Ain't that the truth, Ron.  thanks for the input.

Phil.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Yearns" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Bulk] Surge Protector For Breaker Box


> No one can guarantee it will stop all strikes, but it can help and will
> never hurt.  In my 30 years as maintenance electrical supervisor at a 
> major
> university in Missouri I learned that lightening does as it pleases we 
> just
> try to do what we can to minimize damage.
> Ron
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 4:24 PM
> Subject: [Bulk] Surge Protector For Breaker Box
>
>
>> I've never known if they helped or not but I had the money recently, so =
>> I bought a breaker box surge protector for 128.  This one is made by G E 
>> =
>> and was made for the box I have.  It makes me feel better but I don't =
>> know if it will help protect the house or not.  This week Denver has had 
>> =
>> some horribly powerful thunderstorms dropping down into the valley of =
>> Denver off the mountains with lots and lots of cloud to ground strikes =
>> and some very close.  We lost power for 4 hours and that never goes that 
>> =
>> long.  24,000 Denver customers were without power for hours and the next 
>> =
>> day, still 5,000 customers were off the grid.  I took a direct lightning 
>> =
>> strike many years ago when I had two towers.  The 65 foot tower had a 26 
>> =
>> foot vertical on top of it and in mid August, of all things, we had the =
>> worst dry lightning storm I've ever witnessed.  I took a direct hit on =
>> the vertical.  It blew the top three feet off the antenna.  All antennas 
>> =
>> were grounded but I was leaning up against my metal office desk and just 
>> =
>> three feet from my coax switch that had all antennas switched to a =
>> direct ground.  It had the common unplugged from the switch , too, so no 
>> =
>> equipment was directly connected.  It flashed over three feet from me =
>> and as I said, the desk was metal.  My ears rang for an hour.  Bulbs =
>> popped in the house, some diodes popped in my Ten Tec, a phone burned =
>> out, and every single breaker in my box tripped off.  I actually said to 
>> =
>> a friend standing in the room, "Am I still alive?"  So this week, with =
>> all the afternoon storms, I've felt like maybe I was a little more =
>> protected.  G E had, for my box, a 34 dollar surge protector, but =
>> logically, I figured the more expensive one was better.  Typical ham.
>>
>> Phil.
>> K0NX
>