Why does the piezo igniter on the stove top go off when lightning occurs?
I don’t know the exact circuit used, but if you are talking about the kind of gas stove where a spark occurs when you turn it on, they probably use this sort of circuit, which is extremely simple and capable of generating very high voltages (FWIW, a piezo ignitor is the kind you manually click together to generate a spark). One thing to note is that a TRIAC is used as the switch, and they are susceptible to false triggering by voltage spikes on the power line, as mentioned here (switch on dv/dt, meaning an excessive rate of voltage rise). Also, I have a touch-activated lamp that occasionally flickers on for a split second during a storm for the same reason (and sometimes even during a clear day).
A lightning bolt can travel 25 miles. The day may be clear where you are, but there could be a storm over yonder.
Thanks, Michael.
i agree that lightning travels far and can do strange things, it puts voltage in many places.
it can ring your phone too.