[TowerTalk] Lightning strikes!
Woods, Eric D (pb-Edwoods)
edwoods@pbsac01.isp.PacBell.COM
Tue, 5 Aug 1997 10:14:00 -0700
Have the phone guy check the grounding of your Protector box ("SNI" if it's
new). It should be bonded to your power utility entrance ground .
Sometimes the water plumbing served as a bond between the power utility
ground and the telephone protector.
The protector will equalize over voltage coming in on the telephone line
with other things connected to the power utility ground. Of course the
protector will not operate (short) until about 350V to ground occurs.
Until that time, a "sneak current can be present on the telephone line. It
is up to the customer to provide what we call "secondary protection" to
guard against damage from the sneak current.
Eric, K6GV
edwoods@pacbell.com
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From: w2up
To: towertalk
Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightning strikes!
Date: Tuesday, August 05, 1997 8:11AM
Had a lightning strike last night, and unsure where it came in. No
sign of entry. Damage includes telphone ans machine, VCR, alarm panel
(upstairs only), heat pump/AC (upstairs only, thermostat adjacent to
alarm panel), one garage door opener, and the strange one -
wallpaper! In the bedroom, near the alarm and thermostat, there
is a 3x3 inch area of wallpaper that was blown off the wall. The
wallpaper has a metal foil in it, and I believe that's what carried
the charge in the bedroom, blowing the alarm panel and thermostat.
I was in the shack at the time (rig off, computer on) and saw a spark
and heard a bang. XYL was in bedroom and also heard a bang. Only
damage in the shack appears to be a non-functional Ameritron RCS-8V
box that controls my 80 m slopers. All antennas are intact, and rig
loads up fine (exc. can't check 80 m).
The only thing in the house NOT lightning protected is the phone line
(soon to be done!) Only thing that smelled burnt was the answering
machine. Wonder if it came in on the phone line? (nearest pole abt
800 ft away, from there to house runs underground).
Call in to insurance agent...
73 Barry
--
Barry Kutner, W2UP Internet: w2up@itw.com
Newtown, PA Frankford Radio Club
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