Lightning and cows

[FatTire]

Well I wasn't there to see it but I heard the building was supposed to be grounded at its 4 corners but it didn't happen during construction. All I know for sure is the Superintendent said it was corrected, and we never lost the paging components again after that. I remember another similar situation in a building in Missouri where we constantly had damage to the telephone equipment, and vaporization of the surge protection modules we installed. In that building a Professional engineering company was called in, and I saw some of the testing that they performed with a device called a megger. Taking ground measurements. What they found was the ground rod in the electrical room was apparently in a "void" not touching ground, Just through the concrete floor and driven into nothing. This was corrected and we never lost any more equipment there either. This was at a trailer manufacturing plant of a well know boat builder.

Grounding can be tricky. Same with lightning protection for structures. Most "real world" situations can't easily be analyzed from an engineering standpoint, so it takes someone who has practical experience and who wants to see it done right. I got into it just a little bit when I was in college working for MSHA (coal mine safety) where I had a glimpse of how much I didn't know. Which is still almost everything.

 

[Zerk]

Well I wasn't there to see it but I heard the building was supposed to be grounded at its 4 corners but it didn't happen during construction.

I am not sure that is true. Not true in residential. Utlities only do two ground for a structure, though they have a ground grid under ground connecting everything, so not the same.

 

[AGRIMAN]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm truly thankful it was just a cow which can easily be replaced and not one of us.

The one thing we have been wondering about..... was he mid well or well?

 

[AGRIMAN]

Cows and horses are more susceptible to electrocution when in proximity to lightning strikes than a person is because of the greater distance between their legs.
In fact, a person should stand with their legs close together if lightning is around.
It's called "step potential".
When lightning hits, the voltage of the earth around "ground zero" is also raised up hundred, if not thousands of volts, with the voltage diminishing the farther away one is from ground zero. So a person with their legs together is sort of like a "bird on the wire" and won't be harmed, whereas the voltage of the ground at the cows front legs may be very different from the ground under its rear legs. The ground is a bad conductor so the current would rather flow through the cow than the ground.

View attachment 504947

Hmmm, never heard the four legged thing before.

 

[k0ua]

Hmmm, never heard the four legged thing before.

Did you watch the video? It works for 2 legged critters too..

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm truly thankful it was just a cow which can easily be replaced and not one of us.

The one thing we have been wondering about..... was he mid well or well?

OOOOhhh!!!! You went there! :laughing:

I was waiting for someone... :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

 

[AGRIMAN]

Did you watch the video? It works for 2 legged critters too..

To be honest, no I overlooked the video but I did go back a watch it. Thanks.

i never had to deal with many down power lines, but I did get involved once with an incounter between a power line and a cotton picker......it went very bad, very quick.

 

[AGRIMAN]

OOOOhhh!!!! You went there! :laughing:

I was waiting for someone... :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

You know everybody was think about it.:laughing: I can't cry so might as well laugh.

 

[charlton289]

My mother had a bad experience with lightning and in the old days telephone she got zapped and lost her hearing for a short time when lightning hit several miles away and traveling thru the phone wire that was back in the early 60,s and if she heard thunder she would not answer the phone. It's not as big deal nowadays but I heard it can happen even with Cell phones​. And I did watch the video it was a good teaching video and put into a everyday scenario people can understand.

 

[boggen]

i have seen lighting hit one end of a fence line and travel down it. zapping stuff.

rented the tillable area on farm out years ago. and the one farmer, got nailed 2 to 3 times. once or twice while on tractor, once while on ground each time near a fence line and the lighting traveled down the fence line.

to this day, still remember when young 4 to 6 years old. opening up curtain to sliding glass door. and seeing a piece of straw come through window and get stuck in the window. did not break the glass. just going so fast it penetrated through the glass.