What are the safety precautions inside your home during a lightning storm (i.e. running water, using phone,?
829354
Don't touch anything metal that is connected to the outside - i.e. plumbing, wiring.  \n\nMake sure you unplug your computer and tv sets (and anything else electronic) because a direct hit close by will fry the circuits in these things - or at least get some good surge protectors if you forget to unplug or aren't around.
858637
hmm...surge somewhere.  Could be very dangerous, though.  Call electrician tomorrow.
966564
What you are proposing violates occupational safety regulations unless you've received the proper training and permits. Keep in mind that getting an electric shock from touching charged water is extremely dangerous because water reduces the skin's resistance to electricity, especially if you have salts dissolved in it. 35 mA is 3.5 times the minimum requirement to send a heart into fibrillation. Given the high voltage and water combination, there is no question that your body's resistance would be low enough to draw the full current limit.\n\nThat said, an arc is when you create a bright plasma conducting path. Dissolving bicarb in the water will make the *water* conduct instead, and load down (short) the HV, suppressing its voltage. You'll likely just heat the water that way. Your best bet is to use distilled water. Give the electrodes sharp points to enhance the electric field near the points. Bring the electrode close enough underwater, and you'll get your arc. Note that arcs create high pressure, and the water may splash out of the container and electrocute you.
484256
Yes because sometimes lighting can get through the electric lines and damage your PC if the building does not have proper "earthing".  Safer still, after turning off the computer, remove the plug from the socket too. Replug only after the storm has gone
1126071
Ok.. listen.. you have to think about this one a little bit\n\nIF everytime a lighting hit the water, everything got electrocuted, then there would be no fish in the sea.. so people that said that are not thinking right.. \n\nnow.. how far do you have to be\nLighting will try to reach ground right? thats the way it works? so it will find the fastest way down.. now Im going out on a limb here, but salt water conducts electricity pretty damn well.. probably better than a human body.. so my guess is, lightning will go straight down into the ocean floor.. \n\nnow.. this doesnt mean you wont die if its near you, because some electric current might choose a different path, but I would say if you are outside of 100 meters you would be ok. But I would get out of the water when a big storm is coming.. not because of lightning, but because the waves might be too strong to swim in
113532
Most homes have indoor plumbing, electricity, and running water. Cable TV  and internet access are big ones too. I grew up with a LOT of people who didn't have electricity/water and that was in the 80s and 90s! Now, where I am from, about 75% have electricity and water.
42364
Lighting is static electricity of charged particles in our atmosphere. The difference in the charges causes lightning. It is not often (If ever) for ground to cloud strikes over water. Water is a grounding source, since water is highly conductive (Salt water like oceans more so than fresh water like lakes and ponds.)and it is electrically, and physically grounded, the electrical energy is both grounded, and dissipated by the large volume of conduction.
564120
Lightning strikes can travel large distances along wires since wires are made to conduct electricity really well.\n\nTherefore, there is an increased danger to using anything plugged into the wall by cords of any type.  This includes the phone, computer (unless on a wireless laptop), or even the sink (water also conducts electricity quite well along pipes).\n\nNow, the danger isn't extreme.  I can't give you specific numbers, but I do not believe that many people are hurt each year by lightning strikes.  Surge protectors do offer electronics some protection from overload... but can't protect you if a large enough surge comes through the line to fry you.  Generally only very nearby strikes are dangerous.\n\nMy own personal advice: don't worry too much about electrocution from thunderstorms when inside unless the storm is abnormally frequent when it comes to lightning.  It's a choice you make.  Even in a "safe room" you are still in some danger of a direct lightning strike.  Life is short and you should live it.\nHOWEVER, that's my opinion, and playing it safe is never bad.  Each strike is a small gamble... and some people do end up losing.\n\nHere's a bit more info on indoor lightning safety from the National Weather Service:\nhttp://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/indoors.htm\n\nI wish you well,\nGod bless,\nShane
417720
Standing on your head - use a shower cap on the cast.  Have someone standing by to call 911 if things don't turn out well.
424619
a good surge suppressor is what you need. Can you be sure to be home for every storm?
79607
First, I would turn off the faucet so I won't waste water. Second, I would look out the window to see who's knocking on the door then let the person in if it's someone I know. I would leave the laundry outside because it's going to dry after it stops raining. Last, I would wait for the answering machine to pick up the message and then I would call the person back if I know that person.
208468
Your car is a safer place to be in an electrical storm because, if struck, the metal frame of your car will provide the path of least resistance (which is what electricity always takes) to the ground. Your car and all its electrical systems will be fried, but you should be safe (as long as you are not directly touching that metal frame).\n\nAnd as for your rubber tires providing insulation ... think again, because that small amount of rubber will do very little to stop a lightning bolt with somewhere over 10 million volts of power
569824
In reality, normal water is a very weak conductor. It is possible to be electricuted while in the water, as in the bathtub example, but in the open waters, only things in very close proximity to the lightning strike will be affected. In actuality, pure water doesn't conduct electricity at all, but when things are dissolved in the water it can carry a current. This also explains why being shocked in your bathtub is more prominent- there are soaps and oils dissolved in the water.
1152151
Plug all your computer equipment into a surge protective power bar...although very rare...it is known to happen\n\nBut to keep your system running should the power go out...install a generator to your power fuse panel.
621977
Only if you're paranoid. There's more chance of being struck by lightning than getting a virus on a mac.
570075
There is a small risk of being zapped during a storm if you are in a shower, talking on the phone, sitting on your sofa watching TV, and a few other things you should not do.
222156
Principally yes, lightning will split water, but not through electrolysis but because of the heat.\n\nAssuming your array of lightning rods will attract a lightning, you will need to transform that high voltage into the millivolt region you need for electrolysis, and keep it coming for quite some time since electrolysis is an equilibrium process. In short, you need to store electrical lightning energy, which is so difficult nobody (except Frankenstein :) has produced a workable solution.\n\nHarnessing the thermal energy of the lightning on the other end of the lightning rod would be tricky, too - if the resistance is too high, the lightning rod wouldn't attract the lightning, if it is too low, the thermal energy won't be released where you want it.\n\nStatic electricity discharges generally are unsuitable when you want a current, otherwise someone would have built generators using piezo elements long ago.