Lightning

[jules6]

We were camping this past week in Lancaster County Pa and had a very bad storm roll through on Tuesday and had a lightning strike about 15 ft in front of our motorhome. It blew off the cover from the fuse panel and tripped three breakers. After resetting the tripped breakers the only thing that appeared damaged was the Monitor panel is now lit as if I'm holding the test switch on. After the storm we went out in our car and found the stability control light is on, the tire pressure monitor light is on, the electric steering assist is not working, the speedometer is not working, and the drivers side mirror looks like it is growing crystals like frost on your windows in the winter. I guess it could have been worse

[Veebyes]

This was the result of a lightning strike in 1988.



It hit one of the antennas, destroyed the whole electrical system & the concussion shattered much of the teak trim. Fortunately for us, the diesel engine kept running though its instrument panel was toast.

[Dick_A]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

bsinmich wrote:
on Sun. morning, I was talkiing with our Pastor before the service when lightning hit the big tree outside the Church. We had a new organ 3 years before and got to spend almost the same for repair. It was pipe & electronic combination and the pipes were the ones that didn't work. Chime system also got blown up.
That was on Pentecost.
We had fire that day.

Talk about the Descent of The Holy Ghost!

Many of us can only wish that was the case. :R

[Bowhunter2819]

Well ladies and gentleman my Travel trailer took a major hit. A/C, Heater, Reefer, Converter, shore line and im not sure what else.

This is gonna get expensive. I'm sure

[JJBIRISH]

My car was struck while I was driving it… it didn’t quit running but the headlights turned off the speedo and gauges all zeroed out, and I managed to pull off the road into a parking lot…

I turned the key off thinking it wouldn’t start again, but when I turned the key back on everything seemed to have reset, everything worked as normal…
The worst part of the ordeal was the britches needed cleaned and the eyes took some time to adjust…
I have spent a lot of my life repairing lightning damaged cables and worked through them… often the wire melted and leaked out of the insulation and what was left if the wire was as brittle and breakable as glass…

One time lightning struck a tree near me and 3 cattle fell over dead… and a strike destroyed all the wiring in a house and lifted the buried wire to the well pump to the grounds surface…

Lighting can do the most unpredictable things, and I think that is the most predictable thing about it…
It’s unpredictability…

[Tango__AE7UI]

We had a passenger car struck by lightening at a gas station two weekends ago.
The passenger was taken fore medical treatment.
Luckily no damage to the station or fuel tanks.
It can strike any where.

[jules6]

Here we are. After a close lightning strike I reported on in June we just got our car back from being repaired, total cost is $5500. The car was dropped off at the dealer on June 21st and returned to us on July 17th. They replace all of the computers and then some, and they replace the drivers side mirror.

[dbates]

A friend of mine had his MH stored in a barn with two other MH, none of which were connected to electricity. The barn was struck by lightening and only his effected. Both 12 & 120 volts systems were heavily damaged. He was just glad that he had insurance with $1,000 deductable.

Dave

[down_home]

down home wrote:
We had a bolt hit just the other side of the stream, a couple months ago. Felt like the house lifted off the foundation. Two days ago I found the GFIs all popped on the back porch and one fried. Could have been something else I suppose.
When small we had a ball lightning come through Grand Ma's kitchen door and it appeared undamaged. It exited out the front door or window. I've forgotten which. The door was red hot to the touch and gradually a big brown circle appeared. The stench in the hosue was terrible. Must have been ozone.
Had Saint Elmo's fire dance along the fence. It was very heavy air and wet and storm brewing. It had already rained. I tried to touch it and it raced away down the fence from my right to the left. Little sparks jumped from the fence at points shortly afterwards. I wasn't school age, then, I think.

Wee hadn't used the plugins on the porch since last year and the night of the storm smelled smoke but couldn't ind it.

[down_home]

We had a bolt hit just the other side of the stream, a couple months ago. Felt like the house lifted off the foundation. Two days ago I found the GFIs all popped on the back porch and one fried. Could have been something else I suppose.
When small we had a ball lightning come through Grand Ma's kitchen door and it appeared undamaged. It exited out the front door or window. I've forgotten which. The door was red hot to the touch and gradually a big brown circle appeared. The stench in the hosue was terrible. Must have been ozone.
Had Saint Elmo's fire dance along the fence. It was very heavy air and wet and storm brewing. It had already rained. I tried to touch it and it raced away down the fence from my right to the left. Little sparks jumped from the fence at points shortly afterwards. I wasn't school age, then, I think.

[wanderingbob]

Lightning strike and surge near my Sprinter based Winnie did about $17,000 damage which the insurance company paid . Then the problems began showing up after I had signed a release . With in 2 months the TV quit , the $7,000 transmixer quit , micro-wave ,on and on . I finally sold it ! I should have known better as I worked in insurance salvage for 30 years .

[ol_Bombero-JC]

See info about 5-6 paragraphs down

"One of the simplest and yet most effective means of diverting lightning energy is to put a loop or two in all leads entering or leaving the equipment building". (RV = 'building')

and......

"All that said, the easiest way to protect an RV is to simply unplug it when a storm approaches".

~

Lots of other sources - here's one brief & to the point -

See - the "Bottom Line" - (last sentence)

~

[Francesca_Knowl]

bsinmich wrote:
on Sun. morning, I was talkiing with our Pastor before the service when lightning hit the big tree outside the Church. We had a new organ 3 years before and got to spend almost the same for repair. It was pipe & electronic combination and the pipes were the ones that didn't work. Chime system also got blown up.
That was on Pentecost.
We had fire that day.

Talk about the Descent of The Holy Ghost!

[paulsang]

Lightning hit the tree in front of my house in NJ..exploding it. Every window in mine, neighbors on both sides and all 3 across the steet that faced the tree were shattered. Neighbor on one side of me where the tree was closer to had large shards of wood that went through her sidind and drywall, actually sticking into the rooms.

Cars were damaged, and most of our electronics were fried in all 6 houses.

Lightning is no joke.

[wa8yxm]

M GO BLUE wrote:
Any lightning in your area in the future immediately unhook from electricity...

Excellent advice... His car. was not (likely) plugged in however, it was sitting there on rubber tires, not hooked to anything. Yet the mirror is crystaled, and the power assist steering isn't. and .. .Well you get the picture.

It is called ELectromagnatic Pulse and you do not have to be connected for it to blow your circuits to kingdom come.