so i'm moving into the bedroom upstairs soon. but first i want to paint it and stuff. but i noticed there's this UGLY old smoke detector up there. and my room will be AMAZING so i cant have that smoke detector being ugly. so is there fun smoke detectors? i'm going to be painting a glow in the dark star scape on my ceiling so can i get like a moon themed smoke detector? or maybe i should just spray paint it ORANGE :D please help this is a really stupid question i know.
They're not. Only thing that's vaguely related is that it's no longer allowed to use ionising detectors in homes and there's been talk about banning them altogether because they contain a small amount of a radioactive substance.
Very definitely YES. A lightening hit can cause a momentary spike of the line voltage to your building. It has nothing to do with the grounding of your building, as it could occur miles away. Electronic components are sensitive to over-voltages, and even though they may have a power supply, this momentary spike or surge can pass through the power supply before if can react. The only way to protect your electronic equipment from this voltage spike, is to have a good surge protector. The type you get with extension cords does not react fast enough. Your UPS system not only supplies power when the power goes out, but usually also has a very good surge protector. That is why the UPS is still running. You say equipment that was powered OFF, or connected to the UPS was damaged? That is highly unusual. It is more likely that your building does not have a lightening rod, with a separate earth (grounding). That is technically not part of your electrical system. Did the lightening actually hit your building?
