Lightning arresters

[Jogeephus]

Does anyone know of any real good lightning arresters you can put on well pumps? I have had two strikes on two seperate wells and am little miffed. Lightning resistors apparantly are useless. IMO

Also, if anyone knows who I loaned my nurse tank to several months ago during the height of the drought please let me know. I really need it right now. (I can't remember if the fella said he would bring it back when he was through or when it was through)

 

[backhoeboogie]

Dig you a deep ditch to get your ground into the wet earth, and erect a flag pole with the ground all the way up the core of the pole. Make the flag pole taller than anything else around.

The lightening arrestors we have at the plant look almost like wire brushes, connected to a copper ground. They take a lot of hits.

 

[Beefy]

we have a well on the farm get hit about once a year or so it seems. (mine more than any of the others)

 

[Howdyjabo]

I've never had a pump hit(and theres six of them on the farm)-- Is it because i have well houses of some sort over them?

 

[MikeC]

Problem is the lightening can travel in from the power lines and/or water lines.

My well man dropped my 5 HP pump using "Schedule 80" - 2" PVC.

Said he's never had lightening hit a submersible pump using it.

Time will tell.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Theres my answer- all of ours are submersible .

 

[backhoeboogie]

Theres my answer- all of ours are submersible .

That was my biggest problem. 320 foot of steel casing extending 85 feet into the water table is the best ground you can get. That is what lightening wants to do, go to ground. Plus I live on top of a flat hill on the highest point around for miles. My submersible was getting fried regularly - a couple of times it was the wire running to it but you don't know until you pull it.

They are now using PCV casing and I hear it is much better.

 

[Jogeephus]

Not to bust anyone's bubble but this one was a submersible pump. Lightning hit the tranformer and blew the top off it, then traveled down the wire to the breaker box where it tripped the breaker and fried the lightning arrester, it then followed the wire from the box underground to the pressure switch - fried it - then to the capacitor - fried it. After replacing all this stuff, pump started working but began pumping mud after a few minutes.

Tried pulling the pipe out but it wouldn't give. Turns out the lightning followed the wire down toward the pump and blew a big hole in the PVC casing and the side of the well caved in on the pump. Hooked a winch to it and eased it up ever so gently. Four hours later the pump broke off and its down in the bottom of the well now. (Didn't cuss, not once, I just walked off in the woods and meditated until I had tears in my eyes.)

Bought a new pump and dropped it down in the hole but the well ain't half as deep as it used to be and the pump sucked it dry in a couple of minutes. So tomorrow morning, I'll be digging another well.

It sure is nice living next to the lightning capital of the world but I keep reminding myself it could have been worse.

On the positve side, I did find my nurse tank and only had to drive to the next county to get it. It was missing a few parts and didn't have any gas in but after a couple of hours I was able to find the parts and get it running just like it was when I loaned it out.

This is by far the worst strike I have had. I seriously doubt any lightning protecter would stop a strike such as this. The idea about redirecting the lightning might work though. Though kinda thought 100 foot tall pine trees would take a hit before a 45' telephone pole but I guess its the wires and stuff.

Anyway, I'll give it another go. I'm getting pretty dog gone good at the well stuff and if I don't get electricuted wiring it up tomorrow the girls should be drinking by 2:00.

Someone recently asked what you do with your extra cow money - well apparantly I dig a deep hole and throw it in there. :oops: :lol:

 

[msscamp]

Does anyone know of any real good lightning arresters you can put on well pumps?

I don't know if it would work on well pumps, but we had a problem with an irrigation pump on the main ditch shutting down due to lightning strikes. We just had it re-wired to restart automatically following the lightning strike.

 

[newrancher]

JOGEE, awful sorry about your well, my wife says I need some meditation lessons at times. I dont think any kind of lightning arrestor is going to save you from a direct hit like you took. A mateur radio operators use some uniqe grounding systems, what with all that aluminum up in the air but no system is foolproof. You might try one of those sights for some ideas.

 

[backhoeboogie]

My FIL actually fished out a dropped pump 270 foot down. He rigged a half coupling latch on the end of the pipe and turned the pipe until it caught the dropped pipe. He then ever so gently lifted the old pump and two sticks of pipe out of the hole. Got his picture in several newspapers with the write up story.

 

[Jogeephus]

My FIL actually fished out a dropped pump 270 foot down. He rigged a half coupling latch on the end of the pipe and turned the pipe until it caught the dropped pipe. He then ever so gently lifted the old pump and two sticks of pipe out of the hole. Got his picture in several newspapers with the write up story.

He is sounds like a lucky and patient man. I guess if I considered myself lucky - or talented - I'd try it. But this is the third well I've had get hit this summer so I think it is pointless to attempt to fish it out or buy lottery tickets for that matter.

Got the new well going just before two. Getting good at this. :roll: :lol:

Dug a new well today and

 

[tytower]

Well lightning is going to go to earth at the nearest point it can find in the area of the strike.

If it can get a good ground down a steel well then so it goes. If you can put in a plastic pipe then the water itself will still offer a suitable ground but is probably going to be less attractive to lightning. If you can make something nearby more attractive then you might suck it away

A steel pole with a good copper wire radial ground system radiating out from it might do it - Google radio grounding systems
I have a radio beam antenna at 50 foot with a strong ground system but have never been hit by lightning

I was going to say I have not heard of Nurse Tank around here but she sounds tough and maybe rough , not to my particular liking . Now you have her back I would give her anything her little heart desires .

What does a 400 lb parrot say when he sees you . Polly want's a cracker RIGHT B...Y NOW !

 

[Beef11]

Before i die i would like to see a pigeon get struck by lightning. If i could figure out away to adhere one to the top of a flag pole with an electric storm coming i might get it done. I could always have my mother inlaw put it up there during the storm. hmmmmmm.

 

[Jogeephus]

Before i die i would like to see a pigeon get struck by lightning. If i could figure out away to adhere one to the top of a flag pole with an electric storm coming i might get it done. I could always have my mother inlaw put it up there during the storm. hmmmmmm.

Why settle for a pigeon? How bout a buzzard? (I don't like those things.)

Tytower, I'm slow and need a hint to the ... :oops: Oh, a nurse tank is a 1000 gal water tank on wheels.

 

[Beef11]

We don't have many buzzards up here in Idaho. I forgot about them, we had alot in Carolina. I guess a pigeon or Buzzard would be adequate.

 

[Paul54]

I have 2 water wells that are out in the open without any covering. I have an 8' ground rod on ea., and have not lost a well to lightning. Though, I beleive a hit like you took would kill my wells. Sorry for your loss. :(

 

[Jogeephus]

Seems I got off lucky. A guy I know had his hit the same weekend. (We had a bad lightning storm) It fried his well then traveled into his house burning up everything electronic. He is going to have to re-wire his whole house. I feel lucky by comparison.

 

[ollie?]

I'd go with a spark gap followed by a good fast arrestor. All well grounded.
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&s ... ap&spell=1

 

[ollie?]

I'd go with a spark gap followed by a good fast arrestor MOV probably. All well grounded.
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&s ... ap&spell=1