It may come as a surprise, but lightning doesn’t need to strike your home directly to cause damage. It can strike a nearby power line, which can send a surge of electricity through your electrical system. That surge can damage your appliances, trip your breakers, and even cause hidden damage, like melted wires behind your walls.
When lightning strikes your home or the area around it, it’s important to contact a licensed electrician. Licensed electricians can inspect your system for hidden damage. They can also help you prevent future failures by replacing compromised components.
Quick Takeaways
A lightning strike can damage your electrical system without a direct strike. It can strike power lines, grounding systems, or nearby structures instead.- When lightning strikes close to your home, electrical panels, wiring, electronics, and HVAC systems are the most affected components.
- Some lightning damage may be hidden, like melted wires behind your walls, and may not cause immediate failure.
- Undetected damage can increase the risk of fires, equipment failure, and insurance issues.
- A licensed electrician can provide a professional lightning strike evaluation that identifies all the visible and hidden damage.
- An inspection immediately following a lightning strike can protect your home, safety, and electrical system.
Does Lightning Have to Hit Your House to Cause Damage?
All that’s needed to damage your home is a conductive path for excess electricity to travel through. That’s why lightning can still cause problems if it strikes the ground nearby or a utility line. While you may not see any damage, the damage to your electrical system, electronics, and appliances may still be present.
How Lightning Damages a Home’s Electrical System
Lightning can damage your home’s electrical system in the following ways:
- High-voltage energy seeking the ground: High-voltage energy looking for the nearest path to the ground can go through your grounding system.
- Electrical surge traveling through wiring: A surge of electricity can also travel through your home’s wiring system, instantly overloading your electrical system.
- Overwhelming your protective devices: An intense electrical charge can overwhelm and destroy your protective devices, like your surge protectors.
Direct Strike Damage
A direct strike on your home is rare. If it happens, though, the structural and electrical system damage will be severe.
Indirect Lightning Damage (Most Common)
An indirect lightning strike usually hits nearby power lines, your grounding system, nearby structures, or nearby trees.
Electrical Components Most Commonly Damaged by Lightning
Electrical components most commonly damaged by lightning include:
- Electrical panel and breakers: A surge of voltage can overwhelm your breaker and/or panel, causing them to fail.
- Grounding and bonding system: Your grounding system may also be overwhelmed, sending voltage back into your home’s electrical system.
- Wiring inside walls: Power surges can cause intense heat, melting or damaging the wiring inside your walls.
- Surge protectors: A single massive lightning strike can destroy your surge protectors.
- HVAC equipment: Excess voltage can damage your HVAC equipment or fry some of its internal components.
- Smart devices and electronics: A power surge can damage sensitive components in your electronics and devices, like microprocessors.
Signs Your Home May Have Hidden Lightning Damage
If you’re worried about hidden lightning damage, here are some signs to look for:
- Tripped breakers or breakers that won’t reset
- Flickering lights
- A burning smell near your panel or near your outlets
- Appliances that start to fail days or weeks later
- GFCI/AFCI devices that don’t function any longer
- Devices and electronics start behaving erratically
Why Lightning Damage Isn’t Always Immediate
Remember, lightning damage isn’t always immediate or visible, especially if the initial surge was subtle. Power surges generate intense heat, which can build up in your wiring and subsequently melt it.
There may also be tiny fractures or small holes created in the wire’s insulation. These tiny points of damage will continue to degrade and damage the insulation over time.
A lightning strike can also degrade or weaken your surge protector without actually destroying it, leaving it unable to protect your devices properly. Lastly, the strike can damage the internal components of your devices and electronics. They may continue to work for some time but unexpectedly fail later on.
Why a Lightning Strike Evaluation Is Critical
Because not all damage is visible, it’s important to have licensed electricians evaluate your home immediately after a lightning strike. They can identify damage before a fire risk develops, and they can confirm your panel, grounding, and wiring are working effectively.
If there is any damage, they can document all the damage (hidden and visible) for insurance purposes. Moreover, they can replace damaged components to prevent future electrical failures. In doing so, you’ll get a professional verification of safety.
What a Professional Lightning Strike Evaluation Includes
When you call our Daytona’s on-time electrician, you’ll get a thorough evaluation that includes:
- An electrical panel inspection
- A grounding and bonding verification
- Surge protector testing
- Circuit integrity checks
- An assessment of your HVAC system and major appliances
- And a code compliance review
Why Lightning Damage Is Especially Concerning in Florida
In Florida, we get hot, humid summers along with frequent lightning strikes. In fact, until quite recently, Florida was the lightning capital of the U.S. These frequent lightning strikes stress the electrical grid, causing storm-related utility surges.
In addition, the hot, humid summers make HVAC units a necessity. And since they operate almost non-stop, they place a heavy load on your electrical system, stressing your system even further.
What’s more, Florida’s humid air increases the risk of corrosion, making it harder for electrical components to withstand electrical stress. Flooding or heavy rainfall can also damage grounding systems, creating short circuits and power surges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can lightning damage my electrical system without burning anything?
Yes! Lightning can degrade components in your electrical panel or damage your wiring.
Should I call an electrician after a nearby lightning strike?
Absolutely! There may be hidden damage that can cause a fire or damage your appliances and devices over time.
What parts of the electrical system are most vulnerable to lightning?
The parts of your electrical system most vulnerable to lightning include your electrical panel, breakers, wires behind your walls, sensitive electronics (computers, TVs), and your appliances (like your HVAC system).
Can lightning damage wiring inside walls?
Yes, unfortunately, a lightning strike generates intense heat, which can melt the wires inside your walls.
Will my surge protector stop all lightning damage?
Not necessarily. Sometimes, the power surge can overwhelm your surge protector and damage its components, so it’s no longer as effective.
Is lightning damage covered by homeowners’ insurance?
Yes, lightning damage is covered by homeowners’ insurance in Florida. Structural damage, personal property, fires, and additional living expenses, like temporary housing, are covered. Check your deductible and your coverage limits, though.
How soon should a lightning strike evaluation be done?
You should schedule a lightning strike evaluation as soon as possible. This allows our electricians to document any damage, replace damaged components, and ensure your home is safe.
Schedule a Lightning Strike Evaluation in Daytona, FL
Our licensed electricians in Daytona are trained to evaluate post-strike damage. They can evaluate both visible and hidden issues and make sure your home is free of any electrical hazards. And with their safety-first approach, they can help reduce the risks of electrical shocks or fires.
We also recommend scheduling a prompt evaluation after storms or nearby strikes. Don’t take chances with your home’s safety, and don’t put up with any malarky! Make an appointment with Mister Sparky, Daytona’s on-time electrician.