Lightning hit! Grounding panels?

[popbigguy]

The lightning didn't hit my house, but must've been the ground close by or the pond about 100 ft from my house. Anyway, fried 2 TV's & receivers, dish receivers, modem, router, network switch, VOIP phone, 240V oven, and 240V microwave both built into cabinets, and some ribbon LED lights.

My house has 2 200 Amp panels, both with surge protection. Which by the way didn't trip, neither did the surge protectors outlets for the electronics equipment. so the surge must've came up the ground rod that's in my footings?? And then traveled thru the neutral line (?). Things that weren't on at the time and 240V equipment with no neutral didn't fry (cooktop, HVAC).

My question..... Grounding... My panels are feed from the power co. meter. One panel isn't feed from the other. One panel, has it ground going over to the other panel (this is the panel that has most of the surge on). And then that panel connects to the footings grounding rod and a wire that goes to the copper water line before the meter. Should that loop of ground wire go to the other panel or should each panel have it's ground go to the footings ground rod separately? Wow never thought I could get so wordy!!

 

[kd3pc]

panel to panel to effective ground.

What you had happen could have easily been caused by network, phone line, any conductor that was closer and easier to get to ground.

Contact your insurance agent with a comprehensive list of those items affected.

 

[floridafarmer]

I had the same deal a few years back - most of the damage I think went thru my cable/network infrastructure- fried my modems, tvs, etc. just like yours.
I was really concerned for my 6" well - its the best ground for miles but luckily no damage - make sure to check your well if you have one..

 

[dcg9381]

Nearly lightening strike basically fried my unshielded cat5. Literally the connectors were black. It's just inductive power... I suppose that better shielding/grounding would have helped...

 

[wyliesdiesels]

The lightning didn't hit my house, but must've been the ground close by or the pond about 100 ft from my house. Anyway, fried 2 TV's & receivers, dish receivers, modem, router, network switch, VOIP phone, 240V oven, and 240V microwave both built into cabinets, and some ribbon LED lights.

My house has 2 200 Amp panels, both with surge protection. Which by the way didn't trip, neither did the surge protectors outlets for the electronics equipment. so the surge must've came up the ground rod that's in my footings?? And then traveled thru the neutral line (?). Things that weren't on at the time and 240V equipment with no neutral didn't fry (cooktop, HVAC).

Lightning wants and is seeking to go to earth. So it wouldnt travel FROM the earth and into the house like you mentioned with the UFER electrode in your footings. The whole point of electrodes is too direct and discharge strikes through the GES/grounding electrode system.

this means the lightning entered your system via another pathway that had poor connection to earth and thus the surge traveled through everything that it fried which had a better path to earth.

The surge arrestors in your panel are for surges coming in on the service NOT from other points in the system like phone line, cable co line or dish.

Is your dish bonded to the intersystem bonding connection or GES? A metal DISH on a roof is a good magnet for lightning. Check the ground bonding for your dish.

You mentioned modem. what kind of modem? DSL (such as Uverse) or cable modem (charter spectrum, comcast xfinity, etc)?

check the grounding on the incoming service line in the DEMARC.

If phone line, make sure that the phone line surge arrester block is bonded to the GES.

If you have cable modem internet, check the coax bonding block which looks like a coupler with a ground lug. You can also get a coax lightning arrestor. Remove the grounding block and put the arrestor in its place being sure to reconnect the ground wire to it.

I have one of these though we dont get much lightning here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016AIYU6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

BTW are all the outlets with surge suppressors properly grounded?

My question..... Grounding... My panels are feed from the power co. meter. One panel isn't feed from the other. One panel, has it ground going over to the other panel (this is the panel that has most of the surge on). And then that panel connects to the footings grounding rod and a wire that goes to the copper water line before the meter. Should that loop of ground wire go to the other panel or should each panel have it's ground go to the footings ground rod separately? Wow never thought I could get so wordy!!

Each panel should have a GEC/grounding electrode conductor going straight to the rods since they are both main service panels. you want the shortest path to the grounding electrodes since this is what lightning is seeking. I wouldnt daisy chain them through the panels.

 

[sberry]

Yes, that's pretty good splainin.

 

[sberry]

Likely come thru that and hit something was grounded, computer with modem.

 

[popbigguy]

Wow!!! wyliediesels.... That's a lot for me to think about!!! Love it!!

My dish is out in my yard about 30 feet from the house. On a pole in the ground concreted in. Would it still need a ground? If it got hit, don't see any marks on it, wouldn't it have knocked out the LNA's and the dish Solo Hub also? New TV's work with the new dish receivers.

Got fiber modem (ground it?) wouldn't think lightning would follow it. No phone line to the house, VOIP in house. Got a cable coming into house, but nothing connected to it, got fiber and sat. Outlets are all grounded, house just built 2011.

You think each panel ground should run to the EFER? Not one to the other panel and then to the EFER? So run the ground from each panel to the EFER and the one connection to the copper water supply, 3 connections to the EFER instead of the 2 now?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Dont know that the dish would have marks on it. Couldve been an inductive induced strike.

Is the DISH cable coming into your house bonded to GES?

 

[Showkey]

Lightening can be difficult to predict and very selective in the damage.

Two homes that I owned had strikes:

1. NJ a 60’ pine 10’ from the well head and 15’ from the house was struck by a direct strike. 2 acres lots. The tree sap was instantly boiled. The top 40’ of the tree exploded and was completely gone. My well 10’ away was fine, 4 other homes on the cul de sac were fried. The other Wells were 100’s for feet away from the strike point. My home the garage opener, Microwave, drier panel and 10 other devices fried. We were home, the sound was incredibly loud, the flash was like being inside a flash cube. Wife to this day still claims she saw sparks jump out of the outlets. No damage was found to the wiring, insurance sent a team to check the home and replace the devices. Each well pump was checked by a third party for lightening damage confirmation before the insurance paid.

2. IL neighbor next door had ground strike that followed the cable tv line. His home had $20k in damage. Mine and others around a 1000’ Circle cable modems and some but not all TV or computers fried.

 

[yeldogt]

I recently had some damage and also hired an engineer for my latest projects lightning protection.

Lightning is not predictable .. and it can travel through the ground.

Interesting -- he told me my new project did not need lighting protection (it has an old set up) ...

 

[popbigguy]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! My sat dish, separate from my house is not grounded at all. So this is my current project. But from what I've read up on. I need to use a 6AWG ground from mast to the ground instead of the 10 like this picture.

 

[TractorJeff]

One time Lightning hit a pine tree that had Utility and telephone wires going through it. There was a pipeline buried about 6 inches under the dirt going through the roots. We watched the dirt pop off the pipe ever 6 to 12 inches for about 100feet as it dissipated the energy into the Sod!