Lightening

[patrickg]

Bird, It ain't lightening but you might enjoy this, given your practical nature. While in the USAF, an old (ancient) Chief master sgt.(started out in the US Army Air CORPS - even older than the guys in the USAF who started out in brown shoes) wanted to do something nice for the fellas workin' 'round 'lectricity an' such so he ordered everyone in the section electrical safety shoes with steel inserts in the toes. Now this was a training devices branch with RADAR circuitry (over 25 thousand volts - check rated by "Consumer Reports" as lethal first time every time) and other lesser voltages (my flight sim had some B+ as high as 500 volts which wasn't fun to "get into." Came the big day, it was almost like Christmas when he handed out a pair of them to everyone there, officer and enlisted. I took mine back to my desk to try them on to see how they fit when a small piece of paper in one shoe caught my eye. Being a nitnoid detail kinda guy, I had to read it. It was the notice that the shoes had to be tested every 6 months for conductivity. Another tag in the shoe was a manufacturer's blurb about applications of these shoes, things like spray booths, coal mines, grain elevators, and other explosive atmospheres where shoes like this (electrical safety shoes) would keep you safe by grounding you, i.e. shorting you to ground so as not to build up static electricity and cause a spark.

A pair of those and a lightening rod in your hat and you are all set.

Patrick

 

[Boondox]

Re: Lightning

Patrick -- We live on the side of a hill one valley over from the highest mountain in Vermont. Catch a lot of sparks. The house is pretty well protected, but we still unplug ALL the electronics when the rumbles begin.

Worst hit we ever had from my point of view (since I was saddled with the cleanup duties) was when a black cherry just behind the house took a direct hit and exploded. The remains of the main trunk were driven with considerable force directly into our septic tank. Skewered that tank like a mushroom on a stick! Had a really shi##y situation on my hands after that!

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[patrickg]

Bill, That is too close for me. I am a pilot and have flown some pretty good detours to avoid getting close to thunder cells. Have flown in rain but no lightening was happening anywhere around. Usually have no O2 available so don't try to fly above thunderstorms. I bet your pilot needed a drink and maybe a change of underwear. Maybe not if everylthing worked and the gear cycled smoothly.

I don't doubt for a moment your story as I had a bozo install a new air blower in a Jacuzzi wired for 240 (blower he supplied was 120) so I am familiar with the shower of sparks phenomenon. It bubbled real good for a while though. As it was my first, I didn't have a baseline so I didn't know anything was wrong till it essentially melted down. As it was fairly close to the water it was a bit more excitement than two middle aged people needed added to their first skinny dipping in a jacuzzi at their new house experience. (I moved the heater, blower, filter, etc. 30 ft away)

I am having difficulty thinking of how loosing neutral would put 220 where 110 should be. OK, I see ways...

Tech note: If some large current draw 110 volt items were wired to one leg and switched on and some lesser draws were on the other leg and switched on the lesser draw items could end up with a lot more than their share of the 220. If you ran around the house turning things off you could have made things worse, maintaining the imballance or if exceptionally lucky could have made it better. Odd as it sounds, if the load were ballanced as it should be, turning everything on would be safer. I vote for throwing the main breaker, a sure kill.

Patrick

 

[patrickg]

Re: Lightning

Oh, Pete, That was just awful! Man I would only wish that on one person, my closest neighbor. I assume you had to dig it out and replace it or did you form it up and patch it O R what?

If I lived in a reliable BIG SPARKS area I'd put up something to attract hits just for the show. Actually I am in the market for a used oil derrick or other large tower structure. I want an observation tower for wildlife viewing/photography/etc. I imagine a large metal sphere or even a hemisphere that could be hoisted above it would provide quite a view, from a safe distance. Unfortunately that would be at odds with another planned use of the tower, antennae for ham radio and ranch communications. I am already afraid that the latter use might be usurped by the previous and at an inoportune time.

Patrick

 

[Bird]

Patrick, that's hilarious./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I'll bet it took the old sergeant a long time to live that down.

Bird

 

[Bird]

Re: Lightning

Ernie, when I said I'd only had one personal experience, I meant only once with any monetary damages. But in September '72, we were moving into a new house and had a load of stuff in the back of my 3/4 ton Chev. driving slowly along Josey Lane (it was still a narrow, rough, 2 lane asphalt road then) right in front of the Josey Ranch when lightning hit a transformer right beside me; terrific flash of light, loud boom, and sparks showered down all over and around the truck. I think I was a mile down the road before my heart started beating again./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[ERNIEB]

Re: Lightning

Al, At the time it didn't scare us a bit, in fact we laughed until our sides hurt. But then the three of us also thought it was fun to ride bulls. When your 18 you think your invincible.

Ernie

 

[Tdog]

Re: Lightning

Patrick,
I don't know the reason, and it doesn't make any sense, but to us, storms in the country seem more intense. Yeah, and louder. We've been here for 8 years last weekend, and in the 1st couple of years, lightening/power surges knocked out the power supply on one of my heat pumps, a telephone answering machine, & a remote phone. Once when my in-laws were visiting, my father-in-law got caught in the barn during a thunderstorm & was watching as a bolt hit a pine tree between him & the house - - there was no fire, but the tree split, & of course, died. My wife has commented too about how sever the storms seem, compared to what we remember in the city. Did I mention louder?

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Lightning

My grandfather still has the saddle from his father who was killed by lightning out riding. The lightning hit him went through the saddle and the horse to the ground. Both horse and man were killed.

 

[PBMAX]

Patrick,Sence we moved way out here in Feb we have seen some wonderfull light shows.Our house is up on a mtn over looking a small valley on the mnt its self.No trees realy close to the house.But thanks to the Tv stations and cell co's we get to watch lightening strike their towers,Most of wich are an easy 300' or more tall and several miles away.They make for a wild light show.I counted a full 5sec strike on one,one evening...Though I'd hate to be the tech incharge of up keep for them.My towers can be bad enough....

I tend to watch the stuff on lightening myself.One I saw said the the static discharge of a strike can fry electrical/electronic equipment up to 2miles a way....

For the tower some one mentioned.The way we ground our cell towers and buildings.We run a loop of copper underground(18"or so) using #2 copper.The legs of the tower (average hight 250')are then grounded to the loop using #2 copper.We then connect the tower loop and the loop around the building together.Inside the building we run a loop of copper around the top (building is 10wx20L).The loop inside is connected at the corners of the building to the ground loop underground using #2 copper.Then any thing needing grounded inside the building is tied in.WE USE SURGE ARRESTORS every were.AC power,TX/RX lines from the tower,Phone line(s).We still get hit hard by lightening...

Noisy phone line...Call the phone company.odds are the trouble is up the road in thier system.Not in you line at home.This happens to us with our cell towers often.Make them check the line between your house and the road.You are responsible for the house lines unless you are paying for them to keep up repairs...Check your bill.Me I do my own in house. THey charge way to much for me.Its just to easy to take care of...
Switch just called,site down gatta go.....

Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D