Lightning hit

[pcmeiners]

Thursday the 3rd a decent lightning storm stayed over my area for hours. I like lightning so I am standing at my open front door watching the "fireworks show" and a large bolt hits my new well casing about 80 feet away, what a crack and concussion. Now the new well's pump is not down the well as of yet and my ground connections are not yet connected for the well wires or controller..... no problem for the lightning, it jumped over anything entering my basement. Lucked out, it did not kill my other well's pump or it's control. I did see at least 6 burn marks on well connections, burnt out a pressure switch, melted a couple wires, tripped a 40 amp breaker which a commercial lightning/surge protector was connected too ( $3000? unit from Ebay, I paid $89 plus shipping). Was worried about the tripped breaker but realized the lightning dissipates faster than the mechanics of the breaker can work. All in all I was lucky, without the ground connections it could have been worse, was surprised how many entrances to my basement the lightning used; the $89 was a good investment.
.

 

[Skyman]

Dayum!!!

 

[Stuart in MN]

Lightning is capricious, it can go anywhere, and any protection devices may or may not help - you just never know. Sounds like you got off fairly easy, though.

 

[pcmeiners]

Lightning is capricious, it can go anywhere, and any protection devices may or may not help

All depend how much voltage and amperage. When I was about 10 years old I was looking out a window, large lightning bolt hit a large diameter tree stump, like 3 feet across. Aside from an extreme explosion there was nothing left of it but tooth pick sized wood splinters, and that included all the roots down >8 feet in all directions. Nothing like vaporizing all the water in the stump >1700 times in a split second.

 

[Uncle murph]

Thursday the 10th a decent lightning storm stayed over my area for hours. I like lightning so I am standing at my open front door watching the "fireworks show" and a large bolt hits my new well casing about 80 feet away, what a crack and concussion. Now the new well's pump is not down the well as of yet and my ground connections are not yet connected for the well wires or controller..... no problem for the lightning, it jumped over anything entering my basement. Lucked out, it did not kill my other well's pump or it's control. I did see at least 6 burn marks on well connections, burnt out a pressure switch, melted a couple wires, tripped a 40 amp breaker which a commercial lightning/surge protector was connected too ( $3000? unit from Ebay, I paid $89 plus shipping). Was worried about the tripped breaker but realized the lightning dissipates faster the the mechanics of the breaker can work. All in all I was lucky, without the ground connections it could have been worse, was surprised how many entrances to my basement the lightning used; the $89 was a good investment.
.

You neglected to mention your guardian angel,you’re lucky there’s no burn marks or tripped breakers in you.Happens all the time,thankfully we’re hearing from you and not your next of kin.

 

[AC-WC]

You haven't bought a lottery ticket yet?

 

[MushCreek]

I lost TWO wifi routers yesterday to lightning. It hit the one in the shop, which is connected to the one in the house. No evidence of damage; they just don't power on any more.

 

[NFT5]

Today is Monday 7th. Thursday 10th isn't for another 3 days.

You may well be the first human to have successfully travelled backwards in time.

But I can predict your future. Very soon a large contingent of large black SUVs will surround your place and lots of Agents, from a very secret Government Department, in identical black suits, will ****** you to an undisclosed location where you will be subjected to intense questioning to extract your method.

Apparently there are very few of those Agents who spend time in their garages and frequent Garage Journal. But word will get around. I'd pack up and get away now, while you still can.

 

[pcmeiners]

Sorry, will have to take "Calendar Reading 101 " over again.

"You neglected to mention your guardian angel,you’re lucky there’s no burn marks or tripped breakers in you."

Never in any danger, was standing on a wood base with hundreds of far more conductive materials in the area than myself.

 

[Smilodon]

I had a hit on my house and the rafters had to be replaced because the sap was boiled out of them. I was 30 feet away at the time, so won the lottery that counted. If I had even been knocked out, I would have probably died in the ensuing fire. The fire was not as serious because I live down the street from a fire station and was able to contact them before there was much visible smoke. But I was still out of the house for more than a year. Crazy stuff.

 

[Cheesy1]

Last year our internet receiver on the roof was hit. It had Cat6 cable running down ridge cap, down side of house, and to basement entry point. I found 6” chunks of that cat6 cable for 100’ in every direction. Where it crossed my HVAC line set must have been the ground point. Blew a 1” hole in the suction line. My well is 100 yards opposite direction. Took out my pump. My garage is 50 yards opposite of that, took out my garage door opener.

We have $1500 deductible. Copper fix and new Freon was $900. Opener was $150. And well was $1200? Decided it wasn’t worth the rate increase I’d assume would happen if I made a claim. I’m really suprised nothing more was hit.

 

[Cheesy1]

10 years ago wife and I were in living room of a different house. Watching tv. Had a “3 season” room on north of house and then I was next to double pane windows inside house. All of a sudden I felt hair on my neck and arms rise and “****” could see lightning go through porch/window across living room and hour dishtv box at tv.

Wife looks at me “did you see that”

“See it, I felt it”

Dishtv destroyed and our phone was fried. Nothing else.

 

[andyvh1959]

Back in 2003 lightning hit a twin trunk mature oak in my back yard (city of Green Bay). The boom was like a gas explosion that shook the house. Of the twin oaks one was fine, the other had been split vertically through the trunk about 10' up and about 40' tall. Tree limbs, braches and leaves all over the yard. When the wind blew the tree woupd open up enough to see through it, When I had the red oaks taken down I wish I had the means to harvest the rwo foot wide, 6" thick,multiple 10' slab milled into fine lumber.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Some years back I had just returned home from work with some threatening skies.

I let the cat out on the deck, walked into the kitchen and got myself a glass of milk, leaned back against the sink and looked out the kitchen window.

Seconds later I saw (and heard) a lightning strike hit the metal bird feeder pole about 50 feet out from the kitchen window. The cat had been sitting on the deck about 25 feet from the strike and made a beeline for the sliding patio door. After hurriedly letting her in we found that the strike had killed the kitchen TV, the garage door opener, our alarm clock, and the electrics in the washing machine.

I just happened to be looking out window and saw the whole thing. It must have been a "minor" strike (if there is such a thing) since it didn't melt the metal pole or kill the cat.

 

[Skyman]

Seems there isn't much that's as unpredictable as lightning.

 

[mm08822]

Seems there isn't much that's as unpredictable as lightning.

And that is why I agree we should have surge protection (SP) on all conductive entry points into the house/structure.

The problem remains, if it works and saves equipment, it did its job, but nobody knows that it did.
If the SP gets blown up and saves some equipment in the course of doing its job, the SP gets a bad name for "failing".

This makes it real hard to give it credit and promote its value. Directionally, it makes sense to have but aside from that, it can be a hard sell.......????

 

[rlitman]

...This makes it real hard to give it credit and promote its value. Directionally, it makes sense to have but aside from that, it can be a hard sell.......????

It's an easy sell now that surge protection at the panel is a code requirement (and has been since the 2020 code cycle).

 

[mm08822]

It's an easy sell now that surge protection at the panel is a code requirement (and has been since the 2020 code cycle).

For a new service, no question. But convincing some people who have been lucky to date (and not getting a service upgrade) can be the challenge.