What Happens When Lightning Strikes Your Home?
A single lightning strike contains about 300 million volts and 30,000 amps, which far exceeds the 120 volts and 15 amps in the normal household’s current. What this means is one strike can do incredible damage to your home’s appliances, household electronics, and the wiring inside your walls. And while you can easily spot the damage to your electronics and appliances, damage that occurs inside your walls is hidden.
we’re going to take a closer look at how a lightning strike can damage wiring, the warning signs, and some measures you can take to protect your home.
How Does Lightning Affect Your Home’s Electrical System?
Lightning always follows the path of least resistance, so it typically travels through metal and any conductive material. Because of this, it doesn’t take a direct lightning strike on your home to cause damage. Even an indirect hit can destroy part of your home’s electrical system.
A lightning strike can reach your home through:
- Power lines: Lightning that hits power lines can travel directly into your home’s electrical grid.
- Telephone or cable lines: These lines carry currents into devices like your computers and televisions.
- Grounding systems: Lightning could also access your electrical system through your home’s grounding network.
- Roof-mounted equipment: Antennas and satellites can become conduits, allowing lightning to travel directly into your electrical system.
Once lightning travels through the circuits in your home, a powerful electrical surge can occur. The surge may damage wiring, your electrical panels, outlets, appliances, and electronics.
The Different Ways Lightning Can Damage Wiring Inside Walls
Heat Damage
A large electrical surge can overheat the wiring inside your walls, melting them and damaging the insulation.
Electrical Arcing
The intense heat from an electrical surge can also cause electricity to jump between conductive surfaces or wires. Like with heat damage, electrical arcing can crack the wire’s insulation.
Grounding System Overload
A lightning strike that travels through your grounding network can overwhelm the system, forcing high voltages back into your home’s electrical system. This high voltage can fry electronics, destroy appliances, and damage wiring.
Hidden Electrical Surges
A strike may not cause immediate damage, but the wires inside your walls can significantly weaken and fail weeks or even months later.
Signs Lightning May Have Damaged Your Electrical Wiring
Unsure if lightning has damaged your electrical wiring? Here are some signs to look out for.
- Flickering or dimming lights
- Circuit breakers that frequently trip
- Burning or electrical smells coming from your outlets or walls
- Warm or discolored outlets and switches
- Some electronics or appliances stop working suddenly
- Partial power loss in some areas of your home
The Dangers of Hidden Wiring Damage
Hidden wire damage can cause serious problems in a home. Damaged wires inside your walls are fire hazards, allowing live wires to spark. This can, in turn, ignite insulation, wood, and nearby debris.
Melted insulation can also expose the conductive metal underneath, causing electrical shorts when these exposed wires touch other materials.
Because this damage occurs behind walls, you may not notice it right away. The damaged wires may fail soon after, creating a domino effect of electrical damage, like an electrical fire or a destroyed appliance.
Protecting Your Home From Damage
You don’t have to wait for damage from lightning to take action. There are ways electricians can protect your home in advance.
Install Whole-House Surge Protectors
One of the best ways to protect your appliances and electronics is to install a whole-house surge protector. A whole-house surge protector is installed at the electrical panel and diverts any excess current to your grounding system before it enters your home’s electrical system.
A Proper Grounding System
A properly grounded system diverts excess electricity into the ground, preventing shocks and electrical fires.
Lightning Protection System
Fort Myers experiences frequent storms, especially during the hot, humid summer months. To protect your electrical system, we can install a roof-mounted lightning rod that provides a safe path for electricity to travel directly to the ground.
Unplug Electronics and Appliances During Storms
For added safety, unplug electronics and appliances during severe storms. Doing so removes them from your home’s electrical system and ensures they’re out of harm’s way.
When to Call Professional Electricians
Because storms happen frequently in Fort Myers, it’s not always necessary to call an electrician after every storm. However, here is when you should contact us.
- Direct strike: If you experience a direct lightning strike, there may be charring on your roof as well as shattered concrete on the ground. You will also experience a total power loss. Make an appointment with one of our electricians within 24-48 hours.
- Close strike: If the strike is close, you’ll hear the lightning and thunder at about the same time. There may also be a crackling or buzzing sound in the air before the strike.
- Breakers trip repeatedly: If your circuit breakers keep tripping even after you reset them, you may have damaged wiring.
- Damaged outlets, switches, or panels: If your outlets are warm to the touch, your switches are discolored, or your electrical panel is malfunctioning, your electrical system need a professional inspection.
- Flickering or dimming lights: Lights that flicker, dim, or unexpectedly surge mean there is damaged wiring or a loose connection.
- Burning smells from behind the walls: A burning smell coming from behind your walls indicates damaged wiring. You may also hear crackling or buzzing noises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does lightning have to strike my house directly to damage my wiring?
No. Lightning can reach your home’s electrical system indirectly through power lines, telephone or cable lines, your grounding system, or roof-mounted equipment like antennas and satellites.
What are the warning signs of lightning damage to my wiring?
Watch for flickering or dimming lights, frequently tripping circuit breakers, burning smells from outlets or walls, warm or discolored outlets and switches, appliances that suddenly stop working, and partial power loss in certain areas of your home.
Can lightning-damaged wiring go undetected?
Yes. A strike may not cause immediate, obvious damage. Weakened wiring inside your walls can fail weeks or even months later, potentially leading to electrical fires or appliance damage.
What should I do immediately after a lightning strike?
Turn off the power at the breaker, avoid using any damaged-looking appliances or outlets, check for signs of damage like discolored outlets, and contact a licensed electrician as soon as possible.
Mister Sparky Electricians in Fort Myers
When you experience a severe storm, don’t dismiss it. Inspect your electrical system for signs of any damage, and then call us for a lightning strike evaluation. We can determine where the damage is and what repairs will be needed. Storms can be extremely destructive, especially when it comes to your electrical system. Don’t put up with any malarky. Call Mister Sparky for a professional inspection. We can ensure your home is back up to safety standards. We’ll replace damaged wiring, repair or replace your electrical panel, and fix any issues with your grounding system.
