Does lightening strike twice?

Currently I have a loft ariel for my FM tuner, would love to roof mout it, but a few years ago the OH (in her old flat) had a close proximty lighting strike and knocked out her VHS player. I know these things are quite rare, is there a way of insulating a roof ariel such a thing happening again?
 

RodhasGibson

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Oct 10, 2008
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plastic penguin:Currently I have a loft ariel for my FM tuner, would love to roof mout it, but a few years ago the OH (in her old flat) had a close proximty lighting strike and knocked out her VHS player. I know these things are quite rare, is there a way of insulating a roof ariel such a thing happening again? PP You must stop drinking at lunch time,
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The answer to your question is no,you just have to unplug it during a storm
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or before you leave home, if you suspect one might occur
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chebby

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Jun 2, 2008
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I don't think so. lt has to be connected to a downlead for it to work anyway. That can't be insulated.

I always unplug aerials, hifi, tv, landline etc, and close windows when at home during an electrical storm. (I doubt there is any efficacy in doing so, but it seems to make me feel safer
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)

Luckily there is a small bakery about 50 metres away with a chimney about 10metres higher than the surrounding roofline. (It has a thick galvanised lightning conductor down the whole length.)

Also - about 400 metres away - there is a Premier League football ground with very tall metal floodlight 'pylons' that seem to attract 99 percent of local strikes during such storms.

Having said all that, there is never any guarantee and the energy contained in lightning would probably vapourise any domestic grade of surge protector and frazz anything in it's path.

Short of building a Faraday cage around the property (!) you will just have to take your chances.
 
RodhasGibson:plastic penguin:Currently I have a loft ariel for my FM tuner, would love to roof mout it, but a few years ago the OH (in her old flat) had a close proximty lighting strike and knocked out her VHS player. I know these things are quite rare, is there a way of insulating a roof ariel such a thing happening again? PP You must stop drinking at lunch time,
emotion-5.gif
The answer to your question is no,you just have to unplug it during a storm
emotion-60.gif
or before you leave home, if you suspect one might occur
emotion-60.gif


I have an electric personality
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, but wondered whether a conductor of any sort could be rigged. Clearly not.
 
A

Anonymous

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plastic penguin:

I have an electric personality
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, but wondered whether a conductor of any sort could be rigged. Clearly not.

Sit on the roof...that should do it....
 

proffski

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Oh yes! Back in the eighties I was making good money repairing CB sets. (Easy pocket / beer money).

During one storm I get a call from a LIGHTNING strike victim, it was a direct strike to the chimney mounted TV AERIAL. The main strike was down the TV Coax and into the living room where it found a central heating radiator through which it exited to earth hence minimising damage.

The televisor machine was a complete write off, and a small fire had started in the loft which the fire brigade soon sorted out. A side streamer from the main strike had also hit the CB AERIAL down-lead which damaged the CB set, the reason I was called out. Superficially the CB set looked mint, no scorch marks, no welded joints or screws and the PL259 connector unscrewed easily so far so good.

As I left the owners to contemplate the damage to their chimney, roof tiles and steaming loft space one of the fire crew said to the lady "do not worry Mrs, LIGHTNING never strikes in the same place twice."

As they drove off and I headed home with the non functioning CB set there was a flash an instant bang and the house had been hit again! How unlucky can you get? For the 2nd time only superficial damage and a bit more damping down in the loft.

Anyway, back to the box of electronics, once in the workshop I removed the top and bottom covers of the Uniden transceiver in order to find the damage, and there it was! Just two bits of PCB track vaporised, I repaired the damage but expected the worst, at least the front end of the RX section the be completely destroyed. I applied some power and connected the antenna and turned on the CB. The damned thing came on loud, crisp and clear with both the TX & RX stages working perfectly, some people have all the luck! I did not bother charging them...

Another friend who lives on a hill was struck some years later and the damage was so different, the entire roof blown off, ceilings imploded down into the bedrooms, most of the house mains wiring vaporised, internal upstairs doors split from frames, and most electrical equipment from Hi-Fi to portable radios wrecked. Guess it is all a matter of luck. The insurance sorted him out well, now the two LIGHTNING conductors at each end of the residence are all that is left to remind one of the incident...
 

Tony_R

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plastic penguin:Currently I have a loft ariel for my FM tuner, would love to roof mout it, but a few years ago the OH (in her old flat) had a close proximty lighting strike and knocked out her VHS player. I know these things are quite rare, is there a way of insulating a roof ariel such a thing happening again?

You could erect a well earthed tall pole in your garden that extends 10 - 20 feet above the roofline of your house, although this may not be popular with the neighbours and might fall foul of planning permission.
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In Johannesburg (South Africa) where lightning strikes are common place, it is required that all thatch roofed houses have a large pole in the garden in an effort to conduct lightning away from the roof, presumably because of the flammable nature of thatch.
 

proffski

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No pun intended but I see it now. Could not help notice the reference by another contributor regarding Poles in gardsens as lightning conductors, NOT ON YOUR NELLY!
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I'm only 5' 8"!!!
 

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