House struck by lightning last night

[mayday0017]

So to keep the story short house got struck by lightning last night. House is fine no damage to the structure it self (at least that I have found yet). We are both ok, wife got a small welp on her leg (she was standing next to stove and got shocked). Weird thing is stove is fine and I am sure it is grounded.

Anyways tons of electronics around the house are fried but not enough to justify the 3k deductible on the house.

So on to the question where GJ can help me out maybe... One of the things that is out is the garage door opener. It is a craftsman unit from 2005. The trouble light blinks 5 times on it which is indicating the logic board. If you push the wall button you hear a click but nothing happens. If you hit the light button on the wall nothing happens then at all (not even a click).

Question is should I buy a used logic board off ebay for $50, will I probably get lucky and that will fix it? Or should I **** it up and acccept that it is probably more damaged then just the logic board and buy a whole new opener?

 

[Kingcreek]

Is there a switch on the opener itself?
I probably wouldn't put money into the old one.
You might want to report it to your insurance co anyway because appliances and electronics can work for awhile and still fail in the near future due to damage. You might also discover more damage as you look closer.
We had lightning hit a tree in the front yard and then into the house either thru water lines or grounds or ? Took out things in weird ways and some things were fine. Boiler controls, alarm system, ceiling fans, range etc all blown.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Is the logic board half or close to half of what the cost of a new opener is ?

That opener is close to 10 years old, I'd probably ante up for the new opener, hang the opener and leave the old rail/chain up, if it's compatible. Save that stuff for a rainy day or future use.


BTW, I'm glad to hear your electronics took the brunt of the strike and not the house itself.

 

[Kevin54]

The very first thing you want to do if your house is struck by lightning is to call the fire department. It may just save your home.

The reason I say that is my neighbor behind me called me up 2 years ago and said her house was hit by lightning and it blowed her electronics out. She wanted to know what she should do. She depends on me for answers as she doesn't have a husband. I informed her to call the fire department first thing. The FD came out, and with their thermal imaging camera found that she had one area in the wall that a wired had shorted a switch and was smoldering. If she has let it go, it could have potentially burnt her whole house down. The FD was there for over two hours going over every square inch of her house. And I'm almost certain that a few firemen would rather spend some time at a house walking around checking, than they would be there fighting a huge fire and have to deal with a potential loss of life whether theirs or the owners.

And this is especially true with older homes that do not have the safety factor built in like the new homes do. Insurance would also rather pay out for a few appliances than they would for a whole house.

And just as a reminder to all, storms this time of year can be very severe. Make sure your insurance policies are updated if you haven't done so in a few years.

For the OP, thankfully all your wife got was a mild shock and not a full blown electrocution. Someone was watching out for her then!!!!

 

[Kevin54]

For the OP....as far as your garage door opener and other electronics, let your insurance cover it and get a new one. Something like that should fall under comprehensive (act of God) or something like that and carry a very low deductible. Get a new one from a garage door company and have them install it so you don't have to **** around with it. And see if you can get them to give the garage door a tune-up while they're there.

 

[mayday0017]

Called insurance, you do not have a "special" coverage for acts of god... probably since most claims are an act of god... Wind, Water, Fire. So not worth claiming with a 3k deductible, it's about the same amount to just buy the stuff myself and don't have any of the hassle.

 

[RonnieC]

As an atheist, I always find the classification of "acts of god" to be confusing and arbitrary.

 

[Kevin54]

Sorry if the phrase offends you, and if you like, I will go back and remove it from my wording.

I didn't post it with the intentional means of offending anyone.

 

[sberry]

Good time to review grounding on the place. I do some forensics and see if I can figure out what happened. My neighbors got hit, ins paid and first conclusion was it hit the well,,, actually that was an end result from a branch circuit to a metal shed that got hit.

 

[iibgdi]

Good Lord. Dont let the politically correct whiners/perpetually outraged/self absorbed maroons try to shame you into feeling guilty about your beliefs or words.

Maddening state of idiocy we are moving into in this country.

 

[iibgdi]

A couple thoughts regarding lightning strikes.

if you have flexible gas lines you want to make sure they are grounded as lightning strikes can cause pinholes in this yellow tubing. So that could turn into a disaster later on.

I would be most concerned with my furnace and air conditioner as those are the most likely to have been damaged even if it isn't readily apparent.

I have a relative whose house was struck by lightning this past week and actually had to move out of their house as they appear to have significant damage throughout the house.

 

[Grabber70Mach]

From infinity and beyond

 

[Gerald O]

Don't think anyone is really offended by the term "act of God". It's just that it sounds like a vague and arbitrary term that the insurance company can use to weasel out of paying a claim. They need to state specifically what hazards are excluded. I think we're pretty certain by now that lightning is a physical phenomenon, not supernatural.

 

[RonnieC]

Sorry if the phrase offends you, and if you like, I will go back and remove it from my wording.

I didn't post it with the intentional means of offending anyone.

Not offended at all. No apologies needed. Just think its weird that an insurance company determines that god did something and can deny coverage. How can you challenge that?

 

[sberry]

Isnt that why you have insurance?

 

[b-body-bob]

Not offended at all. No apologies needed. Just think its weird that an insurance company determines that god did something and can deny coverage. How can you challenge that?

Some believers would say God causes everything. I'm surprised insurance companies don't use that to avoid ALL pay outs but I guess then they'd be out of business all together.

 

[RonnieC]

Some believers would say God causes everything. I'm surprised insurance companies don't use that to avoid ALL pay outs but I guess then they'd be out of business all together.

bingo.

 

[48RON54]

Most insurance policies I have looked at state rather emphatically that "acts of god" are not covered

 

[iibgdi]

Most insurance policies I have looked at state rather emphatically that "acts of god" are not covered

wrong

 

[sublimate]

wrong

How do you know what he's looked at?

 

[panknuckshovel]

I have had two neighbors get hit with lightning, the one right next door was hit twice in the same month. One thing i learned from both of them is that if you do get hit DO NOT mention surge protectors. They both lost an extensive amount of electronics and appliances and as soon as they both mentioned that surge protectors were used the claims came to a grinding halt and denied. Both were told, by two different insurance companies to contact the manufacturer of the protectors.

 

[kywildcat]

Most insurance policies I have looked at state rather emphatically that "acts of god" are not covered

Isn't a tornado, wind, lighting, hail all acts of god? I know insurance pays for hail and wind damage.......well it did for me anyway!!!!

 

[kywildcat]

I have had two neighbors get hit with lightning, the one right next door was hit twice in the same month. One thing i learned from both of them is that if you do get hit DO NOT mention surge protectors. They both lost an extensive amount of electronics and appliances and as soon as they both mentioned that surge protectors were used the claims came to a grinding halt and denied. Both were told, by two different insurance companies to contact the manufacturer of the protectors.

That is VERY GOOD INFO!!!! Thanks!

 

[losdudes]

Last summer our house was also struck, it came in via the phone/ broadband line and took out various electronics. Several days later I went to my truck and could not get the doors to open with the key FOB. Finally got in and the truck would not start. Researched the web and performed a hard reset of the electronics, truck started but no speed indication, transmission selector not reading and no backup light. Final result was I had to replace the TCM, trans control module. Truck is an 05 GMC Duramax. Check all of your vehicles.

 

[iibgdi]

Most insurance policies I have looked at state rather emphatically that "acts of god" are not covered

wrong

How do you know what he's looked at?

Ok. I'll cut him some slack as there are a few items that can be deemed "acts of God" in an insurance policy that are excluded and if you want coverage, you would need to purchase coverage for them. Generally, those 2 items are "Flood" and "Earthquake"

Saying policies state "emphatically that "acts of God" are not covered" is too broad. In the legal/insurance world, specifics matter.

Wind, hail etc are examples of "Acts of God" that are covered.

 

[iibgdi]

Just some insurance 101 basics. (note this is generally in the commercial area but it is pretty close to personal lines as well)

There are 3 categories:

Basic
Broad
Special

Property Causes of Loss

BASIC

-Fire
-Lightning
-Explosion
-Windstorm or Hail
-Smoke
-Aircraft or vehicle (non-owned)
-Riot or Civil Commotion
-Vandalism
-Sprinkler Leakage
-Sinkhole Collapse (not Earth Quake)
-Volcanic Action

Broad

All of the above PLUS:

-Falling objects
-Weight of Snow, Ice, or Sleet
-Water Damage (accidental discharge or leakage)
{not to be confused with backup of sewer and water which needs to be purchased separately as a rider.} Note that Flood and water seepage (like through a basement wall) are NOT covered. Flood can be purchased separately

Special

All of the basic and broad causes of loss are covered PLUS theft and any other cause of loss that is NOT specifically excluded or limited.

Most home owners policies are written with "special"...however, there are exceptions, particularly when you get into odd ball properties and hard to place risks. Rental properties and especially vacant properties sometimes get placed with "basic" or "broad" instead of special.

Not all carriers (nor agents) are exactly alike so there can be some fluctuations between them and how a policy is written. (don't get me started on auto insurance and how poor of a job agents due in making sure people have adequate liability limits. THAT is scary)


Some common exclusions (refer to policy for complete list)

-Building Ordinance or Law
-Earth Movement/Earthquake
-Flood/mudslides (most are shocked to discover mudslides are not covered)
-Nuclear Hazard
-off premises services failure
-Wear and tear
-Damage by animals, insects, birds or rodents
-Explosion of steam boiler
-Governmental Action
-War and Military Action (think 911...that was one of the reasons for the hubub over whether it was considered an act of war or not. IIRC, it wasn't deemed an AOW, however, if the insurance carriers would have denied claims (it cost them BILLIONS to cover) it would have been a PR nightmare. So they covered them.

People love to rip carriers but we have to remember that the policy is a contract and can be very complex and some of it is open to interpretation. Hence the reason they get so thick.

Take mold for example. Insurance policies weren't intended to cover things like mold. So when the mold epedimic started, it was scary for all involved. The homeowners wanted covered. The carriers didn't contemplate their rates based on paying those types of claims. It just wasn't on the radar. Many ended up paying claims but shortly after had to put mold limitations and exclusions on. Does that piss you off? Maybe, but imagine what your premiums would be if carriers had to account for EVERYTHING even if it were something (like mold) that they had NO idea would be a big deal. We went decades without mold being an issue but with building techniques etc. it all of the sudden popped up as a problem.

Just like when the Gulf had so much damage with Katrina. The big issue was if it was flood or water surge. Flood is excluded. There were 2 sides to it. Again, scary for both parties. The result is more policy wording and a large emphasis and awareness put on flood as an exclusion.

We all hate lawyers! but, people generally have a poor understanding of the industry AND as is human nature, everyone assumes the worst because they heard a horror story on occasion.

/rant

 

[Fishplate]

Both were told, by two different insurance companies to contact the manufacturer of the protectors.

That's because the surge protectors are the primary insurance policy - a lot of them advertise $25k protection. Once that's exhausted (or denied), then the regular insurance kicks in.

The insurance companies were right, and within their rights, to insist that the homeowners file claims first with the primary insurance provider.

And I wouldn't actively hide the fact from the insurance company that you had surge protectors, either. Fail to mention it is one thing. Lie to them, and it gets ugly.

 

[Kevin54]

Last summer our house was also struck, it came in via the phone/ broadband line and took out various electronics. Several days later I went to my truck and could not get the doors to open with the key FOB. Finally got in and the truck would not start. Researched the web and performed a hard reset of the electronics, truck started but no speed indication, transmission selector not reading and no backup light. Final result was I had to replace the TCM, trans control module. Truck is an 05 GMC Duramax. Check all of your vehicles.

Just a reminder to some that have landlines, don't talk on a landline phone in a bad electrical storm.

Every once in a while, it pays to remind some of the younger ones what happens as we were told by our parents. And talking on the landline is just one of them, as many have been killed by talking on the phone and lightening hitting the house and following the phone line in to the person holding the phone.

 

[Gerald O]

My yard got struck by lightning once. It blew out all kinds of electronics and electrical devices in and around the home. Just about anything that had a wire was affected. The kids were playing video games at the time and one of them got a big jolt through the handheld controller of the game.

As for surge protectors, these are not typically rated for direct lightning strikes. They are for power-line surges of limited magnitude. Read the warranty, it will probably specifically exclude protection for lightning strikes.

 

[mtmgtz]

Just a reminder to some that have landlines, don't talk on a landline phone in a bad electrical storm.

Every once in a while, it pays to remind some of the younger ones what happens as we were told by our parents. And talking on the landline is just one of them, as many have been killed by talking on the phone and lightening hitting the house and following the phone line in to the person holding the phone.

I think most people that have landlines use cordless phones anymore but you are right if they are using a regular old corded phone.

 

[abachman]

Back to the original question, sort of... the circuit board for the garage door will cost you about half of what a new opener will cost and is quite easy to replace. I believe that Chamberlain is the manufacturer and they can supply the parts directly.

 

[Glenn M.]

Just a reminder to some that have landlines, don't talk on a landline phone in a bad electrical storm.

Every once in a while, it pays to remind some of the younger ones what happens as we were told by our parents. And talking on the landline is just one of them, as many have been killed by talking on the phone and lightening hitting the house and following the phone line in to the person holding the phone.

Golly, how many dial-up modems have I lost that way??? Most of the time I remembered to disconnect them from the land line during a storm....

 

[vankaye]

From personal experience I recommend you contact your insurance company.

I had a strike hit my house once and within a month the dryer, water heater and air conditioning unit required replacement on top of all the electronics that failed at the moment of the strike.

The AC unit alone would cover your deductible.

Why have insurance if you're gonna assume all the risk??

 

[Krash Kadillak]

Just some insurance 101 basics. (note this is generally in the commercial area but it is pretty close to personal lines as well)............................

Great post, iibgdi.

 

[48RON54]

wrong

Perhaps I am mixing up warranty paperwork with insurance paperwork. My apologies if I have made an incorrect statement.

Unless I offended anyone...if I managed to offend anyone then i revoke my apology and would like to add anything and everything that may further offend said person.

Thank you.

 

[big.jim]

as an atheist not believing in god do acts of god apply to me

 

[Kevin54]

I think most people that have landlines use cordless phones anymore but you are right if they are using a regular old corded phone.

We have one corded phone in the house all for the fact that if the electricity goes out, we still have a phone. Well we are strictly on Time Warner now, so if a flea farts, we lose everything.

 

[RonnieC]

as an atheist not believing in god do acts of god apply to me

Once your claim adjuster determines which god was responsible, you can sue in civil court.

 

[awdblazer]

honestly talk to you local utility, cause I know here if there is a electrical surge and stuff does get fried because of it they will replace it free of charge

 

[jdmstr]

Good Lord. Dont let the politically correct whiners/perpetually outraged/self absorbed maroons try to shame you into feeling guilty about your beliefs or words.

Maddening state of idiocy we are moving into in this country.

+1