Florida is a tropical climate. It rains in the summer. It really rains – every day like clockwork from June to September.
The skies get black. The rain pelts down hard; sometimes you cannot see the road in front of you when driving. Lightning strikes all around you, close by. Loud thunder booms less than a second later. Power flickers on and off, due to power surges. Microwave ovens need to be reset a couple of times a week; sometimes your oven too. Temperatures rise to 95 degrees; humidity registers at 95%. We are thankful for air conditioning in our homes and cars. If we are lucky, the storms do not develop into hurricanes.
What can you do to protect your computers, tablets, printers, smart phones and other electronic devices during mid-summer storms?
Tower / All-in-One Computers – can be protected from power surges by plugging them into an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) box. This is a wise investment of $60 to protect your tower computer.
Laptop Computers – do not use your plugged-in laptop during a violent electrical storm. Shut down, and unplug the power cord from the wall or surge protector, after shutting off your devices, until the storm passes.
Surge Protectors / Power Strips – Do not turn off the switch on the power strip. If you want, you can unplug the power cord for the power strip from the wall during a violent storm. Turn off the plugged in devices first.
Tablets / Smart Phones – Unplug from the power source until the storm passes.
Printers – Turn off and unplug from the wall.
TV Receivers and TVs – Turn them off during the storm.
After the storm subsides, your electronic devices can be plugged into power and turned back on. These actions may seem like over-reaction, but over the past 15 years I’ve seem more than my share of devices that no longer work. Their owners report that they worked before the lightning strike outside their home during a recent summer storm. I wish you and your electronic devices safety during our mid-summer storms.
I believe in making your computers easier and safer to use at an affordable price. Thank you for trusting me to keep your computers healthy. I provide computer services because I love to share what I know with you. Contact us at 239-567-0104 when it is time to renew your protection software, to arrange for our “Love Your Computer” training, or if you need computer and internet help. Be well.
By Linda Lindquist, June 24, 2024
