By Juan C. Ayllon With summer upon us, many have plans to get away and unplug from our harried schedules. That said, it is also a season when there’s a sharp rise in thunderstorms, hence nowadays I find myself unplugging my hi-fi from electrical outlets more often than usual. Now, you might say that’s what surge protectors and power conditioners are for, however, the reality is that there’s no fool-proof guarantees against damage and destruction from a direct lightning strike – save physically unplugging your devices from wall sockets. So, that’s exactly what I do. So far this week, I’ve untethered my two channel system five times. That’s three times when I heard thunder claps and the last two days prior to leaving for work when weather forecasts predicted thunderstorms. Let me tell you, it’s not fun unplugging during a movie or exceptional listening session, however, it beats the risk of blowing up prized electronics and speakers. The thought of tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment being destroyed sickens me. Previous battles with insurance claim adjusters trying to minimize payout on weather related roof and siding damage suggest a potential nightmare, and even if and when homeowners insurance covers my losses, the deductible and inconvenience would still be arduous. I recall an Audioholics video review of two Furman Elite power conditioners where bodybuilder, marketing and engineering whiz, Hugo Rivera, shared how a lightning strike obliterated his expensive A/V system, prompting him to purchase surge protection for its replacement. “In my early 20s, I didn’t use to protect anything,” he says. “I got a huge thunderstorm like the ones we get here all the time during thunderstorm season, and the next thing you know, my whole equipment blew up.” He and Audioholics president, Gene DellaSala (an experienced electrical engineer) derided another brand’s disclaimer regarding storm operation. “In the third page of the manual, they tell you that during a lightning storm, you should unplug your equipment and unplug your power conditioner from the wall,” DellaSala says. “Yeah, it’s the manual power protection method,” Rivera quips. As he and DeLasalla discuss the merits of the Fuhrman power conditioners, I am reminded that time and again, engineers and industry experts have insisted that even the best surge protection devices won’t protect against a direct thunderbolt hit. Their banter fades as I imagine a deafening boom. The lights go out. The smell of ozone permeates the air. Rigid in their respective listening chairs with static hair, the two sit in shock, eyes blinking, in a darkened room full of smoldering electronics, power conditioners and all, casualties of yet another Florida thunderstorm (the state averages over 70 a year, the highest in the U.S.). What to Do? I discussed the best way to protect my A/V room with Straightwire, Inc.’s Steven Hill, who also operates and lives in Florida. He suggested employing an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) linked up to my large flat screen TV and other discrete electronics, but ultimately disconnecting them from wall outlets in the event of an electrical storm. So, what if you’re really into a show when a storm hits? If you have a second, less expensive setup in your home, after disconnecting your main system, you can always catch the rest of your show on that. That’s exactly what we do. Belle’s old A/V receiver, subwoofer, boombox and small cube speakers are housed in an attractive, low slung media cabinet and connected to a flat screen TV in our living room. While it’s not a high end immersive experience, it entertains while your more expensive components remain safely protected during a storm. Alternatively, you can catch a show via laptop or smartphone, or if all else fails, you can go low-tech: read a book or magazine, have a conversation, play cards or a board game until the storm passes. Riding the Storm Out In closing, what started out as a threat of thunderstorms quickly escalated to a series of tornado warnings yesterday afternoon. Driving home on my hour and a half return commute, I reached out to my stepdaughter, Colleen, and my mother, whose homes were in the path of the advancing storm. Both were fine, but were tracking weather updates closely. Belle called minutes later. “Keep your eyes peeled,” she warns, adding that they were ordered to shelter in place. She’d already contacted Colleen and Jen, our daughter-in-law, who'd both been unaware and relocated to their basements. “I love you,” she says, hanging up. Minutes later, a loud tornado alarm blares from my cell phone in my car’s console. It's by a texted warning to take cover. Determined to get home to Belle, I drive on while scanning the skyline for funnel clouds. Then, I hear that the storm is headed directly towards Belle’s location, where she’s a concierge and assistant to the director at an assisted living center. Concerned, I pray. “You’d be proud of me,” she says later as I drew near home. She'd heard a tornado warning siren, notified administration, and assisted in moving the elderly out of their rooms and into interior hallways where they were safer. Ironically, the safety coordinator initially insisted that everything was fine, as his weather app had failed to notify him of the impending danger. Half an hour later, the storm had moved east towards the Illinois-Indiana border and, after we met up at home, we were able to relax, listen to music and watch a show. Flash to this evening, today’s projected thunderstorms were a non-issue, and with sunny skies, Colleen’s husband, Drew was golfing, so Belle joined her after work to spend time with her, Colleen’s toddler, and newborn. As for me, I grabbed sushi and beer at the food store, enjoyed it as best I could on the deck (this store bought sushi leaves something to be desired), and am now listening to glorious, high resolution music in our basement A/V room. All is well – at least until the next big storm!
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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