Danger of Lightning Strikes in the country?

[Crossy]

7 hours ago, Captor said:

Is it not very good to sit in a car with the rubber tires (isolation)?

 

The lightning has just come through a km or so of air, 3-4 inches of rubber is going to offer zero barrier. A metal car is a pretty good Faraday cage.

 

I remember many moons ago seing a demonstration on TV (possibly Tomorrow's World). A car was driven around inside a high-voltage test lab to simulate the effects of a lightning strike. The result, the rear wiper wiped once with each strike and a light came on suggesting using a higher gear for better fuel economy ???? 

 

The Health and Safety bods would never let them try that now.

 

[bunnydrops]

10 hours ago, Captor said:

Is it not very good to sit in a car with the rubber tires (isolation)? Or in an open field then lay low (for the golfers)? Maybe lay down in the open field? I would like to learn more about this too.

 

I read once that you should not lay down but to go down on all fours with your head down. The reasoning is that when the lightning hits the ground, it will travel across the surface in the path of least resistance and travel under you and not though you.

I also hear years ago that guys in the military tied knots in their electrical cords. I guess the idea was that the cord would burn through at the location.

[Heng]

Chances about as good as her really being just the cashier.   

[Nemises]

On 4/18/2021 at 11:29 PM, VocalNeal said:

 

Lightning generally strikes the tallest object.

 

 

Agree.

 

Where I'm from, the tallest building is notorious for lightning strikes whilst all other nearby tall buildings are left "untouched".

 

Surfers Paradise Q1 Tower Lightning Strike - Gold Coast Australia

[Rimmer]

We have our own transformer coming off three phase HT cables because we are in the middle of nowhere, we had to pay for the cables and poles, they did not install a shield wire over the HT cable line and of course the cables got hit severing one cable and leaving it thrashing around in the road where it killed a curious dog. The surge back into the house blew computers, cameras, printer and an air con to the value of 30k

 

I then installed an ABB lightning surge protector also three surge suppressors on each phase of the transformer pole, they work like a reverse spark plug and when hit the spark jumps across the gap down to earth, clever huh? Nope apparently they will knock off only 90% of the surge and still let some through.

 

We then had a ground strike quite close to the perimeter wall and the ground induced transients destroyed an air con, so I replaced that with a new one and gave it its own earth rod smart eh?  Nope another ground strike and the surge came back up the rod and blew it again, took the rod out.

 

We get ground strikes all round the house and now turn the power off at the main switch don't know if that helps though. Talking to the PEA guys It seems that if you live in an area where there is a lot of iron in the soil you are going to get hit time and time again, its true and it happens I see strikes all the time at the side of us and along the road close to us.

Told a friend fairly close to us he was in a lightning strike area he did not believe it until a ground strike this year a few weeks back destroyed his chest freezer.....

 

EDIT

Here is a picture of them splicing the middle HT cable back together after the strike on the cable, note the lack of shield wire.

 

[simon43]

I have several tall radio antennas at my house (I'm a radio amateur).  The feedline passes through a lightening arrestor unit which should 'blow' in a lightening strike, and then route the energy to ground.  So far, no lightening strikes!

[dddave]

On 4/18/2021 at 7:24 PM, Surelynot said:

Golfers at my club have been told to stand in the open (assuming no buildings nearby)......and crouch down on the balls of your feet to minimize contact with the ground.

Just last month, 3 boys were killed on a football pitch by a lightening strike somewhere in Isan.  Wasn't raining at the time.

[dddave]

On 4/19/2021 at 5:03 PM, rickudon said:

First, standing under trees. I always thought this advice was not clever - after all, the tree is taller than you and will be hit before you are. Then in Australia i saw a eucalyptus tree that had been hit. The tree had exploded like a bomb and fragments 6 inches long were buried in the ground 20 foot away. I no longer stand under trees.

I was on a golf course once when a very fast moving squall moved in with intense lightening. My golfing partner and I jumped in our golf cart and sprinted towards the clubhouse.  We were passing a big oak tree when it was struck and just as "rikudon" described, it exploded like a grenade.  My friend was on the tree side of the cart and quickly said "Oh fxxx..I've been hit" He had a 4" splinter stuck in his calf; fortunately, not deeply but it really bled a lot.  

Luckily, there was a hospital a half mile away.  They cleaned it up, several stiches to close it.

I learned to respect lightening a whole lot more after that.

[tatom]

I used to think we were safe during a lightning storm. I would open the knife switch cutting off all power to the house. One day, we had a lightning strike, it jumped right across the knife switch and blew out two light bulbs. No damage to the tv or fridge?

 

Now we have a modern fuse box. If the main breaker were switched off, I wonder if lightning could jump across that as it did with the knife switch?

[gunderhill]

On 4/18/2021 at 6:34 PM, flyingsaucersarereal said:

Does anyone have any insight into this? Is there a real danger or is this being over exaggerated?

I thought it  wouldnt  happen around here and it didnt......for 7 years then BAM one day  all the electrics  got fried, since put in  surge protection, strike was close by on the electric  overhead  cables, enough to   break many things in the  village and at our  land inc electric  gate, lights and a whole  host of other  stuff. .

[gunderhill]

On 4/19/2021 at 5:41 AM, sirineou said:

Sorry to hear about your family member, we joke and we laugh about it , but lightening is no laughing matter. 

How do you install a "surge arrestors on the incoming supply"  I want it done right, Do I hire an electrician, what do I buy? Is there a particular product you recommend? 

I am sure many others will like to know also. ????

Very easy to do if you have room  on the board they  just clip  on the din rail.