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Lightning and neutral wire question

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Re: Lightning and neutral wire question

#26

Re: I appreciate the replies...

mikeee12345

It is only a matter of time before your house is affected by lightning. Lightning rod protection

is warranted in many areas of the country where lightning storms are common place. There are

thousands of lightning strikes around the world on a daily basis. Installing a reliable lightning

protection system is a complex solution depending on the geography of the area and the type of

structure you reside in. There is a design concept referred to as the Rolling Sphere Method in determining

the coverage of each lightning rod on a system. For any lightning rod system to effectively protect your

structure and contents the system needs to be able to direct the energy to a ground grid large enough to

absorb the high voltage strike. These systems usually have large aluminum or copper conductors to carry

the high voltage currents away from the structure to the ground grid.

The Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor systems are only as good as the level of protection they are designed to absorb from a incoming surge. A multi-level protection is the best protection, surge protection at the incoming meter, surge protection at the panel and surge protection at the individual equipment. This design captures the bulk of the surge at the meter and captures the remainder of the surge along the circuit as it makes it's way to the end of the line. Some of these systems are good for a period of time and a direct strike will decrease the effectiveness of the device over time. Some of these devices have LED lights and indicators that will alarm when the unit has failed. The lesser quality units will fail and leave you unprotected when the next surge comes down the line.

Re: Lightning and neutral wire question

#27

Re: Lightning and neutral wire question

mikeee12345

Oh Boy, now we get to explain the difference between grounding and bonding. :-)

This could take a while......most people in the industry have a difficult time grasping the difference.

This has taken several hundred years to get it right and they still have a ways to go in getting

the electrical code corrected to address all of the concerns related to grounding and bonding

of the different electrical systems used these days.

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