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Richard Casady

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:48:27 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:58:54 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

I am always curious about how a boat takes a hit but I do have some
experience with a lightning rod. I put a 3' copper rod over my weather
station with a pointy stainless steel tip, connected to 2ga copper
wire and terminated in a ground rod (connected to my extensive house
grounding system)
It has been hit twice that I know of and I was about 30' away during
one of them. A mexican laborer was pretty much under it, plastered
against my garage door. Other than the poop reflex we were totally
unaffected.. The steel garage door he was plastered to is bonded to
the same grounding system as the lightning rod as is the wet concrete
driveway I was standing on.
We were fine. The weather station ... not so much ... either time.

000 wire and a ten foot long grounding rod, is the customary practice
with lightning rods.

The 2 ga does an excellent job of routing the shot. My ground
electrode system is a lot more extensive than a single rod. The proof
is in the pudding as they say. The only thing I have ever lost is the
serial port in the PC that hooks to the weather station and that is
because the weather station signal cable runs parallel to the ground
wire from the air terminal for about 20'.
I am a bit embarrassed that I did that but I didn't really think this
thing would attract lightning so well.
It should be noted that the PC was connected to my network and nothing
else was affected. In fact I am still typing on the same PC as we
speak. The only thing that went was the serial port.
The last time it took a hit the same thing happened. The serial port
on the lap top it was connected to wasn't even totally fried. It still
runs a modem, just not the weather station.
Next time around I am putting the weather station on a fiberglass pole
on the other corner of the house but I am keeping the air terminal
where it is.
If I was using the RF connection from the weather station I bet
nothing would have been hurt

The ten foot rod is the one that the electrical suppliers sell. It
isn't the only thing that will work. There is one in the ground under
pole mounted transformers. Has the neutral connected to it. Copper
plated steel, driven in with a sledge. Any kind of metal pipe you have
lying around will work.

Casady

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