Shitty End to a Great Weekend.

[HMC8403]

I had 4 days liberty so flew home for an extended weekend. As I’m not one to sit around I decided to do some landscaping (trim bushes, spread mulch, and even cleaned the gutters). It being 6pm, having to flying out tomorrow at 8am, and as I was done with everything on my honey-do list, I decided to shower, have dinner and relax.

Not long afterwards the phone goes off signaling a tornado warning. Being just outside Chicago and never having a tornado touch down around here, I wasn’t worried.

We did get rain, lightning and thunder and all of a sudden a loud bang right outside the house. After the rain stopped I drove around the neighborhood but didn’t see any damage; I came inside to check the cameras and found that three were not working.

The NVR is plugged into a UPS and I tried plugging the cameras into different ports but no luck. I will leave them unplugged overnight and hopefully they will work in the morning. It’s sucked that this happened the night before I have to leave.

 

[Coldair]

Boom, Boom out go the lights

 

[SyconsciousAu]

The NVR is plugged into a UPS

Unfortunately a big lightning strike close to the house will induce current in the cables themselves which can fry the cameras. My whole set up is behind an active UPS which cleans up all the current and voltage to exactly 230V and 50hz (Australia) but once or twice a year during the summer storms a big strike will knock my POE switch off line. I've only lost one camera to lightning in the last 6 years (touch wood). You can get inline surge protectors for Ethernet cables which a quick google tells me have become far more affordable than when I first looked at them 6 years ago.

 

[HMC8403]

I was home this weekend and started troubleshooting; I lucked out and just the splitter fried.

 

[TonyR]

I was home this weekend and started troubleshooting; I lucked out and just the splitter fried.

FWIW, it's more accurately called a POE extender/switch.

 

[snoyes34231]

We call it Christmas in July down here on the sand pile. (AKA lightening capitol of the world)

 

[Sybertiger]

We call it Christmas in July down here on the sand pile. (AKA lightening capitol of the world)

Tampa?

 

[snoyes34231]

Tampa?

Sarasota

 

[Arjun]

The electronics are so delicate, these cameras are going to survive a severe lightening strike unless its PTZ camera which is more robustly built

 

[DsineR]

NEC 2020 updates include whole home surge protection (Type 1 or 2 SPDs) for new & replaced power service equipment supplying dwellings. A step in the right direction to help prevent power spikes & fluctuations.
SPD's vary in levels & types of protection, but did not see a minimum value in the NEC - may have to dig deeper.
Now it's a question of when your state will adopt NEC 2020 updates - FL is still on NEC 2017.
SPD's are fairly inexpensive, and easy to install if you have some electrical skills. Check out typical elec shops: Siemens, Eaton, Leviton, SquareD, etc.

 

[Sybertiger]

NEC 2020 updates include whole home surge protection (Type 1 or 2 SPDs) for new & replaced power service equipment supplying dwellings. A step in the right direction to help prevent power spikes & fluctuations.
SPD's vary in levels & types of protection, but did not see a minimum value in the NEC - may have to dig deeper.
Now it's a question of when your state will adopt NEC 2020 updates - FL is still on NEC 2017.
SPD's are fairly inexpensive, and easy to install if you have some electrical skills. Check out typical elec shops: Siemens, Eaton, Leviton, SquareD, etc.

Which one did you install and what was the cost? Any pics you can share?

 

[DsineR]

I went with the Siemens FS140 - more $$ then most but offers very high surge capacity, and I live in FL.
Decent install video here.
Siemens FS140 link doesn't work, see attached PDF.

 

[Sybertiger]

I went with the Siemens FS140 - more $$ then most but offers very high surge capacity, and I live in FL.

I'm in Orlando so I definitely have concerns about this.

 

[sebastiantombs]

I'm in NJ and worry about it all the time, especially in the summer.