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Old 13-05-2022, 15:51   #16
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

I have one of these but I think it may be defective. Every time lightning hits it the mast starts to vibrate and we hear the theme song from ghost busters movie. I actually have one of the bullsh$t buttons. You can find them on Amazon. I had another one that had the lion from The Lion King that said “I’m surrounded by IDIOTS!” Had to take it out of my office as too many people came by to see and hear it. Couldn’t get any work done. SNAKE OIL. ANACONDA SIZE SNAKE OIL!
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Old 14-05-2022, 04:59   #17
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

LIGHTNING KILLED MY PRIUS!
A Toyota Prius Is Struck By Lightning [the driver is fine, but the Prius is toast]
Video ➥ https://www.motor1.com/news/585786/v...-toyota-prius/

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Old 14-05-2022, 05:23   #18
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Mouse milk. Ditto to all the "prevention doesn't work, mitigation does" posts.

The reason is that lightning before it strkes is a static electrical charge. As such it is in no way dependent on conductive qualities, but does concentrate on the highest, sharpest point available. Once it strikes, it is ordinary conductive electricity in massive proportions, and will follow multiple available lowest resistance routes to ground. You can mitigate that by supplying the easiest routes, but only a bit because the charge is so awesomely large.

This device may supply a tiny amount of protection by being rounded. It can be marketed, and the company make big bucks, because there is no way to disprove it's efficiency. Very few boats are hit by lightning, so it worked, and if a boat so equipped is struck, then that was a special case that not even this very effective device could block.
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Old 14-05-2022, 07:25   #19
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Timber mast and dyneema?
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Old 14-05-2022, 09:07   #20
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tkeithlu View Post
[Lighting] does concentrate on the highest, sharpest point available.
Nope.

Here in the midwest US, water well heads get struck... all--the--time. (Well heads are the tops of the well casing, the pipe that goes into the ground, 10's to 100's of feet.) They are only inches above ground. Lighting will seek them out and 'ignore' nearby trees, buildings, poles etc. Well pump repair guys love electrical storms ($$$$).

And from what I understand (based on the info posted by Gord May and doing my own research) mitigation is effective, prevention is not. If you're gonna get hit? You're gonna get hit. Your only option is to provide the hit a passage to ground that you hope the charge will take, and minimize the damage in the process.
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Old 14-05-2022, 09:23   #21
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sparau View Post
Timber mast and dyneema?
Trees are a popular strike target.

Takes a healthy sized down conductor to protect wood.
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Old 14-05-2022, 14:08   #22
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

At the risk of thread derailment; has anyone with dyneema rigging suffered a lightning strike and care to report how it fared?
I understand it has a low melting point. I can’t imagine that is a good combination with lightning.
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Old 14-05-2022, 14:12   #23
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Where I grew up as a boy pine trees on sandy ridges were prime targets for lightning strikes. They would explode leaving a stand of splintered shafts sticking up out of the ground.

I'd say the probable cause of both wells and trees being struck was because they were the best earthed things sticking up out of the ground well and truly earthed down into a conductive water table or moist strata.
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Old 14-05-2022, 14:35   #24
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

You can not prevent a lightning strike but you can influence where the strike hits. When the atmosphere is charged, many leaders start to form and those are required for the strike to trigger. Not all forming leaders attract a strike.

Read up on St Elmo’s fire.

Mitigation is #1 priority. For monohulls it can 100% protect against sinking from holes blown through the hull or blown out skin fittings. For catamarans it is much more difficult but still a high level of protection is achievable.

Damage to electronics is not really preventable.
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Old 14-05-2022, 14:45   #25
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RaymondR View Post
I'd say the probable cause of both wells and trees being struck was because they were the best earthed things sticking up out of the ground well and truly earthed down into a conductive water table or moist strata.

I'd say you're right. The interesting thing (to me) is that well heads stick up inches above the ground, and get hit, when trees, poles, buildings, etc mere feet away are often untouched.
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Old 14-05-2022, 14:55   #26
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by japawil View Post
At the risk of thread derailment; has anyone with dyneema rigging suffered a lightning strike and care to report how it fared?
I understand it has a low melting point. I can’t imagine that is a good combination with lightning.


I cant answer that exact question. But i have spent some time at a HV lab destroying some plastic. Plastic including virgin white teflon. Even if the melting point of the plastic is not reached, rather explosive damage can be caused by steam.
So, I am going to guess that wet dyneema may suffer from that. Or maybe not, since it is a rather open braid. Dunno.
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Old 14-05-2022, 15:36   #27
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

If it is holding up an aluminum mast then the Dyneema should do fine, if the mast is wood or carbon fiber then you will probably have a real horse race.


Years back I was fooling with a HF radio antenna and ordered a piece of 1/8" Dyneema and threaded a #18 Teflon insulated wire through the single braid. Didn't know Dyneema from nylon, but it was single braid, had a hole in the middle, and it wasn't polypropylene. Worked fine when hoisted from the aft corner of the hull.

Considering the dire consequences of having a non/ poor conductor (middle finger salute) pointed at Thor (think about the pine tree story) might try threading a piece of say bare #6/ 8 AWG wire through the middle of the port and stbd non conducting cap shrouds and then connecting them to the sea surface.

"Don't think I could sleep at all last night" down here in Florida with an ungrounded mast.


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An it wouldn't be the rocking and rolling.
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Old 14-05-2022, 15:43   #28
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankly View Post
"Don't think I could sleep at all last night" down here in Florida with an ungrounded mast.
Don't blame you. I think one of the articles I read said the chances of a mast getting hit (US) is around 1:1000. Except in FL where is is 3:1000.
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Old 14-05-2022, 17:20   #29
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

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To bad I didn't know about the "prevention system" before last week when we got hit.

Did it also fry your engine starter or was that spared?
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Old 15-05-2022, 03:38   #30
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Re: Lightning prevention system.

I used to wonder how lightning worked.
Then it struck me.


Q: Why do we always see lightning before the thunder noise comes?
A: Our eyes are at the front of our head.

Q: How do meteorologist track lightning strikes?
A: They use a Thor-mometer.
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