Lightning strike and wire damage Q
Just returned from a friend’s house that was struck by lightning.
The bolt hit a giant spruce near the top, exploding a 20′ section of the trunk bark before jumping over to a shed dormer window and across the width of the walk-in closet just inside the shed dormer window and entered the wiring circuit via a wall mounted lighting fixture.
It tripped one of the circuit breakers.
It damaged the boiler thermostat, causing the heat to come on.
Also damaged the security key pad.
Three sets of computers are damaged.
When one of the downstairs light was turned on there was a spark at the switch plate but it now works fine.
The question is….can lightening that finds a path to ground through one of the wiring circuits damage the wiring ?
Can it cause problems similar to an arc-fault ?
Is there a potential for a fire ?
Is there a multi-tester that can test the integrity of the circuits and wiring ?
Thanks for your help
Edited 4/30/2003 9:14:33 PM ET by Ahneedhelp
Replies
The question is....can lightening, (no, but lightning,yes) that finds a path to ground through one of the wiring circuits damage the wiring ? YES, even if there is no obvious insulation damage. Have seen lightning pull 4/0 wire from hydraulically crimped terminals and burn off 1/2" steel stud even with no obvious insulation damage, so you may have loose connections even if you find no burned insulation. Check all, esp where the stroke entered back to the tripped breaker.
Can it cause problems similar to an arc-fault ? Yes by definition
Is there a potential for a fire ? If there is no insulation damage, and the ground system is intact by testing, your normal circuit breaker functions will take care of any in-box shorts. Eliminate the possibility of those by checking every box, at least those on the circuit where the breaker tripped.
Is there a multi-tester that can test the integrity of the circuits and wiring ? Lots of them out there to check the integrity of the grounds, to be sure that the ground is not high impedance, one inexpensive way is connecting hot to ground on 300 W lightbulb - but I'm sure there are some here would critisize that type approach. Can also go another step and run a dielectric withstand voltage test (DWV) on subject wire (black to white and black to green), but you should be sure you know what you are doing there and have current limited equipment.
Neighbors house was hit by lightning at the corner, arc then travelled down the marinecord clothesline to ground at the heavy metal pipe pole. Oddest thing, the plastic coating on the marine cable hung there limply, as the metal inside had literally vaporized.
Thank-you for your replies -
We will scrutinize wire connections at all boxes on that circuit.
Took another look at the shed dormer entry point.
The bolt jumped onto a metal flashing where the roof and shed dormer window meets, then it must have ricocheted through the window and onto the wall light and then into the circuit.
The lightbulb base has a melted spot and the base insulation is broken.
Also knocked out part of the plaster surrounding the wiring box for the light.
Hopefully the giant spruce will not have to be cut down - besides the exploded off bark near the top on one side it seems ok.
It is part of the twin that graces the front of the house.
Looking into lightning rods for the house or maybe on the trees, which are taller then anything else nearby.
I guess all the metal electrons ran to ground afraid of the lightning, and then the protons followed cuz they was lonely.
SamT
"Neighbors house was hit by lightning at the corner, arc then travelled down the marinecord clothesline to ground at the heavy metal pipe pole."
Lightning definitely takes some strange paths. Many years ago I had a classic car under a cover and raised up on jack stands (resting on a full steel frame) in the driveway of my grandparents house. Lightning hit a tree at the end ~40' away. Blew up the driveway right up to the stand closest to the tree.. No damage to driveway under the car, but blew the driveway up (it was asphalt by the way) from the stand closest to their garage, and right up to the garage door tract. Tied to the end of that tract was a similar clothesline and at the other end...cold water pipe. The line was completely vaporized by the way. By the way, the car started on the first try.
Jon
Almost 15 years ago a friend was snaking out his waste stack during a storm using a-you guessed it-a metal snake. He told me afterwards as he was pushing and pulling on the snake, he heard a gigantic boom outside and immediately after was thrown into the opposite wall. A lightening bolt must have hit ground, his snake acted like a lightening rod, and he got zapped. Other than some minor burns on his hands, he survived okay. He swore off snaking out drain lines, though; now he calls the plumber.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
Nick,
Many, many years ago, I was traveling from NY to WI passing around Gary IN and S. Chicago area. Very open land, 40 + mile view in all directions as I was driving on the Skyway. A very nasty storm was coming through. Lot's of lighting passing overhead. It was fascinating the paths it would take. Often it would fan out, reconverge and pop out of the ground 50 miles away. How bad was that storm? A few hours later, it generated 5 tornados in Madison about half a hour after I arrived. One passed within 1/4 mile of my residence.
Jon
Grew up in California, came to Conn. after 10 years in the navy 20someodd years back, I have never seen a twister. And you know what?
I DON'T WANT TO!!!
They must be awesome, but my God can they be capricious killers.
I never met a tool I didn't like!
"I have never seen a twister."
Nick,
You often here that they sound like a freight train coming through. Close, but its more like a giant roar. Scared the $hit out of me as I was in a third floor apt. and no basement.
Jon
BYW, turned on The Weather Channel at the time, no info at all about what was happening around me.
Jon
Edited 5/3/2003 8:14:37 PM ET by WorkshopJon
In 2000 we were on a climbing trip to Ranier. We drove up the night before our start and camped at Crystal Mountain ski park, at around 4500 ft elevation. A very atypical Pac NW lightning storm hit that night and even where we were in tents it was pretty unpleasant. As we were climbing up through glacier basin the next day, we passed a bunch of people coming down who told us about the storm on the mountain. The storm rolled in when most climbing groups were halfway up the upper glacier between 11-12,000 ft. So here you are, fully exposed on a 30-40% grade ice covered slope, and carrying metal ice axes, metal crampons, and 2ft long aluminum snow pickets on your pack. The people in the 9500ft base camp described it as crash, boom, screams ... crash, boom, screams, for about 2 hrs. Miraculously, no one was hit.
"very atypical Pac NW lightning storm"
Had backpacked & camped at 7100 ft level above corral pass (5 mi no of Cr. mt) for over 25 years, NEVER had seen lightning on the Mt. except once in late 80's.
Think it was June?, you probably were there same event, were just 5 mi south of us! Great fun, felt very safe on foam pad lying flat on ground, one bolt hit less than 500 yds away.
It was around July 20.
Lightning is the one thing I miss out here. I almost feel silly even having a surge protector. Used to get some beautiful storms in NC and MD. Remember camping once on the lower Chesapeake by the MD-VA border on the Del Mar Penninsula. Nasty storm rolled right across the bay, one of those late afternoon 95 degree July storms. I was shooting lightning and got a bolt on every exposure until my wife begged me to get into the tent, as if that were any safer. Took the weight of both of us to keep the tent on the ground.
I built a house aboput a mile from here for my plumber. He was in the crawl space soldering copper when it started storming. After awhile his hair lit up on him and the soles of his shoes started smoking. He thought it was interesting but didn't worry too much about it.
Mentioned it to his wife when she got home and that he felt a little weak. She got him bundled off to the emergency room where they found from blood tests that he has similar signs to a heart attack. Certain kind of protein in the blood from dead cells I understand. So they put him on aspirin and sent him home again. I guess the aspirin to keep blood thinned out in case of clots.
Long ago and far away - actually it was about 32 years ago in Florida, I was roofing a large hipped ranch with a brick venier when a sudden storm came up. Partner and I headed for the ladder under raindrops at least a half inch big pounding on us.
When I hit the ground I turned to look and saw the funnel bearing in on us. I yelled out, "Hit the deck! Willie! It's a tornado!"
We each laid down at the base of a wall and covered heads. Crap was blowing everywhere and the roaring sound was unforgettable. Then it was over as quick as it started.
There were no windows or doors installed in the place yet and when we looked up there was at least an inch and a half of water standing everywhere in that place on the subfloor, running out slowly from amoung the bottom plates.
our eave edging that hadn't been nailed on was strew all over and a few loose shigles were gone but the house didn't suffer. There was a line of tall pine trees right close by the house along the north side that had most of their limbs torn off with some of those laying on the roof right where we'd been working five minutes before. The funnel must have veared off to the north and lifted up and away just as it got to us.
One of those things you never forget..
Excellence is its own reward!
All those tornados that just occurred in the midwest jogged my memory of another tornado story I can share. About 15 years ago I did a lot of jetskiing in the Hamptons. I was friends with a guy whose family had a beach house out there and going out was pretty much a weekend ritual.
Anyway, we wake up on morning and see HUGE breakers coming in through the [Shinicock] inlet. Weather was getting real stormy. So we quick launch the jet ski's and head over to have fun in the surf. After about 5 minutes of fun we conclude that it's too dangerous and begin to head back. In less than a minute visibility dropped to ~20' and its downporing all around us, and aside from the direction of the waves, we have no way to navigate. Eventually made it back, but when we arrived everyone thought that we were goners. Three waterspouts apparently pasted with our backs to them.
Jon
Lee Trevino the pro golfer has been hit by lightning twice. He says now that when a storm is coming, he just grabs the one iron and heads for the clubhouse. Why? "Because even God can't hit a one iron." ;-)
-- J.S.
Not being a golfer, I guess that one was lost on me..
Excellence is its own reward!