[TowerTalk] getting the ufer ground effect with a burried painted section

[Clay Autery]

I am certainly no expert, have no detail information of your environment
or tower/foundation design/materials, and I suspect you will get many
more competent opinions than mine here, but here is my 2 cents for free:

* Considering the numbers involved in your average lightning strike, the
dissipation potential from even an "ideal Ufer" ground setup in the
average tower foundation will likely be of negligible benefit overall.

* An "adequate" lightning ground SYSTEM must dissipate an enormous
quantity of electrons over the largest area possible in the shortest
time period possible.  What is "adequate" is subject to discussion and
mathematics.

* Regardless with what you choose to coat the embedded tower section, or
indeed if you decided to blast it to bright metal, in my opinion, you
should not rely on the tower section or the tower foundation to
measurably increase the effectiveness of your lightning protection.

++++ In short:  don't worry about it.  Devote your attention toward the
REST of your lightning protection system.  <smile>

73,

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G

On 9/6/2017 11:55 AM, Jeff AC0C wrote:
> I’m pouring concrete for a tower base using a bottom section standing on gravel in the hole.  I had assumed that would prove some UFER ground benefit but wanted to ask because before placing the section into the hole it was painted well with the Rustoleum cold galvanizing paint.  
>
> I hope that I have not voided my ufer ground effect with the application of the paint.  Because here in the Midwest, lightning is definitely going to be a problem faced sooner than tower corrosion.
>
> 73/jeff/ac0c
> www.ac0c.com
> alpha-charlie-zero-charlie