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Telephones and T.V. in a storm


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Arrived at our cottage in Brittany in August to find that a storm had knocked out both our phones -  to the astonishment of the engineer who kept saying 'bizarre'! [8-)]  Someone suggested that we unplug the phone from the phone socket (we always turn off the electricity) and also we should unplug the satellite from the wall socket or back of T.V. Is this the best thing to do/does it alter anything as I always have a fear of everything disappearing into the nether blue yonder! The satellite used to think we'd emigrated esp. over the winter and had to 'warm up'. 
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You can buy parafoudres. Big expensive units which plug into the tableau d'electrcite, smaller efforts which plug into sockets like extensions leads and also provide some protections for 'phones and modems.

Broadly we used the cheap and chearful ones for things with a micoprocessor like a washing machine or dishwasher ( they seem to have replaced the 'herrion/hedgehog' with spikes ( not spices AGH ) which used to control the cycles.

We have a more expensive unit for the two PCs and modems and also on answering machine style phones.  About two years ago I replaced modems on two British near neighbour PCs  which had been taken out by a lighteening strike to the 'phone wires. Only 15 Euros in board but operating system was claiming whole PC was down.

Our dish has a big seperate earth lead in the belief that if lightenening does strike it will earth through that rather than digibox ( which only has a two core cable anyway)

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The base unit of my DECT phones was burnt out due to a power surge in the UK. I found this Belkin product which protects both the power from the mains and telephone socket for about £7. This is the French version which may be worth buying and includes a financial guarantee against any equipment damage. http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=154524 and can be readily purchased in France from: http://www.belkin.com/resellers/resell_us.asp?countrycode=fr

Baz

PS. Great minds think alike, posted at the same time as Cooperlola

 

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[quote user="Tina"]Thanks for your reply but not being technical can you explain a little more simply please![8-)] Can we not just pull out plugs/sockets?[/quote]

Yes you can simply pull out, disconnect the digibox aerial lead, unplug the phone but it all becomes rather tedious if you are living there full time and decided to go out for the day.

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Thanks to you and Baz and Cooperlola for all your helpful advice and links - Yes, on reflection although it is  a holiday home I do see the point about just pulling the plug! Will have to consider the same protection here methinks! Thanks again.
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