# Need advise: Lightning Arrestor for Telephone line...



## sidepasser

Well it happened again, small storm blew up and before I could get my modem unplugged, lightning ran in on the phone line, zapped the wireless modem/router combo and fried it. Also got my ethernet card.

Last time I was out: one modem, one router and one home telephone..sigh.

This is really getting old and because I work from home, I must be up and running so can't really just "unplug and wait" for a storm to pass over.

I need a lightning arrestor on my phone line but am not sure where to find one? Does the telephone company provide such an item. I never have trouble with lightning hitting the power lines, only running in on the phone lines and frying various devices.

Help with this is appreciated!


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## aaronwesley94

Tie knots in various places in the phone cord. When lightning hits the phone lines, the line will burn into at the first knot. This has worked for me. Then I just use a high quality surge protector that will replace up to 50k in electronics if anything got damaged. It's always nice to know that if something gets damaged, I have a company that is going to replace it for me.


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## MELOC

what aaronwesley94 says is no joke. it actually works and i have seen it with my very own eyes. i was sitting 10 feet away from the knot in my old phone cord when lightning struck. the cord burned in half and my pc was spared.


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## sidepasser

Well my modem caught on fire last night. it was a Westel router/modem combo and when lightning hit, there was a loud pop/bang and then smoke starting coming out of it..happened so fast and scared me out of ten years..

I have heard rumours that there is a lighting arrestor that can tie into the phone line outside the house and acts as a huge fuse preventing the lightning from running down the line into the house and killing everything..

since I work in a sort of high tech field, I am going to see if I can find an engineer that can tell me more about such devices..I will post what I find out!


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## sidepasser

Danusc found it for me:

http://www.hyperlinktech.com/item.aspx?id=2176

that was what I was looking for - a poppit box as the engineers call them..


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## aaronwesley94

Glad you found what you were looking for, but again I'll say, tying a knot in any phone cord will keep your components that require a phone line from getting fried.


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## Kung

If you want my opinion (as a contractor who has repaired/replaced countless parts charred by lightning strikes), the ONLY thing that will completely prevent damage is the good ol' air gap. Unplug it, or possibly use wireless networking.


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## aaronwesley94

Kung said:


> If you want my opinion (as a contractor who has repaired/replaced countless parts charred by lightning strikes), the ONLY thing that will completely prevent damage is the good ol' air gap. Unplug it, or possibly use wireless networking.


This is what I do. When it starts thundering or I'm leaving the house, both the phone line and the power cords are unplugged. I still tie a line in the phone cord....if it don't make it in time I know it will spare the computer.


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## HermitJohn

wont do original poster any good but I can identify with damage lightening can do. I live on a hilltop. I go through more dialup modems than anybody I've known. Nearly always damage through phone line, but occasionally surge through power line and will take out a motherboard and I have lost 2 monitors from lightening, always my best monitor and not the small junk spare ones. Murphy's law at work I think.

Anyway since I tend to not have latest greatest hardware, generally cheaper to just replace the damaged hardware components than to spend on any one time protection dohicky. If I could reset and reuse the protection device then would be worth it, but some protection device that takes the jolt and self destructs to protect computer isnt worth much if it costs as much or more to replace than computer itself. Has anybody ever tried to make a damage claim for a complete computer system on one of those $24.95 surge protector guarentees? I hate trying to get companies to honor warranties through their agent in India who loses ability to speak whatever english they know when you want warranty service. So I dont buy anything based on warranty.

I tried the twisted phone wire but still didnt protect anything. I have only lost one modem this year as I have got into habit to unplug phone line anytime I'm not using desktop computer. Protects phone too though annoys the few people foolish enough to try and call me. I've told people to email me if they need to contact me, not call, but its hard to get the message across. People are used to instant gratification. And I have found I can stay online during even severe storms via my cheapo cell phone since no wires for lightening to strike. Keeps me from gambling with desktop and landline if it even looks halfway stormy.


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## Chixarecute

We have a phone line surge protector that we purchased at Radio Shack - probably under $20. Not sure how well it works, as we will still unplug the computer when expecting a good storm. Phone & computer still good after 5 years, though!


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