Do you turn the AxeFx off when it's thunderstorming out?

Billbill

Power User
Title says it all. I always feel sketchy as hell when it's nasty and thunderstorming outside even though my entire rig, before hitting the 110, goes into a surge protected power strip. Thing is, ya just never know with power dips, surges/spikes. Especially when it's the black, green-eyed cyclops (yeah I'm still on the AxeFx 2 XL+) lol. Anyone else ever just shut down your solitude's precious jam time for the sake of protecting your gear?
 
Yeah, I would. It makes sense if you're not 100% trusting your surge protector. You'd be more grateful if it didn't require it, but better safe than sorry.
 
My axefx3 is in my rack with an amp and a Furman power conditioner. The Furman is also plugged into a surge protector. I hardly ever power it down. However, when there is an electrical storm I always unplug my rack from the wall. Better safe than sorry.
 
Not a bad idea but odds are generally in your favor for not getting struck
That's what I always thought too. Never thought twice about showering during a storm. Then about 5 years ago lightning struck across the street. I was in the basement closing a small window above the washing machine. I was closing the window with my left hand and bracing myself on the washer with my right hand while standing on a wooden stool. I got zapped and thrown into a utility shelf a few feet away.
Couldn't hardly move my right arm for almost a week. I am super cautious now.
 
Living in the lightening capital of the US, I’d probably not be able to play for a few months at a time if I unplugged every time there was a storm lol. We get like 3 crazy storms full of nonstop lightening and basically all red/orange on the radar about every day in the summer here in Tampa lol

most places you get some green on the radar, over my house it’s pretty much always red and the lightening counter is in the hundreds of strikes nearby
 

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Living in the lightening capital of the US, I’d probably not be able to play for a few months at a time if I unplugged every time there was a storm lol. We get like 3 crazy storms full of nonstop lightening and basically all red/orange on the radar about every day in the summer here in Tampa lol

most places you get some green on the radar, over my house it’s pretty much always red and the lightening counter is in the hundreds of strikes nearby
Looks like you just gotta roll the dice brother. Read this article:
https://stormhighway.com/surge_protectors_ups_lightning_protection_myth.php
Looks like lightning protection on your homeowners insurance is your best bet.
 
I unplugged everything last night---including my computer and all of my gear. It was
intense.

I don't care what power conditioner you think you have. When lightning strikes it's
gonna get fried. I don't any piece of rack gear that can be a firewall against the force
of nature that is Thor. ;)
 
Living in the lightening capital of the US, I’d probably not be able to play for a few months at a time if I unplugged every time there was a storm lol. We get like 3 crazy storms full of nonstop lightening and basically all red/orange on the radar about every day in the summer here in Tampa lol

most places you get some green on the radar, over my house it’s pretty much always red and the lightening counter is in the hundreds of strikes nearby

I did a tour of duty in Orlando. Two summers that made me hate Florida. ;)

You are right. 4PM to 6PM it is gonna rain and crash and boom. Hard, and religiously.
 
I will generally unplug expensive stuff like the Fractal during a bad storm.

I've never thought that Surge Suppressors protected against near lightning strikes- nor that they were supposed to.

Although I try to use actual surge suppressors (instead of "temporary tap" devices), I'm also concerned that they don't last forever and I don't change them out as much as I should. Good ones are pretty expensive. The ones that include insurance coverage may have deductibles and limits that aren't readily evident either. I've seen some that have $2500 of coverage for certain things- that might not be enough for all of your studio gear.

Homeowners insurance might cover it, depending on the coverage but it would sure be better not to have to deal with that, so I try to unplug when I can. I don't unplug when I'm away from home, so there's some additional risk too.
 
Storms seem to be more frequent and more extreme these days so yes; AxeFx, keyboards, computers, studio equipment etc all get unplugged during bad storms. I use to unplug the TV but they're so inexpensive these days I don't bother
 
I will generally unplug expensive stuff like the Fractal during a bad storm.

I've never thought that Surge Suppressors protected against near lightning strikes- nor that they were supposed to.

Although I try to use actual surge suppressors (instead of "temporary tap" devices), I'm also concerned that they don't last forever and I don't change them out as much as I should. Good ones are pretty expensive. The ones that include insurance coverage may have deductibles and limits that aren't readily evident either. I've seen some that have $2500 of coverage for certain things- that might not be enough for all of your studio gear.

Homeowners insurance might cover it, depending on the coverage but it would sure be better not to have to deal with that, so I try to unplug when I can. I don't unplug when I'm away from home, so there's some additional risk too.

Yup. The deductible alone is enough to make me do the easy task of unplugging. :)
 
I unplug all electronics when a thunderstorm is near, learned that just powering things off is not enough in some cases. We had a lightning strike right next to our house a few years ago that fried a couple of devices and affected several others. All were plugged into power strips/surge protectors. I don't take chances anymore.
 
I unplug my rack, which includes the Axe-Fx, my amps. and my computers as well. I have a power conditioner in my rack and it's plugged into a surge protected power bar. None of which, would keep a line strike from permanently damaging all my gear.

Many years ago, the school where I teach at, was hit by a bolt of lightning. The strike hit the T1 line coming into the school, and took out the router, hubs and an entire lab of PC's, networked with ARCNET. The damage was in the 10's of thousands of dollars. The T1 line had a surge protector on it and all the racks and gear were double grounded.

We've had a couple storms over the years, at the house, that have struck trees near-by, right next to the pole where the phone line (DSL) and hydro come in. One strike was so damn close, you could feel the shockwave hit your chest and it knocked pictures off the wall!
 
I mostly unplug everything expensive/important, although it should all be covered by my insurance 🤔
But still not worth the stress ...
 
I unplug my rack, which includes the Axe-Fx, my amps. and my computers as well. I have a power conditioner in my rack and it's plugged into a surge protected power bar. None of which, would keep a line strike from permanently damaging all my gear.

Many years ago, the school where I teach at, was hit by a bolt of lightning. The strike hit the T1 line coming into the school, and took out the router, hubs and an entire lab of PC's, networked with ARCNET. The damage was in the 10's of thousands of dollars. The T1 line had a surge protector on it and all the racks and gear were double grounded.

We've had a couple storms over the years, at the house, that have struck trees near-by, right next to the pole where the phone line (DSL) and hydro come in. One strike was so damn close, you could feel the shockwave hit your chest and it knocked pictures off the wall!

Wow!

It boggles my mind that a piece of plastic and metal weighing 5lbs... or 20 if it has some kind
of iron in it.... is sold as protection for your devices during an electrical storm. It is NOT! Maybe
a slight line surge when your wall voltage jumps up to 130 or something. But none of that crap
is gonna get in the way of the 1 billion joules contained in a single lightning strike.
 
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