Twice. At two different houses. Not a direct strike, but very close that induced a big pulse into overhead powerline.
First, was long ago and far away in a cold climate. Winter, snow on the ground, about 7 AM, I'm in bed sick with the respiratory flu, running a fever, feeling awful. It's snowing, AND there's a strong thunderstorm going on! (that was a first for me!).
An extremely load bang! Then something is making a whirring sound. Crap! It's our battery backup sump pump in the basement. 12v DC pump powered by a car battery. The AC connection for recharging the battery and controlling the pump, blew the circuit board. Got up and unplugged it, and disconnected battery. Went back to bed. About 15 minutes later, DW says the furnace isn't running. Get dressed again, troubleshoot it, the igniter module for the gas furnace blew.
Thunderstorm is over, it's now snowing heavier.
Hunt up a replacement module by phone (long before internet), go out and get it, hoping I don't get stuck in the snow somewhere. I'm burning up with fever, sweating away. Make it back, install new igniter module, furnace runs, back to bed.
Second time - Different state, years later, spring, strike near overhead powerline blows the line fuse in the disconnect on the high-voltage side of our pole transformer, that we share with one neighbor.
Get power company out to replace the line fuse.
Find two in-house failures. One, a night light with a 4 watt incandescent bulb in it, it's on/off switch is toast. Big deal.
But second, is our big GE built-in microwave. NOooooo!
It's display is dark. It will wave no more.
I take it apart and pull the unit out. Then take the case off of the microwave itself (I know what I'm doing, folks, I made sure I put my tongue across the big high voltage capacitor in the magnetron's power supply first
).
A replaceable cartridge fuse is blown in the AC input area of the circuit board. I figured and verified that the GE MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) did it's job. It's connected from the AC input hot lead to the neutral lead.
A MOV is a two lead device that is open-circuit until it's firing voltage is reached, upon which it conducts heavily to protect the electronics beyond it. It can do this for only a very short amount of time. It acts like a short from the hot lead to the neutral lead.
In series with the hot lead coming in, is the fuse.
So big pulse comes in on power line, MOV conducts, protecting circuitry beyond it, blowing the fuse on the circuit board, preventing further damage. It all worked correctly, did it's job.
Went to a Radio Shack, yeah, they were still around then, got a pack of replacement fuses, and a proper MOV with correct voltage trip and energy rating.
Simple job to unsolder the MOV and solder in new, and the fuse is in a holder.
Jury-rigged a power cord to test it out, as the microwave had a three-wire Amphenol-type power connector on it.
And the micro was waving once again. And it continued to work for many many years, until I did a kitchen renovation and replaced it.
I put it out at the end of the driveway the day before garbage pickup. With a note on it that says it works fine, am renovating, had the Amphenol cord with it, said you need to splice in your own cord to it, had it's manual with it, and all parts and accessories.
I looked out a half-hour later, it was gone.
