Mauricette

We had a real humdinger of a storm last night, very spectacular with thunder and lightning lighting up the sky. I was on the phone to my daughter when a particularly deafening clap of thunder with simultaneous lightning knocked out the electricity, phone, internet the lot.

There was the usual scramble for the lamp and we lit candles and the hurricane lamp. Then the rechargeable lamp "died" and my husband handed it to me and asked me to put in on charge.

How dumb can you get? Well, even dumber if you then take a candle and search through the electrical box for the charger plug it in and attach the lamp!!! Only then did I realise what I had done? Is there any hope for me?

Answers on a postcard!

G-J-B

hehe That's a funny story, but I've gone to do something very similar during a power cut once - it's amazing how we take electricity for granted.
Once we had lightning strike the house, and it blew up the phone - quite literally went out with a loud BANG!
I do hope it's not caused any long term damage. I got a storm surge protector for my computer just recently as we seemed to have a whole spate of localised storms here in Paris.

Mauricette

Well, everything seems to be working properly today though the phone and internet refused to reset until this morning. However I will take your experience as a warning. We are in the Gers (32) and we have some quite spectacular storms at times - the influence of the Pyrennees so the locals tell us, though we are a distance from them.

Where does one get a storm surge protector - any idea what is called in French?

Andrea50

Not as dumb as the guy who phoned the Gas Board one night to report a leak, wrote down diligently what they told him to do and not to do such as open all windows, don't touch any light switches etc, then the stupid sod lights a candle to read the instructions as to how to switch off the gas.

Well, really ............makes me look like Stephen Hawking ...............

Mauricette

Andrea50 - I am in suspense now what happened to him?

G-J-B

I can well imagine the Pyrenees creates an interesting weather front.
I think the storm surge protector goes under the name of "prise parafoudre".

Andrea - That's one for the Darwin awards!

Ka Ora!

Le grand do a whole house prise parafoudre that is suitable to go into the modern Junction boxes, When we bought this house to previous owner mentioned that lightning had killed quite a few appliances so i fitted one never been a problem since. get one for the phone as well because unlike England most exchanges here don't have them. Will save on modems or Dsl routers. Large Le grand stockist carry them, you need a good earth loop as well.

Mauricette

Thanks for that G-J-B and Ka Ora - I have never seen a Le Grand round here but presumably a Brico or Electrical shop would stock them (especially now I know what to ask for!!)

Andrea50

Mauricette, he survived his own version of "the big bang" and was fortunate enough NOT to end up spread over a wide area.

And has now bought a torch ...........

Ka Ora!

Le Grand is just the Manufacturer....Yes a electrical stockist is what you need.....