How to Protect Your Electronics from Lightning Strikes

A single thunderstorm can fry your PC, TV, fridge, router, PlayStation and pretty much anything else you have plugged in. It only takes seconds, but the damage can be quite costly, especially as appliances and tech can catch fire in such situations. In fact, "quite costly" is mildly put, because residential electrical fires caused over $1.2 billion in property losses in the US in 2021. The good news is that a few proactive steps can save you from an expensive repair bill.

Being quick to act when a storm hits and making preemptive investments in your home's safety are the best ways to help avoid a costly loss. After all, you don't want to wait until you're replacing a $1,500 PC and your massive TV, right?

In recent years, we're seeing powerful storms more frequently. Climate change has had a direct impact on both the frequency and intensity of such events, so we're likely to encounter more extreme weather incidents as time goes on. When lightning storms strike near your home, they can send a massive power surge through your electrical wiring. That surge travels fast, overwhelming the circuits inside your device.

According to the CDC, lightning can also travel through a building's plumbing and any metal wires embedded in concrete walls or flooring, so the threat is broader than most people realize.

Power surges don't have to come from a direct strike, either. A nearby strike can induce a voltage spike strong enough to damage sensitive electronics like computers, TVs and gaming consoles.

The instructions from FEMA are pretty clear on what your first line of defense has to be: when you see a bad storm coming, unplug everything. It's the easiest and most affordable thing you can do.

While taking action during storms is certainly important, it's equally essential to think ahead and work on prevention. Here are a few things you can do to safeguard your expensive tech before storms hit:

Use surge protectors. You can buy power strips with internal overload protection that you can use for sensitive electronics like computers and entertainment systems.

Plug major appliances directly into wall outlets. Extension cords can overheat, so FEMA's advice is to plug your fridge, stove, washers and dryers directly into wall outlets.

Whole-home surge protection is an option. Installed into your home's electric panel, these devices offer downstream protection for all your electronics.

Look into lightning rods or a lightning protection system. If you live in a storm-prone area, you may need to take additional steps to redirect electrical energy safely into the ground.

Lightning protection isn't complicated, but it does require a plan. Surge protectors should be one of the first investments you make for your most valuable electronics. A standard power strip just adds extra outlets, but a surge protector diverts the excess voltage away from your devices. The Joule rating indicates how much energy the protector can absorb before it fails. You'll need a rating of 2,000 joules or higher for your computer. The clamping voltage is the trigger voltage that causes the protector to start diverting power; you want this to be under 400V (the lower, the better).

For larger devices that need to be plugged in around the clock and you can't just unplug when a storm nears, you could look into an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). The UPS acts as a middleman between the wall outlet and your tech; it contains a battery backup and advanced surge protection circuitry. If the power spikes or goes out completely, the UPS switches to battery power.

Although it may be a bit more pricey, getting a licensed electrician to install a surge protective device into your main electrical panel may be the best route.

Protecting your electronics from lightning is simple: prepare before the storm, not after it. And remember, when you're home, unplugging your devices remains a reliable and sustainable choice. When you're away, the financial investments you make in surge protectors may make the difference between losing expensive gadgets and your home being safe.