[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by In awe of TV

Would this not have happened if the house were all electric??

Probably has nothig to do with it.

[SteveFromNY]

Originally Posted by GMONEY

SECO can do the system for the house also. But they will tell you up front, it will not protect from a direct strike. This is from SECO's websiteon the home surge protecton system.

"5. Will it protect me from something as severe as a direct lightning strike?
No!- nothing is a complete guarantee from a direct lightning strike. Lightning has been
measured well in excess of 250,000 amps. No SPD device currently available can
effectively handle such high surge energy."

I have seen mutliple buildings with Protection with big burn marks and burnt down even with Protection installed. If it is a direct Hit, nothing will help.
We had a hit in our place yesterday. neighbor house got struck. messed the lania up pretty good.

Gmoney - doesn't SECO only do the whole house surge protector? I did not think they also did the rods or grounded gas lines.

And where are some of the multiple buildings with protection that you mention? I would very much like to get a better understanding of the risks.

How the install gets done is important. One of the foks near me has rods on the roof but the ground lines cross the gutters which I understand is a against "code". I would expect if they took a hit the groun wires would cross with the gutters and cause sever damage. The job just appears wrong.

And what of all the large buildings in cities with documented multiple direct hits per year? Why did a protection system work for them? What is the basis for your conjecture that "nothing will help"?

Sorry, I don't mean to be annoying, but I have put consierable faith in the fact that the system will protect my home from catastrophe. And I'd like a better unerstanding of what you are basically saying is a complete waste of money and I shouldn't trust it.

[Hawkwind]

Can anyone tell me why the gas lines are or were not not run through the slab. The floor plans for all the homes of a certain model are all the same for the stove, furnace and water heater locations. I know it is easer to work on if located in the attic but look the the results.

This maybe a moot point since all new construction is all electric.

[Ooper]

One reason why the gas lines are run in the attic, as well as the water lines, is this: As the concrete slab cures over the years, it has a tendency to crack and settle. This is normal. A gas or water line in a slab near one of these cracks could be damaged to the point of rupture. It would be very difficult to find where the damage was and repair it. It could be just short of jack-hammering much of your floor. I don't think there is any house in The Villages that is more than a year or two old that does not have cracks in the slab. If the lines were run in the slabs, I am not an expert, but I would bet that there would be a lot more problems with this design than with the lines run in the attics.

[OutsiderWithInterest]

Originally Posted by SteveFromNY

Gmoney - doesn't SECO only do the whole house surge protector? I did not think they also did the rods or grounded gas lines.

And where are some of the multiple buildings with protection that you mention? I would very much like to get a better understanding of the risks.

How the install gets done is important. One of the foks near me has rods on the roof but the ground lines cross the gutters which I understand is a against "code". I would expect if they took a hit the groun wires would cross with the gutters and cause sever damage. The job just appears wrong.

And what of all the large buildings in cities with documented multiple direct hits per year? Why did a protection system work for them? What is the basis for your conjecture that "nothing will help"?

Sorry, I don't mean to be annoying, but I have put consierable faith in the fact that the system will protect my home from catastrophe. And I'd like a better unerstanding of what you are basically saying is a complete waste of money and I shouldn't trust it.

IMHO, I would rethink putting "considerable faith" in ANY SYSTEM designed to protect you from lightning. Lightning goes where it wants, and there is nothing that humans have devised that can stop it (I am open to be corrected here on large-scale systems, but for residential homes, I stand by this). If a home experiences a direct hit or a near-miss, consider your precautions worthless.

This is not to say that lightning rods and other larger-scale systems are useless. They can help "guide" direct hits away from the main structures. Whole house protection isn't really a bad idea either. I just wanted to address the "faith" part. Remember, in the end though, this rule still applies:

Lightning goes where IT WANTS.

Although it is annoying to manage, there is one guaranteed method to save your electronics from lightning (unless your home burns down): Unplug them from the outlet. Yes, it is a nuisance, but IT WILL save thousands of dollars over the years. I can attest to that.

Unplug your phones & cable modems too. Lightning loves to eat those things.

[chuckinca]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Do you have a house?

a few, but none with gas in the attic, especially where lightning strikes are common.


.

I volunteer in the Study Group on Lightning. Most recently,we have authored articles in the VHA and POA newsletters this past June to help Villagers make an informed decision on lightning protection for their homes. This includes both the direct lightning that was experienced again this week in Va. Trace and the more common indirect lightning strikes that damage your electronic equipment. We have a 30-minute Power Point presentation that we offer to Village clubs and groups. The presenatation is intended to inform and claify many of the myths and misunderstandings about lightning - many examples of this are displayed in this discussion by other contributors. Again, we are Village volunteers and not affilated with any firm that is in anyway associated with the lightning protection industry. Please contact us at lhatha@aol.com if you are interested in scheduling a presentation.

[twynsmom]

IrhnhI, Do you have a site on line that we could read your findings?

[champion6]

Here they are:

POA Website Go down to page 10.

VHA Website

[SteveFromNY]

Thanks Champion6 - I read both articles and my faith is restored.

[twynsmom]

Thank you, Champion6

Thanks for the helpful links

[DugCave]

I would replace the furnace, water heater and stove with total electric. Do away with gas line. Problem solved.

[Yoda]

DugCave, does that C130 have significance? I crewed one with skis in the 1960's, "021"

Yoda

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by DugCave

I would replace the furnace, water heater and stove with total electric. Do away with gas line. Problem solved.

Not exactly... An all-electric home would not have the incendiary effect of gas, but being all-electric does not prevent a lightning strike. And lightning can ignite flammable materials pretty quickly....