Should one ground a clothes line

[DB Pilot]

I did not ground a support cable for my security camera system. Because it was only keeping the camera wires off the driveway, not actually part of the security system. And it was not the tallest tree that the cable was attached to, so it would be highly unlikely for lightening to strike that particular tree. . If I had grounded that support cable then I think maybe that the lightening would not have traveled down the camera wires to the DVR and blackened up some of the camera connections, and destroyed the DVR and Hard Drive. :confused3: Phones were out for a day and new router for the computers needed. And yes we have surge protectors. The lightning hit the tree and you can see the path it took right to the metal hook in the tree, then stopped and traveled down the support cable as well as the camera cables.

I'm now thinking "If it is anywhere near or connected to your house, barn, garage, etc. , ground it." :2cents:

 

[kenmac]

I think the colored plastic insulation is for visibility, so mower's, and others working near or around the wires don't "hang" themselves on it. Also makes the area one would hit a little thicker, so maybe less damaging. That is why it is only needed to go up about 8 feet.

Correct answer.:thumbsup: Nothing to do with the line being charged or used as a ground

 

[teejk]

I did not ground a support cable for my security camera system. Because it was only keeping the camera wires off the driveway, not actually part of the security system. And it was not the tallest tree that the cable was attached to, so it would be highly unlikely for lightening to strike that particular tree. . If I had grounded that support cable then I think maybe that the lightening would not have traveled down the camera wires to the DVR and blackened up some of the camera connections, and destroyed the DVR and Hard Drive. :confused3: Phones were out for a day and new router for the computers needed. And yes we have surge protectors. The lightning hit the tree and you can see the path it took right to the metal hook in the tree, then stopped and traveled down the support cable as well as the camera cables.

I'm now thinking "If it is anywhere near or connected to your house, barn, garage, etc. , ground it." :2cents:

That's where this "single point grounding" code has me confused. For years code said a ground block was required anywhere a cable entered the house. The satellite/cable guys knew that and ran a piece if wire down to a separate ground rod. As I understand it now, it all has to come back to a single grounding point that serves as the ground for the house where the main service is.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Funny, all the replies, yet my Tractor issues get little attention!

I agree about grounding the line to dissapate electrical charge, with the exception of a robust strike. However, the existing line has never been grounded, and looking at it lately, I see it is within inches of the metal (ungrounded) downspout. The house does have lightning rods. I would have thought that the clothes line (antenna) would have attracted lightning and it would have made it's way to the grounding system of the lightning rods. Never happened in decades!

I would say, it is mostly the ptential difference that causes damage, hence the value of single point ground systems. When for instance the tv has one hydro ground and the antenna/CATV has another, there can be a huge potential difference accross your TV, hence damage!

I disagree with the disconnect switches on my appliances having no purpose. Unless there can be damage created by a potential accross neutral and ground, I can't see the path for damaging current. I suspect that damage to microwaves (the dump is always full of them!) and other computer controlled appliances is more caused by large voltage spikes accross the power supply, not a potential difference in grounds or live to ground. So disconnecting the live wire, would protect the power supply.

Now obviously, with a major hit, sometimes all bets are off.

As far as guy wires are concerned. The plastic sleeve is to lessen the hazzard to navigation. The insulator (here in Ontario) is close to the top of the guy wire. I would guess that a live (uninsulated) guy wire would not draw sufficient fault currents to trip a fuse, hence the insulator. Just my guess.

And yet another question. What do you suppose is the purpose of those large twenty inch clothes line pulleys I always see at Menonite farms? Maybe like us with our ever larger wheels on our cars and trucks, this might be their "keeping up with the jones" thing!

I have had six inch pulleys for years that never gave me any trouble, but I am jealous and want the bigger ones!

But back to the lightning. Years ago, I became so discouraged because all my underground security related equipment was getting destoyed regularly. Faster then I could repair it. It's when I learned that underground services are more vulnerable then overhead plant. A given area of ground can only dissipate so much charge. So when a tree gets hit, the charge goes into the ground and makes a bee line for that nice copper conductor, blowing the **** out of whats ever at the ends!

All this does make me wonder about those stories about fuse panels being blown off walls! What is the electrical (ohms law) explanation behind that? Of course, lightning actually behaves more like RF, so I am told!

As far as my clothes line goes. I will NOT ground it. Not ground the guy to the line, simply because I have had so much lightning around here and never had an issue with an ungrounded line, so why change things?

 

[cisco]

Ah, I assume you're not using metal clothesline (if so, rust may be an issue on your clothes.....) so how would current get to your house unless it hits the connector for the end of the line at your house. Course, I may have the set-up all wrong, just remembering my grandmother's clothesline that spanned from a pulley outside her kitchen window to a tall metal pole about 75' away (pole was never hit, to my knowledge, but it sure must have tempted some thunderstorms).
Like many on this thread I live "in the country" and though my house is surrounded by old oaks that surpass the height of my 3rd story by ~ 20 feet, I have lightening rods along the peak and gables attached to 2 copper lines that travel down the sides of the house into a trench with about 40 feet of further wire and a copper ground pole. In addition I have an commercial grade surge arrester between the electrical service to my house and my meter, all outside the house and to a major ground pole and hooked by wire to the aforementioned copper lines from the roof. So, what else...oh yeah, the satellite dish and distribution box has been grounded to the house ground, as has the phone service inlet (outside the house).
And, somehow, at some time, I'm likely to get "hit", but at least I've tried to avoid it........(lightening took out a good TV and stereo at my last place, and current to those passed through a high dollar surge arrestor advertised to protect "sensitive electrical equipment - yeah, right).

 

[teejk]

Funny, all the replies, yet my Tractor issues get little attention!

Yeah...there isn't much tractor talk here is there??? Must have been a catchy name to lure people into a site that has little to do with the name. But I like this rural living forum.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I guess some people don't realize that the clothes line is a high tensile steel cable, covered in vinyl.

 

[Mace Canute]

Personally I'd insulate the clothes line from the house but I would leave the clothes line and guy wired grounded at the other end.

The yellow guards on the bottom of the utility guy wires are there strictly for visibility reasons.

I remember when we started to install insulators in the guy wires. It had a couple of benefits, one was that it isolated the Lineman from a metallic ground when he was working on an energized line, that way he had whatever protection a wood pole would afford which of course varies from a lot (enough to prevent electrocution) to very little but the possibility of some was better than the alternative. One other reason was electrolysis. There is no such thing as a perfect insulator and with dust and dew on a dead end insulator you can get a considerable amount of leakage. The leakage hastens the eating away of the dead end rods that attach to the anchors so an additional insulator in the guy wire lessens that considerably.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks. Love the picture. One of my heroes! Made me smile!

And thanks for the very factual information!

As far as the grounding goes. If grounded, now this grounded line is close to several ungrounded items. The downspout/eaves trough AND my dryer vent (have to check if it is metal or plastic ducted).

 

[Midniteoyl]

Lightning just traveled through how many thousand feet of insulating air. You must have some really awesome disconnect switches if they stop lightning LOL. Kind of reminds me when people say it's that 1/2 of rubber tire that saves you from lightning in a car. We took a hit from lightning. It struck a tree in the yard, jumped to the fence, and came in the house through garage. Was very random as to what things were affected. Think it claimed a couple old tvs and a few lights switches. We were pretty lucky. I would say there is nothing wrong with grounding clothes line to the guy wire.

Bert!!!

Interesting discussion here not related to clothes lines. I was in my shop a month or so ago during a thunderstorm. It's a steel building 56'x30'. I saw bright flashes coming from a small hole that I drilled to get a length of coax cable out for radio reception.

The construction is such that it occured to me that the outside shell is one big lightening rod insulated from the interior steel by the 2x6 ladder wood framing on cement. Best I can figure is that the strikes were hitting the building and followed that tiny wire into the building (path of least resistance I guess). Was amazing to watch. No harm to anything in the shop at all because that all goes back to the house ground under the new "single point grounding" code.

So with new code and that "single point grounding"...is it permissable to ground anything anymore with ground rods that don't tie into the house ground?

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