Working in a storm - cautionary tale about Lightning - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Panzer5 · 05-11-2009, 08:09 AM

Getting ready for a job last week, I was working in my shop & loading tools into my truck. A thunderstorm struck - and I stepped back into my garage to get my gortex.

Just as I got inside, a bolt of lightning hit not 100 yards from me. The flash and HUGE boom were simultaneous (easily as loud as any artillery strikes I've heard).

I went out front to see if I could locate the point of impact, and discovered my neighbor's chimney had exploded. The lightning apparently superheated the masonry & blew the thing apart. (see the pic).

Not something I want to mess with!

nEighter · 05-11-2009, 08:16 AM

WOW! Glad you are safe man! Anything in the house fry?

SelfContract · 05-11-2009, 08:38 AM

HOLY SMOKING COW!!!

Panzer5 · 05-11-2009, 08:45 AM

The firefighters who responded told me that some of the bricks had punched through the drywall in her upstairs room. (She wasn't home & no one was hurt). The thunder destroyed her glass deck table (perfect ring of shattered safety glass on the deck out back...).

I do know the firefighters turned off her power & water - but whether that was simply for safety or whether one of the pipes leaked, I don't know...

Mike(VA) · 05-11-2009, 08:48 AM

Looks like you may have a job close to home.

A W Smith · 05-11-2009, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike(VA)

Looks like you may have a job close to home.

Just what I was thinking LOL

Hey Panzer you have nothing to worry about if your not made out of bricks and mortar! LOL

Trim40 · 05-12-2009, 08:18 AM

Get up there and fix it. What do you have to worry about? Lightning never strikes the same place twice, right?

**framerman** · 05-12-2009, 12:18 PM

My neighbor was washing clothes in a thunderstorm. She came up to the lid to shut it as a bolt struck. Threw her across the house. Toasted all the wiring in the home.

She had to be checked for a few months. Something about your cells breaking down. Came out the bottom of her feet. Nothing to mess with.

You'd think by now we could harness the electricity from lightning and power a city or two.

RobertCDF · 05-28-2009, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by framerman

You'd think by now we could harness the electricity from lightning and power a city or two.

I have been asking that question for 13-14 years.

I had a framer friend get hit with what everyone else who saw it called it a "spur" off the big bolt. Knocked him down good.

I was working the other day in a storm with my partner and he was saying how he did not like working in the lighting I said " I dont mind so much " since I was carrying a ladder at the time I guess it showed. But I have been known to do dumb things before so its not the first.

ampman · 06-17-2009, 08:32 PM

look at my post to 480 's thread about tornados anyway i've seen where all the wire in post light was striped clean away from the insulation and the bare copper was almost gold in color after a strike

ampman · 06-17-2009, 08:35 PM

another thing is you can hear lightning (not the thunder) and when you do duck and cover