boltonblue

My neighbor at the top of the hill has at least a half dozen lightning rods on his house.
Although that house is clearly the highest point around for miles.
I suspect it is rather exciting when one of the rods takes a hit.
You know you're too close when you see it and hear it at the same time.

cosmomiller

I was on short final (crossing the threshold really) in the Denver area during a TRW. Lightning hit just off to my left side and my eyes naturally went that way. I was puzzled for a second as the bolt disappeared and I saw what looked like a stream of milk globules suspended in the air. The globules fell to the earth and splattered like hot solder. I realized the "milk" was the super hot liquified antennae that had been there an instant before.

Conedodger

We lost a bunch of electronics to a lightning strike years ago.

• Alarm System
• Garage Door Opener
• Several Dimmer Switches
• TV
• Clock Radios

Fortunately, we were on vacation and had unplugged a bunch of stuff. (PC, stereo, other TVs)

We were insured through Allstate at the time. They were associated with Sears. They set up an account at Sears for us for the full replacement value of the items plus 10%. They even paid me for my time to install the replacement door opener and dimmer switches.

PokS2k

I installed an 'invisible fence' years ago. It worked fine, I had it running around the perimeter of our property. It was great for Emma, she could walk freely around the property.

One day Elaine went to let her out of the front door and she jumped and yelped. Elaine tried again and the same thing. I took her collar off and realized it was sending a signal near the front door. We have Baseboard heat and turns out all of the baseboards around the entire house were causing the collar react. The front door had a pipe under the floor.

Turns out there had been a storm (not too close) but the ground must have taken a hit and the electricity in the ground hit the buried perimeter wire and then shorted the unit. Since it was grounded to the pipes it was making the pipes a signal carrier.

Had to replace the unit and then added a surge protector. No problems since.

Kyras

I put a metal roof on my Ramada over my 5th wheel, and on the generator shed, at my Kennedy Meadows property last year. I was just asking my friend, Bob, who's an electrical genius, if I should have lightning rods. He said with the sandy soil there, I may need a few tied together. ???

Vanishing Point

We have six lightening rods on our house all tied in one continuous run. Each end is then attached to a massive ground rod at either end of the house.

Ryuu

Kyras... if you have sandy soil, and lightening rods and you get a hit out there.. start digging it up cause you just got a glass sculpture out in the yard..... older brother showed me that and then we all seen it on the movie Sweet Home Alabama... it's pretty cool...

Kyras

I love that movie! Own it. Watch it every so often.

The ground is mostly decomposed granite. The ramamda is among granite rocks. It's very dry normally but even dryer now due to the drought. My friend, Bob, mentioned that the dryness would affect the grounding of a lightning strike, too, somehow.

^7-19-2014.

Kyras

Colorado car struck by lightning.

Speaking of lightning striking, my sister sent me this TV news link an hour ago. A woman was driving in Colorado when her Chevy was hit by lightning. She didn't get electrocuted but it did cause havoc to her car and sent her to the hospital.

cosmomiller

This happened this year. A dealership security camera caught the strike. A vehicle acts as a Faraday cage so occupants are not injured in the strike. The problem was post strike with the vehicle. A patrolman saved them; saw it happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Krr4TazMg