should I unplug during lightning storm?

[CSFTN]

Our house got hit by multiple lightnings a few weeks ago. One strike hit the transformer at the bottom of our driveway, a second seems to have come in through the door bell wires.

A lot of stuff was destroyed, amongst it furnace, AC and garage door opener. Our Model S was plugged in using a mobile connector into a NEMA 14-50, looks like we got lucky though. Car and charger seem fine. Our SC pulled the logs, nothing noteworthy they say. And the car made a 2k mile road trip since without issues. Thank you Tesla engineers!

We do have a fairly high-end whole house surge protector (updated from an older model when the charger outlet was installed). Not sure if it did anything, light is still green. We contacted the manufacturer and they actually came out and had a look, said it was installed correctly. However later when we tried to file a claim they pointed out that the installation instructions clearly state (I checked, true) that it will not protect from a "direct" lightning hit. I assume that means "on the inside", but because the wording is ambiguous it is basically a "get out of jail free" card for them. Of course their brochures prominently feature imagery of lightnings.

UPSs in the house worked well and protected some of the more expensive equipment. However there was one path that allowed the lightning to get into protected circuits: from the doorbell wiring to a transformer into a power strip (hooked to the UPS) that was hanging off that power strip. Every device on that power strip got trashed. I since moved the transformer hookup to in front of the UPS.

BTW this was the fifth time in 20 years that I had to replace hardware after lighting strikes. The lightning always hit in different places (except one weekend we had the same transformer hit twice within 3 days). Somehow the microclimate or geography here appears to attract lightning. This was by far the most damage though.

Past experience has shown me that a small air gap (opto coupler) is not sufficient. And I doubt a thrown breaker will present much protection, apparently lightning will easily jump such a small gap if it wants to.

Ever consider installing on lighting rod?

 

[WannabeOwner]

We had a lightning rod at our last house, attached to the tallest chimney, and a wide copper strip down the outside of the house. Direct strike came down that, and induction in horizontal wiring on the inside of that wall destroyed several circuits, along with the telephone system throughout the house which also had wire on the inside wall somewhat near the copper-strip. Chimney / Roof was unscathed though

Previous strike to that took out a seriously tall tree (Redwood of some kind), so I recommend planting a few of those nearby to keep the strike away from the house; sadly not an instant-gratification solution though. There was absolutely nothing left of the tree - the strike turned the sap to steam in an instant and the whole trunk exploded into small splinters of wood scattered all over the lawn ...

 

[jerry33]

We had a lightning rod at our last house, attached to the tallest chimney, and a wide copper strip down the outside of the house. Direct strike came down that, and induction in horizontal wiring on the inside of that wall destroyed several circuits, along with the telephone system throughout the house which also had wire on the inside wall somewhat near the copper-strip. Chimney / Roof was unscathed though

Lightning rods worked best in Victorian times when there were not a lot of sensitive electronics.

 

[Garlan Garner]

if it makes you feel better, unplug.

I concur. Lets let the answer be yes. That way there is no risk.

I would not dare risk a $50K investment on a maybe. How about exercise the "for sure" and unplug the thing.

 

[AWDtsla]

There is no protection against a direct lightning strike other than to not be plugged into the grid. Lightning rod will help, as long as it's higher than all your local transmission lines.

 

[tliving]

I actually called Tesla about this over a year ago when a surge protector product came out for the NEMA 14-50 outlet some of us use to charge our cars. This was their answer:

"Thank you for contacting Tesla Motors Technical Support. The Model S has protections in place built into the cable as well as the car to avoid any issues with electrical supply. The car is very smart and will protect the battery and charging system from any outside influence.

If you have any further question or concerns please feel free to contact Technical Support 24/7 at [email protected] or by phone at 1-877-79-TESLA (83752).

Thanks,
TJ Meyer-Martin | Technical Support, Ownership Specialist"

 

[ddimit]

I wouldn't trust that reply!, That person is drastically ill informed. As related in the experiences above a close by or direct strike will toast anything connected and other electronics not connected but close enough for induction to transfer. your talking about millions of volts and amps.

 

[ABCCBA]

I designed lighting protection systems in a past life. There is no system that will prevent damage from a lightning strike, only provide protection by trying to minimize the damage by Shunting and Isolating the energy.

Many electric utilities offer Whole House Surge Protector and even Appliance Surge Protection. The amount of protection they provide is rated in Joules (the true measurement of energy). A lightning bolt has Billions of Joules of energy. These commercial surge protectors offer thousands or tens of thousands of Joules of protection.

There was a link above to a whole house unit that can be bought at Home Depot. Click on it and look at the specs. Energy Protection is 3500 joules.

The BEST protection is ISOLATION = Unplug from the car.

And, if you use a UMC, unplug from the wall. If you have a HPWC, open the breaker in the service panel. Plus, keep the cable off of the ground so that nothing is induced into the cable.

JMHPO

 

[jerry33]

I wouldn't trust that reply!, That person is drastically ill informed. As related in the experiences above a close by or direct strike will toast anything connected and other electronics not connected but close enough for induction to transfer. your talking about millions of volts and amps.

Right. Even whole house protectors really only stop most spikes that happens when some vehicle hits a power pole nearby. At the data centre where I work, a lightning strike to the nearby substation took out the substation, the active PDU, and several UPS behind the PDU. These are big systems. No way can any home system stop a direct strike.

 

[ABCCBA]

One last point. Very few of the reported 'lightning damage' cases are actually from the facility (house/business) being directly hit. Actually, most damage if from what is called a Proximity Strike. Lightning has so much energy that it turns air into a conductive path, hence why we see the bolt.

Well, the energy from the burst will transfer into conductive material such as wiring, cables, metallic pipe, etc. just as a transformer passes voltage and current from one side to the other without a physical connection.

Many of you may have heard of EMP (electromagnetic pulse) from Sun Spots or from detonation of a nuclear device. That is a large burst of energy that is absorbed (induced) into electronics and other electrical equipment and will burn it up in microseconds. So, too, will a Proximity Strike from lightning.

If things ever get bad around your house, open the Main Breaker and every breaker in the panels to isolate each circuit to prevent induced energy from travelling throughout your electrical wiring.

Finally, don't forget about your grid-tied PV system.

 

[Fourdoor]

Well, due to lightning striking (or proximity strike) at the building my Chevy Volt was plugged into I am getting a new one! Jun 13 out of a clear blue sky a single lightning strike hit near enough to my place to scare the crap out of me, and the EMP blew out my modem. Since I needed to go buy a new modem I walked over to my Volt (plugged in next door at my Landlords business) and it was dead as Caesar.

After finding out that it would take $5,000 minimum in repairs just to get to the point where further diagnostics could be performed I gave up hope of getting the car back. The insurance company chose to try "other diagnostic methods" (ie, don't pay the 5K but waste 1K+ on inconclusive testing) before they called it a total loss. Keep in mind this is a much less expensive car to begin with, high mileage, and old, I think the insurance company would have repaired a Tesla.

This building was a place of business with good surge protection, and the Volt EVSE has built in surge protection... but all the computers in the building, the phone system, security system, and my car were all junked by one lightning strike. I don't feel bad about not unplugging because it was NOT during a storm. One bolt of lightning, and 5 min later is started sprinkling. After 15 min of light rain it went back to blue sky.

I suspect that having a wireless charging system may have mitigated the damage some if not prevented it completely... an air gap transformer may still have transferred some energy but I suspect it would have been better than a direct physical connection... what do you guys think?

So, my original plan was to keep the 2011 Volt for long trips until it falls apart, and get a Bolt for local driving until the Model 3 becomes available to those that don't pre-order. Instead I will have my "new" 2016 Volt next week, and probably put my 1K in to go on the pre-order list for the Model 3.

Keith

 

[mikeash]

Wow, very interesting story. I think this supports the idea that no amount of surge protection is going to save you from a sufficiently bad strike. Lightning is just too powerful.

I have heard that a lot of electrical damage from lightning happens through induction, so a wireless charging system may not have saved you. I would hazard a guess that it might reduce your chances of taking damage, but that's just my uninformed guess.

Sorry about your car!

 

[JimAHSVX]

My Model X was plugged in this morning and had a very close strike maybe direct to the house. Fried several things in the house including a dehumidifier, cable modem, Apple router. When I went outside to check my charger the car would not charge. I thought perhaps the fuses for the charger had blown until I noticed the cable looked like something had blown a small hole in it. Now the display indicates the charger is connected even when I am driving the car. Also it will not recognize when another charger is connected to it. Tesla charger toast, and likely a few things in the internal charger.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

Sorry for your problems. I’ve always unplugged my EVSE since my first EV purchased in 2011. Had a $100 modem blown out back in the 90s and since my EVSE is my only charging station, worth $1000, it’s definitely worth unplugging during a rare lighting storm.

 

[Droschke]

I’ve always unplugged my EVSE since my first EV purchased in 2011

Unplugging the charging cable from the car or turning it off at the circuit breaker panel?

Is it a Tesla HPWC?

 

[ReddyLeaf]

Unplugging the charging cable from the car or turning it off at the circuit breaker panel?

Is it a Tesla HPWC?

No, unplugging the cord from the wall. I don’t trust circuit breaker either. I use the original Gen 1 portable cable/EVSE that came with the car back in 2015. It has adapters for 5-15 & 14-50 plugs. I don’t want the lightning to fry the car or the cord.

 

[Electric700]

JimAHSVX, sorry to see that happened. Tesla might cover it since I believe your Model X is still under warranty? Can you just drive it to your nearest Tesla service center right away? Also I recommend you install a whole house surge protector. The best protection to help reduce potential issues, when possible and when lightning may soon occur, is to unplug it I think. Here are some options:

Leviton 120-Volt/240-Volt Residential Whole House Surge Protector R02-51110-SRG - The Home Depot

The 51110-001 Residential Surge Protection Panel is designed for mounting at the service entrance in homes, apartments and condominiums. It offers advanced surge protection for modern electronics and appliances, reducing the risk of damage from spikes and surges entering the property through AC...

www.homedepot.com

If you have a GE panel:

GE Whole Home Surge Protection Unit-Panel Mount THQLSURGE - The Home Depot

SurgePro AC surge protectors are designed for service entrance or subpanel locations. Each provides small, easy to install surge protection for the entire home or office. The protectors consist of multiple

www.homedepot.com