Lightening strikes concrete bkock house

[ttl]

Advice help and comment please

 

Last Wednesday during a massive thunderstorm around 1.30pm  lightening made contact via a metal cup hook on our rear wall,on which we hang an extension cable for our water pump 40 metres away ..There is an external socket and switch, which was untouched

The strike split a concrete block and flung it 4 metres across the room,taking with it the  a 2 metre surface mounted cable casing and wiring,with a flash of sparks and huge explosion

 

My wife was terrified and would not use her phone to contact local PEA so she drove the 8kms to Nikhom.They were not particularly interested in checking their pole connection.They do no  no service work. my wife managed to find a local xpert who arrived some time later with his screwdriver.He managed to restore power and fit new wiring and plug but failed to check rest of the house,so much is not working.He got paid and vanished and no one knows who he was or how to get a real Electrician

 

Next call to TOT hotline.I told the English speaking operator the Modem plug had blown out of the cocket and the internal circuit was melted.After being told 3 times to unplug it and try again,i asked that a technician drop by from Mukdahan.I got the same story next day from call centre,who requested my wofes phone number.

She got a call and said we have to take the modem to Mukdahan for checking.Hopeless as part of it is permanently wired.As instructed on Friday took what was movible into the office,and it was closed on friday to remember the king.  Behind the office were 5 service vans and luckily found a person who understood and said he would send a technician in the afternoon. 2 men spent 3 hours sorting things out.however mu computer and printer have malfunctiond permanently??

So 3 days and no service from TOT

 

There is a lot more to this story which I will expand later

[Crossy]

31 minutes ago, ttl said:

There is a lot more to this story which I will expand later

Please do, and some photos for the rogues Gallery would be useful too.

 

Of course, you picked a bad time to have a strike, but probably better than having one next week.

 

No amount of surge protection is going to save you from a direct hit that got in the wiring

 

By the way, the zappy stuff is "lightning", "lightening" is what Thai girls insist on using to ruin their complexions, but we know what you mean.

 

[ttl]

Have some pics but Brother  printer obviously blown. Come up with explanation mark  ! and nothing else

Laptop tried to start several times,  got as far as Google then failed, finally will not even start

All this happened in our new extension done 6 years ago with professional Bangkok electrician

Has a great control box but local xpert does not understand

 

Now find aircon and hot shower inoperative but the  bright sparky never checked them(nor did I) Fortunately the washing machine still goes

In the  attached original house,a 3ft fluorescent light blew the ballast pack apart,and a new tube but nothing??

50 meteres away a recent 3 car garage has its own power board. No power there at all. 2 electric portable drills will not charge. i guess the power packs took a blast

[Crossy]

Ouch!

 

But you are on-line and posting so you should be able to get some photos up.

 

Task A should be to check lighting and outlets (use a lamp), do you have any electrical test

gear (even a neon screwdriver)?

 

It's worth turning off all your breakers then turning them back on, that may restore some items to operation.

 

Otherwise it's large bill time I'm afraid

 

It's never good when lightning gets into your internal wiring.

[Kwasaki]

30 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Please do, and some photos for the rogues Gallery would be useful too.

 

Of course, you picked a bad time to have a strike, but probably better than having one next week.

 

No amount of surge protection is going to save you from a direct hit that got in the wiring

 

By the way, the zappy stuff is "lightning", "lightening" is what Thai girls insist on using to ruin their complexions, but we know what you mean.

 

l thought our   SAFE - T - CUT  was for protection against lightning strikes not surprise if l've been lied to though. 

[Crossy]

6 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

l thought our   SAFE - T - CUT  was for protection against lightning strikes not surprise if l've been lied to though.

Nope, not unless it includes a MOV.

 

But even with a MOV a strike like our OP has received would have sent it into orbit

 

[BEVUP]

7 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Nope, not unless it includes a MOV.

 

But even with a MOV a strike like our OP has received would have sent it into orbit

 

Agree crossy 

I'v seen a lightening hit  where it damaged a big tree 30 mtrs from a house & fried the underground phone cable all the way to the phone socket 

I can see a big bill coming as it looks like half his electronic gear is fried, then as you mentioned at a minimum he will need to check all wiring / ect as it may look fine but if it is the 2 or 3 strand in white plastic may not see the real damage of insulation failure 

[Kwasaki]

15 minutes ago, Crossy said:

not unless it includes a MOV

Sorry no idea what that is.

l think l'll take my tv aerial down don't need it and the only metal thing on the outside of the house.

[ttl]

Thanks for the comments noted

 

By courtesy of a friend i am using his old Linux  original on Noahs ark Kop Koon Ma krap Khun Nong

 

Next question

How safe are mobile phones in a T Storm      Wife is paranoid about that??

 

Anoter person says stay well away from concrete blocks,do they have an attraction?/

 

Thanks

[BEVUP]

46 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

l think l'll take my tv aerial down don't need it and the only metal thing on the outside of the house

Wouldn't worry to much as it most probably isn't connected to anything

You were just unlucky 

The strike could of hit the power pole out side & then you would hope it found an earth path straight to the ground before it decide to use your house as one

[HarrySeaman]

The principle of the lightning rod was first detailed by Benjamin Franklin in Pennsylvania in 1749.

 

I suggest that if your home doesn't have one you add one.  It isn't a guarantee that lightning won't strike your house again but it will greatly reduce the chance of that happening.

 

Don't ask a Thai to get the parts.  Go buy what is needed (Google is your friend) and direct the worker to make sure it is properly installed.

 

If you have to have your house rewired (likely after a lightning strike) be sure they do it with three wires and properly ground the neutral.  I found out that the neutral for my townhouse was connected to a 6" nail driven into the concrete out front - basically worthless.

[AsiaCheese]

2 hours ago, ttl said:

Thanks for the comments noted

 

By courtesy of a friend i am using his old Linux  original on Noahs ark Kop Koon Ma krap Khun Nong

 

Next question

How safe are mobile phones in a T Storm      Wife is paranoid about that??

 

Anoter person says stay well away from concrete blocks,do they have an attraction?/

 

Thanks

 

It's a very popular Thai myth that lightning will strike mobiles. The good news is: it won't. Unless the person holding a mobile phone gets struck by lightning, that is... but a mobile phone won't "attract" lightning. It is generally attracted to whatever looks like a good ground, highest point first.

[Crossy]

Just now, AsiaCheese said:

It's a very popular Thai myth that lightning will strike mobiles. The good news is: it won't. Unless the person holding a mobile phone gets struck by lightning, that is... but a mobile phone won't "attract" lightning. It is generally attracted to whatever looks like a good ground, highest point first.

Indeed, but it is wise not to use your phone whilst it is charging in case you get a hit like our OP did, could make your ears buzz

 

[Crossy]

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Sorry no idea what that is.

l think l'll take my tv aerial down don't need it and the only metal thing on the outside of the house.

Post a photo of your Safe-T-Cut box and we will tell you

[jhonnie]

3 hours ago, ttl said:

Thanks for the comments noted

 

By courtesy of a friend i am using his old Linux  original on Noahs ark Kop Koon Ma krap Khun Nong

 

Next question

How safe are mobile phones in a T Storm      Wife is paranoid about that??

 

Anoter person says stay well away from concrete blocks,do they have an attraction?/

 

Thanks

mobile phones are okay  to use but never use a copper cable connected land line, your wife may have heard this and got her wires crossed

[Golden Triangle]

Interesting topic, sorry for the OP's woes though, hope the eventual repair bill isn't gonna be too high & hope you had some insurance.

 

Every time we have a storm my Mrs runs around like a headless chicken disconnecting everything telling me to turn off my mobile and then she goes and hides under the duvet till it's all over. Strange girl really 

[BEVUP]

5 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

Interesting topic, sorry for the OP's woes though, hope the eventual repair bill isn't gonna be too high & hope you had some insurance.

 

Every time we have a storm my Mrs runs around like a headless chicken disconnecting everything telling me to turn off my mobile and then she goes and hides under the duvet till it's all over. Strange girl really 

I can understand that unplugging thing 

I've gotten use to the fact I have to go around putting plugs back in (everyday ) except for a few things that are in a power bank then I only have to switch them back on

I put it down to the suppliers telling them to do that when not in use 

Also she & son (no doubt passed on ) wont use the phone unless it's 100 % fully recharged 

Just another different & exciting day

[JimGant]

If you're a golfer, go scrounge an old one-iron from that golf bag gathering dust in your storage. Then, affix to your roof top. There. Now totally safe. (Ok, ok -- for you non golfers, the old joke was, 'even God can't hit a one-iron'). Nevermind.

[Blue Muton]

1 hour ago, Golden Triangle said:

Interesting topic, sorry for the OP's woes though, hope the eventual repair bill isn't gonna be too high & hope you had some insurance.

 

Every time we have a storm my Mrs runs around like a headless chicken disconnecting everything telling me to turn off my mobile and then she goes and hides under the duvet till it's all over. Strange girl really 

x 2

[topt]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

If you're a golfer, go scrounge an old one-iron from that golf bag gathering dust in your storage. Then, affix to your roof top. There. Now totally safe. (Ok, ok -- for you non golfers, the old joke was, 'even God can't hit a one-iron'). Nevermind.

I have to say I have been playing for a while and I don't think I have ever seen one!

[RickFarang]

Quote

l thought our   SAFE - T - CUT  was for protection against lightning strikes not surprise if l've been lied to though. 

 

Your Safety cut was to protect you from being electrocuted if you were to accidentally complete a path from the hot line to earth.

[Jing Joe]

7 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Sorry no idea what that is.      ( In reference to a MOV )

l think l'll take my tv aerial down don't need it and the only metal thing on the outside of the house.

Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) is about the size of a 2mm slice of carrot with two leads and can absorb a short duration high voltage surge that sometimes happen in some power circuits BUT  a lightning strike is virtually unstoppable and zaps just about everything.

 

Asia Cheese rightly said a mobile phone is ok like I've said to my Thai mother in law but she believes the myth.      Crossy rightly made a very good point;- don't use when charging.    I wont shower in a storm.

Another myth is that mobile phones can cause a spark when filing car with petrol.

It's been thoroughly debunked but it lingers on.

I feel for those wives who are terrified of frightening lightning. 

Go easy guys, a big scare can leave a lifelong impression and may just have been so.

Been there done that.

RickFarang rightly mentioned the cutout function and that's only for a few thousandths of an amp current.

Lightning produces probably thousands of amps.

SCARY stuff.

 

Edited October 16, 2017 by Jing Joe

[bazza73]

2 hours ago, JimGant said:

If you're a golfer, go scrounge an old one-iron from that golf bag gathering dust in your storage. Then, affix to your roof top. There. Now totally safe. (Ok, ok -- for you non golfers, the old joke was, 'even God can't hit a one-iron'). Nevermind.

I think it was Lee Trevino who originally said it.

[NancyL]

I've been close to two lightning strikes when we had our greenhouse/nursery business in Michigan. 

 

The first hit a tall, proud, old hickory tree that was standing by itself in a field.  Deformed the top third of the tree, killing it, of course.  Hubby and I were in our little retail store (converted chicken house) about 30 yards away and the bang was deafening.  At the time, a local tree service used our business as a "drop-off location" (i.e. free waste disposal dump)  for ground up trees, where we'd age the chips for a year and then use the chips in our nursery fields.  We convinced that company to cut down the poor, deformed hickory tree, cut it into manageable pieces and Hubby got his winter exercise splitting into the best-burn firewood ever.

 

The second hit was scarier.  We'd restored the old buildings on the 1890's farmstead, the most majestic of which was a large barn.  Of course, we had lightning protection on the barn and a couple of the other bigger buildings.  We didn't think we needed it on the little, squat chicken house that we used as our retail store.  Wrong.  That was where we had the most electrical and electronics.  Lightning stuck that building when Hubby and I were both inside and the noise was amazingly loud.  After we got up off the floor, the first thing I noticed in looking out of a window was that the irrigation system for our display garden was in operation, with every nozzle in operation, despite the driving rain.  And the smell of burning electrical wire insulation.  Then the phone light came on, indicating an incoming phone call, but no ringer.  

 

The hit fried every electrical component in that very small building.  A computer,  the credit card machine, and (most importantly) the irrigation controller for the display garden.  The computer, really wasn't a big loss -- it was a cheap one that was used just for daily retail sales, with everything downloaded at night.  The credit card merchant services people were fantastic in sending someone out the next day with a "reconditioned" credit card machine that we could use until a new one arrived.  The "reconditioned" machine looked like it had been previously been used in an automotive oil-change business, but it kept us in operation the next day or two until our new machine could arrive.  And there was no charge for the new machine.

 

We had a good relationship with electrician company that had wired our greenhouses.  They charged an hourly rate in excess of our lawyer, but they were good and came out shorted out the fired wiring.

 

The controller for the display garden's irrigation system was a big problem.  The irrigation company our garden designer had selected was barely competent and they proved their reputation when I called, using a mobile phone during the storm to tell them we needed them to come out pronto to replace the control box.  They said maybe in two weeks to see which control box was needed.  I told them on the phone exactly what control box we had, told them to order a new one and they refused, saying maybe "it could be fixed".    Yeah, sure.  Meanwhile, we had a display garden with hundreds of heritage roses, in August, that needed irrigation every 2 or 3 days.  In the end, I worked my industry contacts and got another irrigation company.  

 

Now, Hubby and I enjoy pouring another drink and watching the lightning play off Doi Suthep knowing it's not going to create work for us or affect our livelihood.  Oh well, if we lose power for an hour or two, no problem.  Condo living, no plants.  

[JimGant]

Nancy, from this post, and others, it's obvious you and your "hubby" lived the Norman Rockwell all-American life: Dream hard, work hard -- and be glad this is all being done in America, where you'll be rewarded for your dreams and efforts (lightning aside :)). And your organizational and charitable efforts in Chiang Mai certainly haven't gone unnoticed -- at least by those of us who appreciate such efforts. Anyhow, somehow I hope your plans to move to Malaysia fall apart, and you'll remain a strength in the expat Chiang Mai community. Selfish on my part, I know, as maybe you'll be happier in Malaysia. But for sure, you'll never have a group of expats, Americans and others, that will appreciate your efforts as we have here. Anyway, good luck -- and at least stay a poster on this forum.

[timendres]

8 hours ago, HarrySeaman said:

The principle of the lightning rod was first detailed by Benjamin Franklin in Pennsylvania in 1749.

 

I suggest that if your home doesn't have one you add one.  It isn't a guarantee that lightning won't strike your house again but it will greatly reduce the chance of that happening.

 

Don't ask a Thai to get the parts.  Go buy what is needed (Google is your friend) and direct the worker to make sure it is properly installed.

 

If you have to have your house rewired (likely after a lightning strike) be sure they do it with three wires and properly ground the neutral.  I found out that the neutral for my townhouse was connected to a 6" nail driven into the concrete out front - basically worthless.

Best advice in this thread. Lightening rods are a good friend. Don't install just one, install two. Cheap and effective.

[RichCor]

To the OP,

 

As you took a direct strike, I'd highly suggest you have your Consumer Unit / Breaker Box and all electrical wiring REPLACED.  If not replaced, then at minimum have every inch of cabling visually inspected for any signs of distress and replace those sections, have every safety device tested to verify it functions as designed. 

Edited October 16, 2017 by RichCor

[tryasimight]

11 hours ago, HarrySeaman said:

The principle of the lightning rod was first detailed by Benjamin Franklin in Pennsylvania in 1749.

 

I suggest that if your home doesn't have one you add one.  It isn't a guarantee that lightning won't strike your house again but it will greatly reduce the chance of that happening.

 

Don't ask a Thai to get the parts.  Go buy what is needed (Google is your friend) and direct the worker to make sure it is properly installed.

 

If you have to have your house rewired (likely after a lightning strike) be sure they do it with three wires and properly ground the neutral.  I found out that the neutral for my townhouse was connected to a 6" nail driven into the concrete out front - basically worthless.

Can't say I've seen too many domestic installations with a lightning rod in over 40 years in the game. Totally agree with the MEN or grounded neutral comment.

Edited October 16, 2017 by tryasimight

[rickudon]

Our house was hit 5 years ago. It melted some roofing and set fire to the supporting wooden beam, and shot a hole like a bullet through both sides of a large concrete water tank (probably at water level). Although no direct hit on the electrics, the television and the router, both being wired in to cable,, were dead. Only lost one light fitting and fridge survived.

 

The computers and other electrics probably survived because the wife had done the disconnect everything, Thai style (and yes, she also believes mobiles attract lightning!). But the sensibility of doing the disconnection wa shown by the fact that 3 nearby houses also lost their computers and TV's because not unplugged, even though they were 30 metres away ........

[Grumpy Duck]

5 hours ago, timendres said:

Best advice in this thread. Lightening rods are a good friend. Don't install just one, install two. Cheap and effective.

Proper lightning rods are not just the rods they need a path to ground. Most electricians used a copper rod about 1/2-3/4" diameter and at least 4' long beating it into the earth and attaching ground wires to them. 

I used to work digging in refineries steel structures a hundred feet or so in the air make great lightning rods. Even though Southern California has few lightning storms refineries were critical about the integrity of their grounding structures. They had a maze of underground cables, and when I damaged one (as I did many) they were repaired immediately.