[TowerTalk] TowerTalk Digest, Vol 49, Issue 51

[Bill Fuqua]

     The problem in grain elevators is the static charge caused by the 
movement of grain from ground to the top of the elevator. Works just like a 
belt on VanDerGraff  generator. And this relative small voltage can be 
discharged. That is a lot different from a thunder storm. So grounding 
stuff at the top of the elevator while adding lightning rods could improve 
the situation. Like a battery, in the case of a grain elevator you have 
both ends available that you can short and discharge it. In the case of 
lighting on end is far away in the clouds.

73
Bill wa4lav


At 11:20 AM 1/10/2007 -0500, you wrote:
>I have a WISP customer that has gear on top of a mid west located grain
>elevator.  They told me that they lost a LOT of gear up there due to
>lightning.
>
>After they had a company come in and put up a series of lightning rods and
>grounded the heck out of them the damage stopped happening.  Something about
>it bleeding off the energy before a strike actually happens.
>
>I've not tried that anywhere here but they swore it worked.  Makes sense to
>me in a way.  Has anyone talked to the folks at Polyphaser?  They have some
>really great white papers etc. on the subject.
>
>laters,
>marlon