt came out of nowhere and fried my house.

Talked to my Allstate guy and he said don't worry about it. "We'll cut you a check to buy new stuff"

We'll see.

[cummings66]

Sounds good to me, here comes that new pc with all the stuff needed for a HTPC.

Some insurance companies around here are making people get riders for computers because it's all too common to total them out and they always end up better than what they started with because that's how computers are.

Good deal.

[Fluffdaddy]

I feel your pain.............18 months ago my house got hit by Lighting and took out Everthing that was hooked-up to the internet via my DSL router. or phone line........... inculding my beloved HTPC

2 PC's...............power supply and Ethernet port on both and Harddrives
1 Replaytv
1 cordless Phone
my 5 port Hub
DSL Modem
Some how my wife's 5 day old Laptop made it though.
My insurance would not cover my PC's because I built them myself................only store bought crap

[pgitta]

Originally Posted by Fluffdaddy

My insurance would not cover my PC's because I built them myself................only store bought crap

So you can't present a receipt for a motherboard to an insurance company?

What a crock. At least the PC's I'm working with are name brands.

[teknubic]

Originally Posted by pgitta

Talked to my Allstate guy and he said don't worry about it. "We'll cut you a check to buy new stuff"

We'll see.

Contrary to what the insurance company wants you to remember, this is what insurance is for. You've already paid for the equipment replacement, you just need them to authorize a withdrawl. Also, if the insurance dude says he'll cut you a check, make sure it's enough to cover the cost of the equipment. They're notorious for low-balling.

Originally Posted by pgitta

P.S. Everything plugged into surge protectors or UPS got the worst of it.

I don't get this part. Is it that the surge protectors and UPS didn't do their job or is it that everything that was fried just happened to be plugged into the HTPC, which had a hard-line to the arial in the attic?
Monsoon season is coming up here. I'd like to learn from your experience if you'll share it.

[Fluffdaddy]

Originally Posted by pgitta

So you can't present a receipt for a motherboard to an insurance company?

What a crock. At least the PC's I'm working with are name brands.

I just let it go. It was a year old motherboard's from newegg that I got for 40 bucks each, was not worth a fight. Maxtor did replace all my harddrives, (Five) That was where the real money was.

[pgitta]

I don't get this part. Is it that the surge protectors and UPS didn't do their job or is it that everything that was fried just happened to be plugged into the HTPC, which had a hard-line to the arial in the attic?
Monsoon season is coming up here. I'd like to learn from your experience if you'll share it.

I don't know how much I can tell you that would help. The damage was TOTALLY random as to items only connected to AC. EVERYTHING however that was on my LAN was affected. I have six computers hard wired and every one either had the onboard lan or PCI NIC fried.

I was wondering myself if the antenna could have been the culprit, especially since I put it up a week before and hadn't had a chance to ground it. But I think it was more through the ground and EMP that did it.

My neighbor was on his porch across the street and he said he saw lightning strike 20 yards or so behind my house, not on it. Anyway, the tuner card was connected to the coax, and it's fine.

I also had four different circuits pop breakers, and my garage door opener is shot too. That's not connected to the antenna, unless you can imaging it coming down the coax, throught the CM7775 power suppy and jumping around the electrical outlets. I doubt it.

I had two things blown sitting right next to another that was fine.
I really think the damaging part came from the LAN cabling. My router was in a $500 APC battery backup, but it can't protect it's network connection.

[blade]

Originally Posted by teknubic

I don't get this part. Is it that the surge protectors and UPS didn't do their job or is it that everything that was fried just happened to be plugged into the HTPC, which had a hard-line to the arial in the attic?

I had a cd-changer get fried once. The power cord was plugged into the back of the receiver which wasn't damaged at all.

[teknubic]

awesome.
So the lesson here is that if you don't want your stuff damaged during an electrical storm, disconnect everything from power and data and put it all in faraday boxes.
I think what I'm going to do is connect up the grounding clamp on the splitter on the side of the house and disconnect the switch ports when Zeus comes rolling into Phoenix. I just don't know what else to do realistically.

[pgitta]

So the lesson here is that if you don't want your stuff damaged during an electrical storm, disconnect everything from power and data and put it all in faraday boxes.
I think what I'm going to do is connect up the grounding clamp on the splitter on the side of the house and disconnect the switch ports when Zeus comes rolling into Phoenix. I just don't know what else to do realistically

Exactly. It is totally un-realistic for me to run around the house disconnecting a minimum of 50 lan cables and power cords.

1. I would have to be home
2. Do I do it for a storm that's 5 miles away, 10 miles?
3. This one came up in 5 minutes while I was in the neighbors garage. Had I run home to start disconnecting, the damn bolt would probably have hit ME on the way, or they would have found a "me" shaped burn mark on the family room carpet with some charred fingernails scattered next to my HD tuner card coax connector.

No thanks.

[pgitta]

Allstate paid $3078 after deducting for DirecTV DVR $350.

"Your policy states no coverage on satellite equipment. Talk to DirecTV to have it fixed"

Which I sort of get because 99% have Direct or Dish install the equipment and have them repair if it goes bad.

But...

I bought MY OWN equipment and have no contract with DirecTV, so if I asked them to fix it they would tell me to get you know what-ed.

So I say, "It's MY equipment"

She says, "But you policy states no satelite equipment. Talk to DirecTV"

But it's MY equipment!"

"But you policy states no satelite equipment. Talk to DirecTV"

But it's MY equipment!"

"But you policy states no satelite equipment. Talk to DirecTV"

But it's MY equipment!"

"But you policy states no satelite equipment. Talk to DirecTV"

Proof that no one feels right if they pay full boat.

Anyway...should cover my losses, so I'm not going to waste my time arguing.

[Fluffdaddy]

Great to hear you was made whole............almost

[teknubic]

That only took about a month. Good on Allstate.
Any wagers on how long it will take pgitta to get everything bought, put together and re-installed?

[Polypro]

I just had a storm experience too. I came home from a trip and asked my dad if we had a storm. He says yes, there was a bick "Crack" that sounded like it was right outside. DSL modem had only the power LED on and was very hot. Linksys Router had all LED's blinking at random. My desktop connected via Cat5 cant obtain an IP via DHCP now and setting a static IP doesn't help...no internet access. Another desktop connected via 802.11g lost it's soundcard. Cordless phones are fine, so I don't think it came through the phone line. Surge's didn't trip, so I think it might have been a static electricity charge. Weird stuff.

P