Small problem...

[repsac]

This is somewhat amusing really, though it seems a bit normal when you look at the start of it.

Few days back, I noticed that my broadband went a bit slow for a bit and then suddenly dropped off all together. Bout the same time the TV cable went wonky and then came back up, but a large number of our channels had vanished. (those not on dish). Grumbling, I picked up the phone and called tech support. (they do both cable TV and net.) Waiting a bit I get this really nice techie that reminded me vaguely of Gravekeeper.

What follows is normal, but I think you might see the "small problem" when it arises. Tech and I both shared a good laugh.

T: Thank you for calling broadband cable support. Name and address please.
R: Repsac at...yadda yadda. Yadda city.
T: Is that (uncle's name)?
R: Nah, the other one. below that.
T: Ok, I got it. So Repsac what's the problem?
R: (I describe what happened, as well as the Cable TV issue.)
T: That's odd. Let me ping the modem first while we're here. You did reboot it right?
R: Yeah, unplug reboot that kinda thing.
T: Well your modem seems fine...must be on our end. Lemme see if I can access the service.
R: Okie. (I wait about three minutes, only to hear.)
T: Uh...that's odd. Hang on. (More wait,) What the hell? Uh, sir, could you hang on a moment. I think..I think there's a small problem. I'll be right back.

The lucid tones of MC hammer (god I love their hold music) waft out while I wait. Soon followed by Flock of Seagulls (I ran). After a bit he comes back. I can tell he's trying hard not to laugh.

T: Uh sir? you there? (snicker) It seems that your...your service has a small problem. Least that's what they're telling me. Why they didn't tell me earlier (snicker) Seems I'm left in the dark.

R: Oh? So, what's wrong?

T: (said with strained voice, he WANTED to laugh.) The server building blew up.

R

Well, so what happened? I found out this morning that late in the night (this all happened around midnight) during a storm, lightning had struck the building that housed the servers. Wires shorted and it fried everything. While the building may not have actually exploded, the effect of electricity on the electrical components was (to quote John Boy and Billy) "Not too good." From what I could tell, everyone at that Tech support company had been informed, but this guy must not have been. It's funny really, but at least my service is working again.

[Geek King]

Yeah...surge protectors are all good and fine, but nothing really helps if you take a direct ungrounded strike. We have facilities in this country that recreate lightning for testing purposes, and they don't even get close to the voltage/current in real strikes. I have to wonder why they didn't have lightning rods up, like most buildings in my area.

Then again, we're spitting distance from Xenia, OH--disaster capitol of Ohio (two F5 tornado direct hits in the last hundered years). We're very aware of what nature can drop on you.

[Sandman]

Actually.. if you take a lightning strike close enough... surge protectors aren't gonna help you. A newspaper office found that out the hard way. They had surge protectors on all their equipment and most of it got fried after a near direct hit (like within a few feet).

The newspaper got some scientists to look at it (and the insurance company) and attributed it to EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse). The only way is if you have a real good grounding system (like copper rods driven 6 feet into the ground). Just ask any ham radio operator about their grounding system and you will see that their wiring system can take just about a direct hit on the antenna without harming their rig.

[PCGameGuy]

Yeah, physics makes grounding a form of insurance versus an actual solution. Granted, a good grounding loop with well placed ground rods and a tie in system is waaaay better than nothing, but it is by no means a guarantee. The old quickest/easiest path to ground thing gets wonky at the speed of light where atomic density can make a difference.

Had a guy working for us that saw a case where the lightning came in through a window and struck a bay inside the building. Ground loop, surge suppressors, 75 foot metal tower next to the building, all of it was ignored by the lightning that found his radio bay to be the shortest path of the moment.

He lauged about it when he told me, but of course it was old history by then. He wasn't so happy at the time.

[JLRodgers]

On school in my county years ago got struck by lightening. They had rods, towers, surge suppressors, everything didn't work (the network guy said the devices had "melted").

Unfortunately in their case, they had an old token-ring based network, so the lightening struck one building (a maintenance shed I think), followed it's way into the network cabling, and followed to all the other buildings. Didn't bother them though, they were planning on updating their network -- that just got the insurance to pay for it. They ended up getting a new school building out of it I believe in the end.

[Geek King]

I guess I should mention that your servers shouldn't be on the top floor either. High concentrations of electricity can draw a strike away from lightning rods. The amusement park I worked at would actually close down the indoor magnetic roller coaster before the outdoor gravity coasters. A couple of floors full of offices can help protect electric-heavy equipment also.

And yes, I'm aware that sometimes lightning defies all precautions. Using high-density rods, and good grounding can bend the odds in your favor, though.

[Finance Gopher]

The comments reminded me of this event from a couple of years back. All of the surge protection, grounding, and faraday cages in the world can't save you if the storm gods take a disliking to your chimney. My elementary school used to have a coal burning boiler, so it had something like an 80' chimney on it. About 6, 7 stories tall. Well, this was the tallest thing in the area and the lightning rods apparently melted during this storm from the intensity of the strikes. A piece the size of a full size sedan crashed straight through two floors of school. Luckily, this was at night, but there was rubble over about a 100 yard radius from the school. School was canceled. I believe the computers were also toast, but that was moot.

[Hello Kitty]

Smaller scale, but this one happened to a customer of mine. I called him as he was pingfailing (business customer, I worked for an ISP) to see what was up. He said "oh yeah, the power's out - we're having a big storm and lighting just struck a tree right outside my building! And I was playing with a stapler under my desk, with my bare foot - and electricity came up from the stapler and gave me a shock.." I asked if he was okay, and he said he thought he was. I wondered if that stopped his habit of playing with the stapler, but I kind of doubt it.

[mattm04]

One of my HS teachers had lighting hit a neighbors house. Somehow it only damaged the keyboard and mice on his computers, by turning them into melted puddles that resembled a keyboard or mouse.

[ArcticChicken]

Yeah...surge protectors are all good and fine, but nothing really helps if you take a direct ungrounded strike.

Or the farmer next door decides it's a great idea to drive his tractor around at midnight without headlights, and hits the guywire on the utility pole.

[Geek King]

Or the farmer next door decides it's a great idea to drive his tractor around at midnight without headlights, and hits the guywire on the utility pole.

Yes, well, we have yet to come up with a decent stupid protector that doesn't involve the wholesale slaughter of significant proportions of the population. Note my sig.

[Crazeyal]

Yeah.. Surge protectors are not FORCE FIELDS... Had a supervisor try and tell me to "just fix it" when a camera went out at the airport. "Not gonna happen" Says I. "Just get a new camera, I'll fax the PO over to the supplier, it needs to be up TONIGHT!!" "not gonna happen... The housing took a direct strike!" "So.. what's the problem??" "I'm currently looking at the housing.. It's burned, bent, and .. OH YEAH... Not on top of the pole anymore.. Neither is the last 10 inches of PIPE!!! If you think I'm gonna be able to repair a STEEL POLE with a screwdriver and a Home Depot drill .. you got a few thinks and a DUH comin!!!"

(yeah I said that.. My old boss used to be a service tech.. he shoulda KNOWN better)

[Geek King]

"I'm currently looking at the housing.. It's burned, bent, and .. OH YEAH... Not on top of the pole anymore.. Neither is the last 10 inches of PIPE!!! If you think I'm gonna be able to repair a STEEL POLE with a screwdriver and a Home Depot drill .. you got a few thinks and a DUH comin!!!"

You know...If they're willing to buy a new camera and housing, all it would take, in addition to what you had, would be a hacksaw, some good bolts, a metal grinding bit for the drill, and a length of pipe that had a slightly higher interior radius than the total radius of the existing pipe. Cut the melted bits off the old pipe with the saw, grind the edge smooth, then measure and drill some bolt holes in the old and new pipes so you can slide the new pole over the old and bolt them together. Run any new wire needed, mount the camera, and you're good to go until a new pole can be sunk.

Uh...

Okay, maybe I put way to many points into the Jury Rig skill. Is it any wonder I usually play the tech in modern/future RPGs?

[PCGameGuy]

Lol!

See, GeekKing and I both went there. Right after laughing I thought 'okay, so if it's critical you could get a broomhandle and put a nail though it halfway. Attach the camera, and slip the handle into the top hole of the pipe, a little bailing wire to secure it, and clean it up after the storm'

There are no problems, only opportunities! Most of the time, opportunities to look silly, but still...

[technical.angel]

Dude.

Duct tape.

That's it.