Storm fried my stuff.

skykeys

A thunder storm last week came through, which is nothing new. But this time, a lightening strike must have been very close to my house, because it ended up damaging my receiver, DVD player, laptop, cable modem, router, cordless phone, electronic dog fence unit, and a programmable outside light controller. There is no evidence that I took a direct hit, but it must have been very close and come up through the ground.

My beloved and trusted Yamaha RV-V620 is partially damaged, enough so that it must be replaced. Odd that it isn't completely fried, but only two (front left and right) of the 5 channels work. Also the effects processor is damaged, so that some settings still work (on the two working channels), but some other effects send a very weakened and limited signal. So, it's beat. My Denon 1920 only plays regular CDs, but won't send a video signal to the TV. The TV and Cable box still work fine. Fortunately my Sony Bravia seems to have come out okay.

I did have my cable modem and router plugged into a surge protector, but that doesn't seem to have prevented damage. My stereo equipment was not protected. I went out this weekend and picked up a Belkin 4300 Joule "Home Theater" surge protector, which will be used when I rebuild my system. Hopefully this is a good one.

For anyone who has seen my previous posts regarding amps, I was eventually going to replace the Yamaha receiver with separates anyway, but I was not planning on doing it this soon. My time table has been moved up obviously.

My constraint is, my cabinet will accept only 15" of depth. This is not going to change, so it is a given. I have found Class D amps (Nuforce, D-Sonic, Rotel) that will fit the size restriction. But I have not yet found a preamp / AV processor that will work. Of course at this point, I might as well try to find something that supports the new HD lossless audio standards. If anyone has any suggestions, I will be much obliged. (I do have the option of removing the back of the cabinet to gain a couple of inches, but this will be an absolute last resort, because it really won't fly with the Mrs.)

Thanks.

McLoki

Does home insurance cover lightning damage to property? - Sorry about your losses. On the bright side - you have a chance to upgrade/start over with the benefit of hindsight. Don't just run out and replace everything (unless you really liked exactly what you had) plan out the replacements and have fun with it.

Michael

hockeyboy

If you have 2 channels working it might have just blown one of the fuses. Be sure to check that.

skykeys

hockeyboy wrote: »

If you have 2 channels working it might have just blown one of the fuses. Be sure to check that.

Doh! Thanks Hockeyboy, I hadn't thought of that. I'll check it out, and let you know.

Regards.

Face

skykeys wrote: »

(I do have the option of removing the back of the cabinet to gain a couple of inches, but this will be an absolute last resort, because it really won't fly with the Mrs.)

How often does she look back there?

I had two nasty storms roll through here today, even though everything is on surge suppression units, I still run around and unplug everything. Better safe than sorry.

jammer4444

My gear has been fried before, my cabinet was smoking, what a piss off. I purchased a "surge protector" that you place next to your electrical panel. You hard wire it to its own breaker and your whole electrical panel now runs through it. As soon as its hooked up you are covered up to 20 g's for any damage to anything in your house, appliances, computer, etc. It was a little expensive ($400) but worth it.

skykeys

jammer4444 wrote: »

My gear has been fried before, my cabinet was smoking, what a piss off. I purchased a "surge protector" that you place next to your electrical panel. You hard wire it to its own breaker and your whole electrical panel now runs through it. As soon as its hooked up you are covered up to 20 g's for any damage to anything in your house, appliances, computer, etc. It was a little expensive ($400) but worth it.

Thanks for the info Jammer. I'll look into it.

pmckeealaska

If your equipment was plugged into any "covered" equipment like a monster power conditioner, it may be covered under warranty.

zingo

pmckeealaska wrote: »

If your equipment was plugged into any "covered" equipment like a monster power conditioner, it may be covered under warranty.

I second this. Most reputable companies will have some sort of protection guarantee on their equipment.

demaples

Does your power company offer whole house surge protection? Progress Energy offers it at the meter for an initial charge of $44.95 and $5.95 monthly after that.

seeclear

McLoki wrote: »

Does home insurance cover lightning damage to property?

Ours did a few years ago (AllState), but since we had only been with them a few months, they immediately cancelled us!:eek: They told us they would and we figured it was cheaper to get a new insurer than to replace our stuff out of pocket.

skykeys

seeclear wrote: »

Ours did a few years ago (AllState), but since we had only been with them a few months, they immediately cancelled us!:eek: They told us they would and we figured it was cheaper to get a new insurer than to replace our stuff out of pocket.

I am working on an insurance claim now. I have State Farm. After a $500 deductible, I don't think I'll see a lot. But I'll let you all know what happens.

The laptop belongs to my employer, and they sent me a replacement. It's covered by them. The cable modem belongs to Comcast, (I rent it), and they replaced it already. In this case, renting over buying happened to work out.

In terms of the warranty issue, my stereo equipment was not plugged into a surge protector. It was an oversight on my part. I wanted to use one, but "stuff" happened and I didn't get it set up the way I wanted.

As I mentioned previously, I just bought what I think is a good Belkin unit, with 4300 Joule protection, and a warranty that says it will cover up to $25,000, I think. My new equipment (when I figure out what that will be), will definitely be plugged into it.

Thanks for everyone's help and insights. I'll keep you posted.

Regards.

bigaudiofanatic

That why I have actual surge protectors on my stuff not saying you didnt but a lot of people mistake power strips for surge protectors.

mule

here is a cool little gizmo...

http://www.tytewadd.com/info.php

stuwee

You also might want to check local TV and Radio stations in your area, most are upgrading to digital formats and, that means new equipment. My roomies an EE/TE we have a house full of Tripp Lite's and stuff, all free, saved from the landfill. Just ask real nice, Cables and interconnects too.

Craig

grif32

jammer4444 wrote: »

My gear has been fried before, my cabinet was smoking, what a piss off. I purchased a "surge protector" that you place next to your electrical panel. You hard wire it to its own breaker and your whole electrical panel now runs through it. As soon as its hooked up you are covered up to 20 g's for any damage to anything in your house, appliances, computer, etc. It was a little expensive ($400) but worth it.

Dang $400?? Wow. We sell 2 different one's here.

One for 27,000 amps - Around $50.00 Snaps in like a breaker

One for 60,000 amps - Around $100.00 - Mounts next to panel and wire to a seperate breaker.

$400 seems very extreme. But I would also recommend doing it this way instead of Surge Protectors at the outlets.