[TowerTalk] ground rods and wells

[john at kk9a.com]

Is the pump wiring bonded to the top of the casting?   Perhaps doing so with 
MOVs would minimize lightning damage?    The well at my previous QTH was 350 
feet from the tower and never suffered any failures do to lightning strikes. 
Unfortunately it's not always possible to keep towers and wells far apart.

John KK9A


To: Cqtestk4xs at aol.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] ground rods and wells
From: jimlux <jimlux at earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2011 07:10:41 -0800
List-post: <towertalk at contesting.com">mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>

Cqtestk4xs at aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 1/4/2011 7:24:43 AM Greenwich Standard Time,
> K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net writes:
>
> I say  the well casing is a bad idea as many wells have submersible pumps
> which  are easily damaged by lightning strikes the local electricians
> tell me and  it does sound plausible.
>

  Those submersible pumps  are
> expensive to replace and a 165 foot  4 inch casing makes a great path  for
> lightning.
>

I wonder what the actual fault path was?  Assume for a minute that the
pump wiring were bonded to the top of the casing.  If lightning hits,
everything should rise and fall together? or maybe not.. differential
current flows in the power wires and the casing, so there's a potential
difference?