Thoughts on replacing damaged HD300s

[briands]

Thunderstorm took out several pieces of electronics. I'll continue testing things out and adding it up to see if it warrants an insurance claim. Looks like both of my HD300s have lost their wired network capabilities. Any thoughts on how insurance would handle "obsolete" hardware? Also took out the ethernet port on my server, my wireless router, wii, and a squeeze box.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by briands

Thunderstorm took out several pieces of electronics. I'll continue testing things out and adding it up to see if it warrants an insurance claim. Looks like both of my HD300s have lost their wired network capabilities. Any thoughts on how insurance would handle "obsolete" hardware? Also took out the ethernet port on my server, my wireless router, wii, and a squeeze box.

It probably depends on the insurance policy. Is lightning considered "an act of god", and not covered? If it is covered, and you have "replacement cost", then maybe it would cover the higher replacement cost for the HD-300. I think they normally go for $300 - $500 now. The insurance claim also depends on your deductible limit. You should have a deductible at least $1000 for homeowners insurance because you only should use insurance for catastrophic events. If you make too many small claims, then it will raise your rates or get you cut off and make getting insurance more expensive from other companies. Replacing the equipment might be below the deductible limit.

If you can't buy a HD-300 because none are for sale, then you need to buy SageTV client licenses and computer systems to replace the HD-300 functionality. The safest approach is to have spare HD-300 units that are normally not hooked up, but stored. It would also be a good idea to buy several SageTV client licenses as spares. Then you could build up SageTV client computers in the future if that is your only option to keep SageTV running for many years. You may be able to extend the life of SageTV for several decades if nothing ever comes along that is better than SageTV. The HD-300 is probably not going to survive for decades before it goes bad. You could keep periodically refresh the SageTV client computer systems about every 5 - 8 years for decades to keep SageTV functioning. The ultimate goal is to keep SageTV alive as long as your alive, if nothing better ever comes along to replace it.

You might try replacing the NIC on the SageTV computer. It is also possible that the lightning damage causes the equipment to work most of the time, but intermittently fails, and is unreliable. The only solution might be to replace the equipment. A good UPS can help prevent damage, but nothing can totally prevent lightning damage.

Don't forget to image and backup the SageTV computers. You have to be able to recover them quickly if they fail for less serious reasons.

The way I look at that type of event is it is a pain to replace and restore the SageTV functionality. It's best that you prepare in advance to keep SageTV alive. That way you can recover. In the long run, it is not that bad compared to getting in an auto accident and being injured or in physical pain for the rest of your life. So in the large scope, it isn't that bad. Just make sure that you can recover SageTV now and if it happens again, unless you want to go back to watching TV without SageTV. To me, TV without SageTV is very painful and is worth the effort to do things to keep SageTV alive for the long haul.

Dave

[Carlton Bale]

I was struck by lightening about 3 months ago. Not only did it take out almost everything attached to my wired Ethernet network, it also set my house on fire.

Insurance will generally pay you a depreciated value for electronics, based on actual replacement cost of a used component of similar age/condition. To show that something has appreciated instead of depreciated, send Ebay listings and Amazon used items prices to your agent and argue for a higher replacement value.

[hemicuda]

We got lucky last year. A strike nearby went down just one phase in the breaker panel. Took out every surge outlet I had and exploded a few parts on the downstairs HVAC power supply. Didn't lose anything else though Lord knows how the living room TV survived w/o a surge outlet.

I've since replaced the surge outlets, added a few more, and put a surge breaker in the panel itself. *crossed fingers*

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by briands

Thunderstorm took out several pieces of electronics. I'll continue testing things out and adding it up to see if it warrants an insurance claim. Looks like both of my HD300s have lost their wired network capabilities. Any thoughts on how insurance would handle "obsolete" hardware? Also took out the ethernet port on my server, my wireless router, wii, and a squeeze box.

So you are able to use a wireless adapter? Has anyone tried using a wired USB adapter? Just a thought.

Wayne

[carlgar]

I also lossed a couple of eletronic devices due to thunderstorms. It appeared that my only HD300 was one on them. The ethernet port appeared not to be working. I then determined that the port could send data but not receive it. The WOL was wakeing up my server! I then added one of my wireless adapters and got the Hd300 working again. I then focused on repairing the other damage to my network. I lost my DSL modem which provided the DHCP for the network. Once I got my network back to normal I decided to test the HD300 ethernet port again and it worked with no issues. Don't give up until you get everything else corrected if it affects the network.

[westom]

Originally Posted by hemicuda

A strike nearby went down just one phase in the breaker panel. Took out every surge outlet I had and exploded a few parts on the downstairs HVAC power supply.

That is not protection. A surge too tiny to overwhelm superior protection inside most appliances also destroyed grossly undersized protectors. No protector must fail during a surge. An undersized protector has a thermal fuse that will disconnect protector parts as fast as possible. And leave the appliance connected to that surge.

If that thermal fuse does not blow fast enough, then sometimes the protector creates a house fire. Again, this is because a protector is near zero - maybe hundreds of joules. Destructive surges are hundreds of thousands of joules.

Once a surge is inside a house, then it is incoming to every appliance - with or without a protector. So is everything damaged? Of course not. Damage means an outgoing path also exists. Once that surge is inside, it goes hunting for earth destructively via all appliances. In your case, it found an excellent path to earth destructively via the HVAC. That HVAC (not any protectors) did the protection.

Facilities that can never have damage do not waste money on your protectors. Instead, a 'whole house' protector is earthed at the service entrance. A surge earthed BEFORE entering the building need not find earth destructively via any appliances.

Does the 'whole house' protector do protection? Of course not. No protector does protection. Either is connects a surge to earth. Or it does not even claim that protection.

Protection is always about where those hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Therefore every layer of protection is only defined by what harmlessly absorbs that energy - earth ground.

Some incoming wires need no protector (ie cable TV, satellite dish). But every protection system always has an earth ground.

Informed homeowners only earth one protector. A Cutler-Hammer 'whole house' protector sold in both Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Any facility that cannot have damage earths a 'whole house' protector to have direct lightnings strikes. And no damage even to the protector.

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by thomaszoo

... Has anyone tried using a wired USB adapter? Just a thought. Wayne

Yes, and I never got it to work with encryption. I still have it but will never use it. It works about as well as an MVP trying to play HD content...

[briands]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I've got some stuff ordered from Newegg to get back up and running. I should be able to do a more thorough diagnosis over the weekend.

Probably not enough to justify an insurance claim (at least that I have found so far).

With the Wii also dead, that is another real dilemma as we like the easy family games (kids 9 and 6) but the new one is just around the corner or a PS3 and I would gain a BD player as well the ability to play GranTourismo with some remote friends. Hmmmm.

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by briands

Thanks for the feedback so far. I've got some stuff ordered from Newegg to get back up and running. I should be able to do a more thorough diagnosis over the weekend.

Probably not enough to justify an insurance claim (at least that I have found so far).

With the Wii also dead, that is another real dilemma as we like the easy family games (kids 9 and 6) but the new one is just around the corner or a PS3 and I would gain a BD player as well the ability to play GranTourismo with some remote friends. Hmmmm.

The Wii was dead a long time ago

[hemicuda]

Originally Posted by westom

That is not protection. A surge too tiny to overwhelm superior protection inside most appliances also destroyed grossly undersized protectors. No protector must fail during a surge. An undersized protector has a thermal fuse that will disconnect protector parts as fast as possible. And leave the appliance connected to that surge.

If that thermal fuse does not blow fast enough, then sometimes the protector creates a house fire. Again, this is because a protector is near zero - maybe hundreds of joules. Destructive surges are hundreds of thousands of joules.

Once a surge is inside a house, then it is incoming to every appliance - with or without a protector. So is everything damaged? Of course not. Damage means an outgoing path also exists. Once that surge is inside, it goes hunting for earth destructively via all appliances. In your case, it found an excellent path to earth destructively via the HVAC. That HVAC (not any protectors) did the protection.

Facilities that can never have damage do not waste money on your protectors. Instead, a 'whole house' protector is earthed at the service entrance. A surge earthed BEFORE entering the building need not find earth destructively via any appliances.

Does the 'whole house' protector do protection? Of course not. No protector does protection. Either is connects a surge to earth. Or it does not even claim that protection.

Protection is always about where those hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Therefore every layer of protection is only defined by what harmlessly absorbs that energy - earth ground.

Some incoming wires need no protector (ie cable TV, satellite dish). But every protection system always has an earth ground.

Informed homeowners only earth one protector. A Cutler-Hammer 'whole house' protector sold in both Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Any facility that cannot have damage earths a 'whole house' protector to have direct lightnings strikes. And no damage even to the protector.

I figured something similar to that. But what I have is better than nothing and the plug-in, multi-outlet units by Belkin I was using (and replaced with like models) did in fact prevent several thousand $ in damages to appliances and A/V equipment. Maybe it was the A/C unit that ultimately "earthed" the spike; beats me. I just know that in my circumstance things worked out for the rest of the house. Next time? Who knows.

My next house will have a better system installed professionally since we plan to keep it for the duration (and for its location, re: storms/elevation).

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by briands

... a PS3 and I would gain a BD player as well the ability to play GranTourismo with some remote friends. Hmmmm.

A real nice 3D BD player at that. I don't really use my PS3 for anything else these days. But for games I would recomend the Xbox 360, as much as I dislike MS. That seems to be the easiest route these days.

[PeteCress]

If you can't buy a HD-300 because none are for sale, then you need to buy SageTV client licenses... functionality. ...t would also be a good idea to buy several SageTV client licenses as spares.

How does one do that?

I've got money and I'm willing to pay...

I tried raising the question is a dedicated thread, but it went "Poof".... my assumption being that such notions were not politically correct.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

How does one do that?

I've got money and I'm willing to pay...

I tried raising the question is a dedicated thread, but it went "Poof".... my assumption being that such notions were not politically correct.

Check out the SageTV Market Place thread.

[osx-addict]

Originally Posted by briands

With the Wii also dead, that is another real dilemma as we like the easy family games (kids 9 and 6) but the new one is just around the corner or a PS3 and I would gain a BD player as well the ability to play GranTourismo with some remote friends. Hmmmm.

If you need a Wii replacement, I've got one that my kids are not interested in using anymore.. I could make you a package deal..