Rain! A new storm!

It just started up, with lots of wind and what sounds like huge drops of rain, so I'm off and out so I can unplug and then run to watch the storm.

Oh, fun...We went through the whole unplugging thing last week. Nothing lately, thank goodness!

Well, so much for stormy weather. It blew over in a scant few minutes, but it rained hard while it lasted. No lightning or thunder, just good old wet rain. And cooler temps. I'll take it.

I just got an e-mail saying we're under a severe thunderstorm watch until 8pm today. It's cloudy and breezy right now. I might have to unplug later, which wouldn't be so bad because I would actually get some stuff DONE around here, then!

Ya'll sound like me! I unplug soon as I see the rain clouds gathering up LOL. We have had so much rain and storms this summer so far that I usually just go ahead and unplug it at night before I go to bed just to be on the safe side(safe side also meaning getting woke up by a loud clap of thunder and running thru the house like madd trying to get to the computer before the next bolt of thunder hits! LOL)
While we're talking about unplugging the puter and all, I got a question for ya'll. I have mine plugged up to a plug strip which has a surge protector on it,so I usually just turn the strip off and unplug the phone wire to it. Here's my question, when I turn the switch off on the plug strip, I can reach up and turn my speaker on and it's lit up as if there is still power in it..then the green light on the speaker slowly fades and goes on off. Does this mean my plug strip is worn out? Should I get another one?? Its almost like a delay in the power going off completely.
Any thoughts??

It could be the transformer in the speaker's adapter has a little charge left in it. A power strip helps with power spikes in your electric, but will not protect you if your house or lines are hit by lightning.

Are you kidding me??! All this time I have just been turning off the strip when I should have been unplugging the whole thing?!!!!

Another question, If it doesn't protect my computer, then why does it cut all the power to it when I turn off the strip?

mollybee, a really good surge protector will stop harm from lightning to your computer in most cases. It is always good to unplug the strip though in a severe lightning storm. Most good ones come with a warranty of $20,000 or more, which would cover your computer for sure if it was to get fried while plugged into it, it's just the hassle of dealing with the company if it does happen. If you have it unplugged, it will be fine :)

I had to call the phone company from my mom's house a few days ago and call in a repair request since I couldn't even call home. Something happened to one of my jacks in the storm that is hooked up to my computer. Hope the modem in it isn't fried. The PC seems to be fine since Jim has played games on it since and since I'm going to get a cable modem anyway when I get home I'm not too awfully worried about it :)

My flowers sure do seem to love the rain though as Jim said that everything is blooming and growing like mad. My mom's flowers hate this weather and almost everyone here has problems with things blooming or even growing right. Her hollyhocks are only about 12 inches tall and blooming sickly whereas mine are 6 foot tall with monster blooms.......lol

Thanks Flow!

But I still can't understand. If the strip stops the power to the computer, then how can the computer get fried thru the plug in the wall?
I know I am soo dingy!

Mollybee

It would protect you from a regular old power surge (assuming it's a surge protector) but a lightning strike is big. The power of the strike could jump the teeny tiny little break in the line caused by turning the thing off (or even maybe the fuse thing blowing?). like a spark plug ... Better to make it a huge break in the line, like un-pluging it completely.

Lighting is huge, power strips are puny ... lol.

That's how I see it, as un-technical as possible.

Cheri'

Great explanation sundry!
I shut my puter down in thunderstorms too, but usually not untill the house shakes. I have been lucky so far.

Thanks Sundry.
I get it now :)