All Aluminum LivinLite VRV and Lightening Storm

[hobbicam]

So, what to do?

LivinLite all aluminum VRV would be a great conductor.. so does it make sense to carry a big copper wire and a 6-8ft grounding rod and ground the VRV?

I assume it really doesn't matter if a lightening hit and I am in the VRV, but I want to give it the best chance, if any, to survive... another night camping..:)

Also, with the floors being exposed, not may places to stay indoor and feel comfortable in there.

Anyone can suggest several options?

Thanks all,

[Doug33]

rexlion wrote:
Obviously, for complete safety you should exit your VRV and stand under a tall tree instead. 😄

or go out and play a round of golf....

[colliehauler]

Slownsy wrote:
Aluminum is actually not as good a conductor as steel and tiers rubber is a insulator not a conductor.
Frank

Sorry but your wrong. Tires are made of carbon and rubber. Carbon is what your spark plug wires are made from. Aluminum is a very good conductor.

[CavemanCharlie]

popeyemth wrote:

thomasmnile wrote:

popeyemth wrote:
The real question is how to avoid those pesky meteor strikes

What about zombie attacks??????? :B

Let's stay real : zombie attacks CANT be avoided

I wrote this story on Facebook a short while back. It's based on a true story:

So Friday September 28th I’m out camping at my favorite park for what will probably be the last time this year. After dark I started a fire and I decided I would put the dog in the pickup and go for a walk down the gravel road to the back of the park. I’ve done this hundreds, if not thousands, of times. However,,, I forget that at this time of the year there are not many people camping. There were about 5 campers in the front of the park in the RV section and one brave family in the back in a tent. It was cloudy that night and under the trees going to the back of the park it was quite dark. I had with me one of my little $2.50 flashlights but it was flickering on and off and I had to keep bumping it against the palm of my hand to keep it going. As I walked along I saw a raccoon. No big deal, I see him at the park all the time I named him Ricky. I said “Hi Ricky’ and he scurried away. A short time later I saw another raccoon. I said “Hi Ricky #2” and he got out of my way. Then there was Ricky #3, Ricky #4. At Ricky #5 I got to thinking how I’m out here all alone with a flashlight that barely worked and there was nobody around. I decided to head back. On the way back I saw Ricky #6, Ricky #7, and so on. Around Ricky #12 or so I started to walk faster. There is a spot where there is a culvert under the road to let water into the lake from a slough. The road gets narrow at this part. As I got there Ricky #15 was trapped in the road with me and jumped into the lake. I hadn’t seen him there and that startled me. Already a little apprehensive my imagination now took completely over. I suddenly felt like there were 15 vicious man eating raccoons chasing me. I started to run. As I made the turn where the road goes back into the RV section my ass was moving at the speed of an Olympic track star. I skidded into my camping spot, dove into the camper, and slammed the door. After I calmed down I realized how silly I was being and went back out to the fire and cooked some hamburgers. But, I will be a little more careful from now on when I walk down that road to the back of the park.

[atreis]

No, aluminum is a better conductor.
Comparison of various metals on Wikipedia

Tires are not made out of just rubber. They can have steel belts, and many other materials. I'm having trouble finding a good reference explaining the physics of it - but in a strong eletrical field, they become (relatively poor) conductors... Found this though, which mentions it in passing:
How Stuff Works entry on lightning

And yes, you're safe inside your aluminum trailer or steel car, that is, assuming they don't catch fire from the lightening strike, but then it's the fire that gets you.
Faraday Cage on Wikipedia

[Slownsy]

Aluminum is actually not as good a conductor as steel and tiers rubber is a insulator not a conductor.
Frank

[popeyemth]

thomasmnile wrote:

popeyemth wrote:
The real question is how to avoid those pesky meteor strikes

What about zombie attacks??????? :B

Let's stay real : zombie attacks CANT be avoided

[thomasmnile]

popeyemth wrote:
The real question is how to avoid those pesky meteor strikes

What about zombie attacks??????? :B

[rexlion]

Obviously, for complete safety you should exit your VRV and stand under a tall tree instead. 😄

[69_Avion]

Check out pictures of jet airliners being hit by lightening. It looks awesome but it doesn't hit them.

[ScottG]

Your perfectly safe in a tin can during an electrical storm. Google "Faraday cage" for a detailed explanation but in short, the electricity flows around the skin of the box and simply jumps to ground.

[Jayco254]

I watched something on some stupid show a while back called Stunt Busters, and they tested that very thing with a car, it seems that according to them the electricity dissipates itself troughout all the metal in the car even when the tires were taken off.

[69_Avion]

I have been camping in my Avion camper since 1969 without any issues. How many Airstream trailers have been built and camped in? I've never heard of an issue and these campers not only have an aluminum structure, but the entire shell is aluminum.

[popeyemth]

The real question is how to avoid those pesky meteor strikes

[popupcamping]

colliehauler wrote:
It's the same as a metal car, the metal shell conducts the charge to the ground through the tires. Tires are a conductor of electricity not a insulator. Look up Faraday cage.

Ummmmm.....You forgot about 5 items.....The 4 Metal stabilizers and the metal tongue pole......ZAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP