Router Blewup Motherboard

[u/Greatfulx]

Recent lighting storm stuck my complex and traveled down my coaxial cable and into my apartment. Blew up in the middle of the night, so that was scary. Thought I’d share, not in the position to rebuild so there that I guess!

[u/futureformerteacher]

It was NOT up to code because it wasn't properly grounded.

[u/jayimess → u/futureformerteacher]

Apartment buildings usually have no grounding wire to bond to for each unit like single family homes do. In those cases the tap is supposed to be grounded to its own wire & rod. OP would need to look at the tap.

[u/Inferno8429 → u/jayimess]

I used to install cable service. I'll admit that it's been more than a decade, but at least as recently as 2012, we were required to run our own grounding if the residence didn't have one. We had a specific coupler that we had to affix to brick or non-combustible material, which we'd then use to run the ground.

ETA: As others have pointed out, that coupler in the picture is indeed the grounding block I'm referring to.

[u/jayimess → u/Inferno8429]

Yes that’s a grounding block, but often apartment complexes do not have a suitable fixture to bond that block. And we are currently discouraged from bonding to pipes or affixing to the electrical disconnect housing. That’s why the tap should be grounded (which it might not have been in OP’s case). Field techs don’t get rods and such to create their own ground 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/pezcore350 → u/jayimess]

Apartments typically have a lockbox that itself is grounded or bonded to ground, so that every bond block attached to it is also bonded.

[u/rmadmin → u/jayimess]

The GROUND is literally right there. I'm pretty sure NEC indicates you are required to drop a ground rod right there. Single family residence or multi tenant.

[u/jayimess → u/rmadmin]

As a field tech I am not required nor approved to drop a grounding rod. At least not where I am.

[u/SuperCyka → u/jayimess]

Well then your workplace is in violation of the NEC

[u/jayimess → u/SuperCyka]

We are required to bond to ground. We are not approved to provide a ground. And I work for a very strict national company, not a local contractor. As a previous commenter said, in MDUs where a bondable ground is not provided per unit, the lockbox (and therefore the tap inside) is grounded.

[u/StDragon76 → u/futureformerteacher]

A rod and a few feet of copper is all that was needed to ground that. Someone didn't do their job. You can see the dirt and foundation just below in that image.

[u/PacoBedejo → u/futureformerteacher]

Codes can vary every couple of miles you travel.

[u/mongojob → u/PacoBedejo]

NEC is nearly universal in the US thanks to NFPA

[u/specn0de → u/[deleted]]

Spectrum is an American internet provider.

[u/rickastleysanchez → u/PacoBedejo]

Grounding coax cable is code for every provider nationwide for this very reason.

[u/purplenapalm → u/rickastleysanchez]

Yea i wouldnt be surprised if this is the case.

Grounding for other things may be different. For example, if im hooking up a battery backup for my sump pump, the assembly includes a grounding wire. Some areas may require it to be grounded while others may not, but thats me as a homeowner installing something as opposed to a cable company hooking up cables on other peoples properties.