We were talking about lightening strikes between us a few days ago. I am interested in others opinions, do you guys think disconnects with fuses can help save a condensing unit from a lightening strike?
Elderly couple calls in, No cool...says nothins comin on. Fuse on the control board is poped...everything looks in order...i figure the lawn guy hit the 2 wire with the weedeater or somethin. I walk around back and see this. I really don't know why the house didn't burn to the ground. The old guy looks at me...takes drag off his cigar...and dead serious says " How much are the parts gonna cost me to fix it?" I replied " About $500 dollars more than what a new Condensor, whip and disconnect box would cost you."
We were talking about lightening strikes between us a few days ago. I am interested in others opinions, do you guys think disconnects with fuses can help save a condensing unit from a lightening strike?
Nothing looks bad inside that units wiring compartment.
Whats the matter, don't you carry electrical tape on your truck?
Looks like you need a new disconnect, some wire and your good to go!!!
I think the only way would be a whole house surge protection system, and the proper ground for your homes electrical distribution system. I don't think any fuse on earth would help a lightning strike. Possibly a lightning rod above the condenser could protect it? That's a good question. I really don't know. Maybe some others with more electrical experience can answer that.
I had lightning take out my controller board on a Lennox a few years ago. Cost 20% the price of the entire system. Took out a few other things in the house at the same time.
I installed a surge supressor on the house supply and added supressors to all electronics inside. Hope it will save me in the long run.
If it were me, I would be concerned the lineset did not have burned oil and/or refrigerant in it... Sure hate to put a new condenser on a burnt system...
Might do an acid check when the new unit is on, and if necessary add some 'acid away'...
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i have seen lightning riddle the evap coil with pin holes...also worked at a gas station that electrifies the tanks in some way ..to slow the deterioration of the tanks they said...copper lines would knock the crap outta you...also riddle the evap coil with pin holes...you might watch out for that...just sayin
From the lightning capital (and my past experience with broadcast engineering), a high-quality SINGLE ground is the best prevention from direct strikes. Surge suppression can help but grounding is the ultimate solution. The goal is to make your grounding the most attractive pathway for lightning to reach the ground. This also is why you should only have a single ground point -- you don't want the path between equipment to be more conductive than your grounds.
When it comes to true direct hits, there's only so much you can do. The one thing I've noticed in the numerous strikes I've seen to radio towers and broadcast facilities, is that lightning doesn't seem to like to make 90 degree turns, particularly when the turn is near the ground. Lightning will keep heading down and jump the gap between the wire and the ground rather than travel inside the building.
I use to do lighting clams for state farm. Only about .1% of claims were legit. You should of seen some of the cheats they sent us. A Quarter of the compressers would start right up it was just the overload protecter. Had one guy put his torch to the electrical panal, but you could see the back and forth movement of the torch. last time I checked lighting follows fastest route to ground not back and forth. this also answers you question. It when striaght to ground and not back into the house, but if hit the house somewhere else and traveled though the fuse it would just jump over the 3 inch gap like it was not even there. hell it just jumped a mile to hit the ground don,t think 3 inchs is going to phase it
Was this a direct strike to the condenser? Or was the house struck too? Can't you get some sort of lightning rod? I think Ben Franklin invented them. I was watching some kind of electricity show on History channel and the Empire state building gets struck by lightning like 10,000 times a year.
Won't it just buff out.
I have my doubts that was lightining.
I don't see a seperate ground in the Sealtite. You said the terminal blew.
It looks like it went to ground. The Sealtite was a lousy ground and heated up before the resistance got low open something.
Well i wasn't standing next to the thing when it went (thank god). But there was
a pencil sized hole just below the buzz bar, through the coil, and through the sheet metal
the contactor was mounted too. I didn't see until the guys at the shop started bustin scrap. I dunno haven't seen any forsure lightning strikes before, but i've seen plenty of grounded compressors and more than few blown terminal blocks. But one things forsure
the HO bought a new Condensor, whip and disconnect...So be it grounded or act of god
we sold them new equipment.