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I live in the lightning capitol of North America. As an electrician, people ask me how to protect their personal property against lightning. After the usual spi

I live in the lightning capitol of North America. As an electrician, people ask me how to protect their personal property against lightning. After the usual spiel about lightning arrestors, and surge suppressors, I tell them clearly, there is no real protection against lightning. It goes wherever, unpredictably, and nothing can guarantee you or your possessions. The equipment I've described can lower your risk; that's all anything can do. I should make a recording of that speech.

aaronblohowiak 6y ago
Does a lightning rod high up and nearby work?
- recursive 6y ago
  I believe they can lower your risk.
- CapitalistCartr 6y ago
  Definitely. The Kennedy Space Center Assembly Building has an excellent lightning rod system and it dissipates charge before a strike damages the building. A pointed, metal, grounded stick is effective. But their system is custom engineered and expensive. And, while it's worked well for them, still no guarantees. About KSC, my inside sales rep for Square D (the best switchgear) worked there for awhile. They needed a contactor, holding up a Shuttle launch, and the nearest one was at Square D HQ in Florence, KY, and could not be delivered today, no way. The KSC rep tells him to hold on. About 30 minutes later, he calls back, "Tell Florence to deliver it to the Guard base there. An F-15 will be on the flight line waiting on it." They do have cool stuff. And the Shuttle launch? It still got delayed.
  - dylan604 6y ago
    When your package absolutely positively has to be there, US Air Force.
  - raverbashing 6y ago
    As much as it's a fun story, I don't think an F-15 would be dispatched for such task, even on an emergency basis (unless they were bound to return to Florida). Send in a C-12 and the job will get done. Unless you have, I dunno, less than 4h until the launch.
lostmyoldone 6y ago
If you get a solid strike, I would agree that almost all bets are off. At least unless you put some real money into it, but nothing that usually makes sense unless you are protecting really expensive equipment. A friend of mine had a strike land somewhere snaking its way into his mains feed. I believe the feed was ~60 amp rated. Anyway. At least 10 meters of the feed was simply gone. Except for some soot there weren't any more signs of either the junction box, or the electricity meter. It was as if they had never existed at all! Just gone.

aaronblohowiak 6y ago

Does a lightning rod high up and nearby work?

recursive 6y ago
I believe they can lower your risk.
CapitalistCartr 6y ago
Definitely. The Kennedy Space Center Assembly Building has an excellent lightning rod system and it dissipates charge before a strike damages the building. A pointed, metal, grounded stick is effective. But their system is custom engineered and expensive. And, while it's worked well for them, still no guarantees. About KSC, my inside sales rep for Square D (the best switchgear) worked there for awhile. They needed a contactor, holding up a Shuttle launch, and the nearest one was at Square D HQ in Florence, KY, and could not be delivered today, no way. The KSC rep tells him to hold on. About 30 minutes later, he calls back, "Tell Florence to deliver it to the Guard base there. An F-15 will be on the flight line waiting on it." They do have cool stuff. And the Shuttle launch? It still got delayed.
- dylan604 6y ago
  When your package absolutely positively has to be there, US Air Force.
- raverbashing 6y ago
  As much as it's a fun story, I don't think an F-15 would be dispatched for such task, even on an emergency basis (unless they were bound to return to Florida). Send in a C-12 and the job will get done. Unless you have, I dunno, less than 4h until the launch.

lostmyoldone 6y ago

If you get a solid strike, I would agree that almost all bets are off. At least unless you put some real money into it, but nothing that usually makes sense unless you are protecting really expensive equipment. A friend of mine had a strike land somewhere snaking its way into his mains feed. I believe the feed was ~60 amp rated. Anyway. At least 10 meters of the feed was simply gone. Except for some soot there weren't any more signs of either the junction box, or the electricity meter. It was as if they had never existed at all! Just gone.