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Re: [OM] IMG: The Art Above Us

Subject: Re: [OM] IMG: The Art Above Us
From: Charles Geilfuss <charles.geilfuss@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:05:53 -0400
  Thanks for the reply Chuck and an interesting story as well. Lightening
is an interesting phenomenon. The reason I ask is that a while back we had
an electrical storm that came through our neighborhood. All the power lines
are underground here. A bolt struck the ground near a neighbors house and
apparently made its way into the buried line feeding his house. The surge
destroyed most of the electrical equipment he owned: computers, flat screen
TV's, microwave oven, dishwasher, etc. He ended up with an $7000 insurance
claim. I've been told that whole house surge protectors have the ability to
detect voltage spikes and divert them to ground before damage is done to
equipment. Of course the people recommending these things are also selling
them. I'm looking for an objective opinion.

Thanks,
Charlie

On Thu, Jun 14, 2012 at 8:38 PM, Chuck Norcutt <
chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I can't answer your question except to say that, despite many
> neighborhood power outages, I never suffered any failures of electrical
> equipment in my house in Boca Raton, FL over the 10 years I lived there.
>  I did have a UPS on the computer but nothing on the TV or appliances.
>  That despite the fact that South Florida has about 4 times the amount
> of lightning as the national average.
>
> But the development did have underground utilities so perhaps that is at
> least partially protective.  Given that a lighting bolt can easily jump
> a 10 mile air gap I'm not sure how much protection a little diode will
> be. :-)
>
> During the time I lived there I used to work as a volunteer at the
> Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.  One of the rangers was hit by
> lighting one day.  The sky was clear blue except for a gathering
> thunderstorm about 5 or more miles away.  He had been driving the dirt
> perimeter road and had to stop his truck to get out and open a large
> steel gate.  He had stopped the truck perhaps 20 feet from the gate and
> was about half way between the truck and the gate when a lightning bolt
> struck the antenna of the truck, fried the radio, jumped to the damp
> sand under the roadbed on its way to the nice ground formed by the steel
> fence and gate.  Burrowing through the moist sand caused a steam
> explosion and dug a channel thorough the sand about a foot deep and a
> few feet wide.  The sand explosion picked him up bodily and threw him
> backwards over the truck.  At the same time it caused his Glock pistol
> to fire in its holster.  The round missed his leg but the holster was
> torn and the butt of the pistol bruised his side.  When he landed in the
> sand at the back of the truck his eyes were full of sand and he was
> unable to see for a while.
>
> There's a lot more to the story.  He did survive and took about 3 months
> to recover but I think you get the idea.  No surge protector would have
> helped him.  :-)
>
> Chuck Norcutt
>
>
> On 6/14/2012 2:03 PM, Charles Geilfuss wrote:
> >    Nice composition Jim and kudos to you for spotting it. Although after
> > losing power last night due to lightening storm (first time in ten years
> at
> > this location), I've grown to appreciate the underground grid.
> >     That brings up a question that someone on the List must be able to
> > answer: are whole-house surge protectors of any value?
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 5:40 PM, Jim Nichols<jhnichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >wrote:
> >
> >> Most of us don't get a chance to view the artistic work above our heads,
> >> created by electricians that take as much pride in their work as we do
> in
> >> our images.  Here is an example.
> >>
> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Lineman+Art+221.jpg.html
> >>
> >> A Telyt grab shot.
> >>
> >> Comments and critiques welcomed.
> >>
> >> Jim Nichols
> >> Tullahoma, TN USA
> >> --
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