What causes thunder power cuts?

Lightning strikes can hit our electrical equipment, causing you to lose power. Lightning can also strike trees, which may fall onto power lines and cause outages. Wind may also blow tree limbs or entire trees onto the power lines, causing the lines to fall to the ground, or breaking the lines and poles.

Can lightning damage an AC unit?

It may not damage your HVAC unit right away. But the power surges that follow an outage from a thunderstorm can mess up your air conditioner. Power surges create a spike in voltage that can damage appliances and electronics. The effects of lightning strikes on an air conditioning unit may not be immediately noticeable.

How do I reset my Lennox air conditioner after a power outage?

Five Simple Steps to Resetting Your Air Conditioner Find the breaker box in your home and flip the breaker for the AC to the “off” position. Flip the breaker for the AC back on. Now, wait 30 minutes. During this time, the internal breaker in your air conditioner will reset.

Can power surges damage AC capacitor?

A weak surge can damage an air conditioner’s capacitor (inexpensive) which, if not replaced, will take out the compressor (very expensive) week or months later. For this reason, it’s important to have a tech check your HVAC system if you have any other damaged devices and suspect a power surge.

Should you turn off your air conditioner in a thunderstorm?

Lightning rods, conductors, and ground rounds direct lightning safely into the ground and away from your house. However, they don’t provide guaranteed protection, so it’s best to turn off your AC during thunderstorms just to be safe.

Can a thunderstorm damage an air conditioner?

Spring in the Miami Valley always brings electrical storms. Lightning from these thunderstorms commonly causes damaging power surges in our homes. Power surges can harm nearly any electrical device in your home, and we frequently find air conditioners ruined during lightning storms.

Why do power lines go out in thunderstorms?

A lightning strike not hitting the power lines can still raise the local ground potential, possibly moving it far enough away from the “unaffected” power lines that various systems trip out.

What happens to your air conditioner after a lightning strike?

Here are a few problems with your air conditioning to watch for following a lightning strike: Damaged capacitor: The most common air conditioning part to give way following a power surge, a damaged capacitor can lead to further problems, including compressor failure.

Can a lightning strike cause a power surge?

Many customers want us to find conclusive proof that lightning caused the damage. Most insurance policies will cover the damage if a power surge can be proven. Sometimes the best evidence of a lightning strike is other damaged electronics. Stereos, TVs, and other electronics seem to be more sensitive…