Panel shorted out during a thunderstorm last Tuesday

I was swapping out a DSC panel in a basement in Omaha when a power surge blew the main board, and now I always unplug the transformer before touching any wires on commercial jobs.

2 comments

2 Comments

theas941mo ago

Doubt its that deep. Unplugging the transformer takes two seconds and I've never had a surge come through data lines on a fresh install. Sounds like bad luck more than a bad habit.

jake_walker1mo ago

Three out of four service calls I've taken from lightning damage involved gear that was plugged in when it hit, not being swapped. Unplugging the transformer mid-job might actually increase your risk if the surge comes through ground or a data line instead. I'd argue the real protection is proper surge suppression at the panel and making sure all your low-voltage wiring is routed away from high-voltage lines.