I remember when I was a child, whenever there was thunderstorm weather, my parents would always ask us to turn off home appliances such as TVs and computers. Although we were very reluctant, we would still do it to avoid damage to the appliances caused by lightning strikes. Now that I have grown up, in addition to knowing the facts, I also need to know the reasons. So, what causes damage to home appliances during thunderstorms? How can we effectively prevent home appliances from being struck by lightning? Next, let’s discuss it together with the automatic voltage protector manufacturers!
Automatic voltage protector manufacturers discuss he principle of “lightning” for home appliances
Spring and summer are the peak seasons for thunderstorms. According to relevant home appliance maintenance personnel, most of the appliances sent for repair during spring and summer are due to lightning strikes, especially in summer, when a batch is sent every time there is a thunderstorm. Generally speaking, lightning can be divided into direct lightning and induction lightning. Usually, the main reason for affecting the safety of home appliances during the thunderstorm season is the intrusion of induction lightning.
Some friends will ask: “From which channels does induce lightning to invade?” In fact, for ordinary families, there are four channels for induced lightning to invade, namely power lines, telephone lines, TV antennas (both wireless and wired), and outer walls or pillars of houses. Among them, the first three channels are directly connected to the external lines of home appliances, so when strong lightning currents invade these lines, they will cause serious damage to home appliances. Therefore, on rainy days, cutting off the contact between electrical appliances and the outside world and unplugging the power plug can still play a role in lightning protection.
However, voltage protector manufacturers remind us that we often easily overlook the fourth channel for lightning to invade home the outer walls or pillars of houses. When the house we live in is struck by direct lightning or side lightning, the strong lightning current will flow into the ground along the outer walls or pillars of the house. In this process, the strong current will generate electric and magnetic fields in the surrounding space. If the home appliances are too close, they may be affected and cause varying degrees of damage.
Since lightning can bring considerable safety hazards to home appliances, we should pay more attention to the protection of home appliances, know which home appliances are prone to lightning strikes, and what we should pay attention to when thunderstorms come.
TV: Close the window first when it thunders and rains
Regarding how to avoid lightning on TV, some users believe that lightning rods can be installed on the TV signal line to protect the TV from lightning strikes. However, the editor recommends that relevant professionals be asked to install lightning rods. After all, if the lightning rod is not installed scientifically, it is no longer “lightning avoidance” but “lightning attraction”. Once struck by lightning, hundreds of thousands of volts of lightning will be introduced into the TV through the signal line, which is harmful rather than beneficial.
Therefore, the simplest and most effective lightning protection method for TVs is to place the TV as far away from the window as possible and keep it about 10 cm away from the wall. When it thunders and rains, close the window first, because the window is an important way for lightning to invade, then quickly unplug the TV power plug and unplug the signal line connection, so that the TV can be better protected from lightning damage.
Computer: Not only the plug should be unplugged, but the network cable should also be unplugged
A computer career that has not been damaged by lightning is not a complete computer career. As we all know, computers are high-tech electrical appliances with highly integrated electronic components. Once the semiconductor integrated circuit is instantly broken down by lightning and loses its original polarity, the integrated circuit is damaged. Therefore, in thunderstorms, it is better to turn off the computer and unplug it.
Lightning protection socket
However, it is not enough to just unplug the plug. I remember that once the editor did not unplug the network cable during a thunderstorm, lightning directly burned the router and network card. Therefore, in addition to unplugging the plug, it is also necessary to unplug the network cable crystal head. In addition, the market has also launched a voltage protector with a lightning protection function to target the damage of lightning to electrical appliances.
Air conditioner: Stop using it on thunderstorm days
Like the wired signal cable of the TV, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is also a guy who is easy to “attracts lightning” in thunderstorms. In terms of lightning protection for air conditioners, the manufacturer of automatic voltage protectors tells you that several factors should be considered: First, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner should be connected to the ground during installation. The compressor should be welded to the down conductor of the building or the structural column steel bars used for the down conductor. The windows of general high-rise buildings that have been made with equalizing ring taps can also be welded nearby to prevent direct lightning strikes; secondly, the indoor air conditioner host should be shielded to prevent lightning current intrusion. Of course, for the sake of safety, it is recommended that you try to turn off the air conditioner and cut off the power supply during thunderstorms.
Washing machine: avoid connecting to water pipes
Similar to computers, the circuit board of a washing machine is a module-integrated microelectronic circuit board, and this highly integrated circuit board has poor lightning resistance. Therefore, the washing machine circuit board is also very vulnerable to lightning strikes.
Generally speaking, we all like to connect the washing machine to the water pipe. Therefore, if the washing machine is unfortunately struck by lightning and causes a short circuit in the circuit board, causing leakage of the washing machine, it will greatly endanger the user’s life safety. Therefore, users should pay attention to checking whether the metal pipes on the roof have been connected to the lightning protection belt. It is best to stop using the washing machine and unplug the power socket when it is thundering and raining. It is best not to connect the washing machine to the water pipe when not in use.
Summary: For household appliances, lightning has great power, so many people are in awe of lightning. But as long as we take good lightning protection measures, lightning damage to household appliances is still far away. The above are some electrical lightning protection tips shared by voltage protector manufacturers, I hope they are useful to everyone.
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