[Altavia]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

Does a pool cage act as a lightening rod? Ours is grounded by a very small conductor, maybe 8 gage bare copper and the ground rod its hooked too is not very deep, I think it was 3 or 4 feet long.

No, the bird cage should be protected also, typically an air terminal and ground rod at the outside corners.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I answered my own question. I called A1 and scheduled an estimate ($2000 to $2200 for a 3/2 villa). When the roof needs to be replaced, the roofer is not licensed to reinstall the system. A1 will do it for $700.


He's had over 200 calls this week. He's booked into March but is fitting smaller homes in if you don't mind weekend work. Right now we're scheduled for early December.

I would reach out to Triangle. Their prices may be slightly higher but you will get a better install date. My neighbor just got end of August. Both companies do basically the same excellent job so you can go with either company.

[Malsua]

For what it's worth, I know the lady whose court yard villa was struck by lightning during that storm a month or so ago.

She's 97 years old, saw the flash, heard the boom and went back to watching TV.

Fortunately, she's a spry 97 and has great neighbors who have the door code to her home.

They came in and informed her that her home was on fire. They got her right out of there.
The power never went off!

I'm a Home Inspector and was asked to inspect the home 3 doors down that is for sale so she could stay in the same neighborhood.

On my way out, I grabbed a 360 camera view of the lightning and subsequent fire damage. You can spin the view any direction you'd like as you watch.

You can view it here:

https://youtu.be/ttEo3DZnhok?si=PsFU9Pjp4Z4pWO7S

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Malsua

...

On my way out, I grabbed a 360 camera view of the lightning and subsequent fire damage. You can spin the view any direction you'd like as you watch.

You can view it here:

https://youtu.be/ttEo3DZnhok?si=PsFU9Pjp4Z4pWO7S

Thankful for good neighbors but devestating for the homeowner I'm sure.

Any hints where it struck/started?

[jrref]

Both A1 and Triangle will install the system to UL specifications which is why the install will be the same.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Malsua

For what it's worth, I know the lady whose court yard villa was struck by lightning during that storm a month or so ago.

She's 97 years old, saw the flash, heard the boom and went back to watching TV.

Fortunately, she's a spry 97 and has great neighbors who have the door code to her home.

They came in and informed her that her home was on fire. They got her right out of there.
The power never went off!

I'm a Home Inspector and was asked to inspect the home 3 doors down that is for sale so she could stay in the same neighborhood.

On my way out, I grabbed a 360 camera view of the lightning and subsequent fire damage. You can spin the view any direction you'd like as you watch.

You can view it here:

https://youtu.be/ttEo3DZnhok?si=PsFU9Pjp4Z4pWO7S

Thanks for the pictures. Looking at the fire damage, it appears the fire may have started or accelerated over the garage based on how the entire garage ceiling fell basically in one piece. That home has the old yellow CSST flexible gas pipe. It would be interesting to know from a professional.

[Malsua]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Thankful for good neighbors but devestating for the homeowner I'm sure.

Any hints where it struck/started?

It clearly hit above the garage, specifics beyond that are impossible for me to tell, although one of the neighbors might have seen the hole before it burned.

[Malsua]

Originally Posted by jrref

Thanks for the pictures. Looking at the fire damage, it appears the fire may have started or accelerated over the garage based on how the entire garage ceiling fell basically in one piece. That home has the old yellow CSST flexible gas pipe. It would be interesting to know from a professional.

So the home I inspected 3 doors down does not have gas.

Looking at the 360 video, that's a heat pump air handler, not a furnace with AC coils.

I'm 99.99% sure there is no gas piped into that home. I have only inspected only a few dozen homes right around that particular area and I don't recall any of them having gas. You start running into gas further north, further south and to the west but not right there in those homes built in the 90s.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Malsua

So the home I inspected 3 doors down does not have gas.

Looking at the 360 video, that's a heat pump air handler, not a furnace with AC coils.

I'm 99.99% sure there is no gas piped into that home. I have only inspected only a few dozen homes right around that particular area and I don't recall any of them having gas. You start running into gas further north, further south and to the west but not right there in those homes built in the 90s.

This is interesting. Are you talking about the house in Sunset Pointe or Charlotte? Because I know someone who lives about 900 feet from the home that burned in sunset pointe and he and all his neighbors have gas. But I do know that some people have removed the gas from their house because of the CSST gas pipe problems years ago.

Edit: looking at the video again, that looks like the house that burned in Spanish springs.

[Malsua]

Originally Posted by jrref

the house that burned in Spanish springs.

Yes, this house is on La Jolla circle, off Rio Grande, Spanish Springs area.

Built in late 98 or early 99.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Malsua

Yes, this house is on La Jolla circle, off Rio Grande, Spanish Springs area.

Built in late 98 or early 99.

Ok those don’t have gas