Shower / Bathe during a storm?

Palmpilot said:
I'm not surprised to hear it.

(I assume that TDS in this context means total dissolved solids.)
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Correct. Surface water generally has lower TDS (salts) than groundwater, but even then you're still looking at 50 - 100 mg/L of TDS at a minimum, or the water is too soft.

So to put things in to perspective, a typical bathtub holds about 150 liters of water, so it's going to contain at least 7.5 grams of salts and hardness, and up to about 75 grams at 500 mg/L (California's drinking water secondary standard.) Double that if the water is at 1,000 mg/L, the Federal secondary MCL.
 
Matthew said:
Like this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGoaXZwFlJ4
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Yup.....

Exactly like that guy...:yes::yes:..

His name was Jeff,,,, Never hurt on the job,,, picked up a gal at a bar one night 25 years ago..... Ended up dying of AIDS.........

Funny how life works... Ya work with 500,000 volts without even a slight hiccup or injury and a simple piece of ass kills you.....:sad::sad::sad::sad::(
 
N801BH said:
Funny how life works... Ya work with 500,000 volts without even a slight hiccup or injury and a simple piece of ass kills you.....:sad::sad::sad::sad::(
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Trust me, even if it doesn't kill you, it can still make your life miserable.
 
N801BH said:
Agreed....

An old friend worked for FP&L and did the high tension stuff 200k and up.. His mesh suit likes just like the shark suits you sometimes see..... They lowered him down by heli, he clamped onto the wire..
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How would you like to have been the FIRST person to have tried that? ENGINEER: "Trust me, you'll be fine!" WORKER: "Ummm, Ok....."


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So it's settled then: If you're going to shower or bathe during a storm, wear a metal mesh suit! :D
 
Coincidentally received today:
Yet another reputable agency/organization says it makes sense to stay off the plumbing during a storm:
 

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I think it's a good idea to stay away from conductors in general any time there's lightning around.
 
That segment comes from the movie "Straight up" an IMAX documentary about helicopters. The last line is the best.

"There are only three things that I've ever been afraid of: electricity, heights, and women. And I'm married too."
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
Coincidentally received today:

Yet another reputable agency/organization says it makes sense to stay off the plumbing during a storm:
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Reputable is debatable in weather forecasting. Haha. As electricians, probably even worse.
 
Clark1961 said:
Nobody said that you wouldn't get electrocuted if you were touching an electric appliance when lightning struck the house.

Unless I am mistaken, a shower/bath <> electrical appliance and last time I checked, 110v insulation isn't rated to continue insulating when lightning strikes.
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And you think the cheezy minimum bonding requirement in water piping is as well? The electrical code only provides protection against inadvertent energizing from the electrical supply.
 
flyingron said:
And you think the cheezy minimum bonding requirement in water piping is as well? The electrical code only provides protection against inadvertent energizing from the electrical supply.
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And in many older houses, the electrical ground is the cold water pipe....
 
Take it from an old lineman, electricity can do some very strange things.

If you're house is one of the older one's where they grounded to the galvanized piping, you could very well get killed in the shower.

I went to a house one time that was metal siding. The entire house was hot because the ground wire had broken, the neutral had broken, and anywhere you touched the outside of the house you'd get a tingle.
 
txflyer said:
Take it from an old lineman, electricity can do some very strange things.



If you're house is one of the older one's where they grounded to the galvanized piping, you could very well get killed in the shower.



I went to a house one time that was metal siding. The entire house was hot because the ground wire had broken, the neutral had broken, and anywhere you touched the outside of the house you'd get a tingle.
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Cool. Sounds like something I may want to do, since it seems crime around here is increasing by the day.

Can you post how to do this?


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Around 30 years ago, here in maryland two were killed by lightning in the rear seat of a car they were carpooling in. Around this time, two were killed standing on the rear of a cabin cruiser in the bay. But.....if you insist , take a shower in a thunderstorm ! Go for it!
 
RalphInCA said:
Cool. Sounds like something I may want to do, since it seems crime around here is increasing by the day.

Can you post how to do this?


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Step one: side your house with metal.
Step one (b): call your underwriter and get the biggest liability policy he will write you.

Step two: cut your ground wire and the neutral at the weatherhead.

Step three: wait for the screaming. :goofy:
 
txflyer said:
Step one: side your house with metal.
Step one (b): call your underwriter and get the biggest liability policy he will write you.

Step two: cut your ground wire and the neutral at the weatherhead.

Step three: wait for the screaming. :goofy:
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You forgot to somehow energize the siding. If there is enough juice flowing through it that it's warm, there is a bigger problem than just the grounding.
 
Sac Arrow said:
You forgot to somehow energize the siding. If there is enough juice flowing through it that it's warm, there is a bigger problem than just the grounding.
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The siding will energize from just the box being mounted to it or from one of the metal water pipes that still has a ground to it. There is no return feed for any imbalance when the neutral and ground rod wires are open.

Not to mention one or more subpanels in the house that are probably grounded to the same galvanized piping system will seek their own ground.
 
txflyer said:
The siding will energize from just the box being mounted to it or from one of the metal water pipes that still has a ground to it. There is no return feed for any imbalance when the neutral and ground rod wires are open.

Not to mention one or more subpanels in the house that are probably grounded to the same galvanized piping system will seek their own ground.
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Yes, I understand that.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
Around 30 years ago, here in maryland two were killed by lightning in the rear seat of a car they were carpooling in. Around this time, two were killed standing on the rear of a cabin cruiser in the bay. But.....if you insist , take a shower in a thunderstorm ! Go for it!
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4 dead in 30 years that is damn good odds compared to flying little airplanes.
 
flyingron said:
And you think the cheezy minimum bonding requirement in water piping is as well? The electrical code only provides protection against inadvertent energizing from the electrical supply.
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Bonding in water piping has exactly what to do with electric code?
 
Clark1961 said:
Bonding in water piping has exactly what to do with electric code?
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In Florida you could (I don't do this for a living any more) bond the ground wire to the copper water pipe or use two separate ground rods. Now that water pipes are plastic, I guess they don't do that.


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What timing..... My very first strike.. Not bad for 59 years of good luck..

As I was typing a response yesterday afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through.. Most intense lightening I have seen since leaving Fla 25 years ago. My house has a metal roof and metal siding.. One bolt came real close, at first I thought it was a direct hit but later walked the entire yard and found this mark /divot about 30 feet from the house... I cannot figure if it hit the fence and traveled to a puddle of standing water on the other way around...

One circuit in the sunroom and the hot tub pump breakers tripped.. The rest of the house's AC power systems are ok... Cable guy was out last night and stayed till 10 PM... Incoming cable line lost a trap at the street 800 feet away, another filter in the cable box on the side of my house took a small hit.... He removed both and now I am up a running,,, faster net speeds and all.. Go Figure..

So, it looks like total damage was

A computer switcher I use to change keyboard / mouse and monitor between 2 computers 40 dollar part..

The Bearcat BC350C Live ATC scanner.. It still scans and stops on freq when a signal is present, but no audio,, pulled out the external speaker plun that goes to the computer and the internal speaker in the scanner does not work so the audio circuit must be toast... I will call Dave @ LiveATC and buy another one to replace the dead one.. 50 dollars.

I lost my trusty but 20 year old Davis Weather Instruments ( Weather Monitor II)... Needed to update anyway.. Probably 300 dollars..

I consider myself pretty damn lucky.. it could have been ALOT worse..

Side note... The cat, upon hearing the massive thunder of the strike bolted... Found it late last night huddled in behind the firewood in my sunroom.. Still hiding this morning,, musta scared the siht out of her....:yikes:
 

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A couple of more pics...

The strike actually unlatched and blew open the gate..
 

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jsstevens said:
In Florida you could (I don't do this for a living any more) bond the ground wire to the copper water pipe or use two separate ground rods. Now that water pipes are plastic, I guess they don't do that.


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Most water pipe I see going in the ground is still copper.
 
N801BH said:
What timing..... My very first strike.. Not bad for 59 years of good luck..

As I was typing a response yesterday afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through.. Most intense lightening I have seen since leaving Fla 25 years ago. My house has a metal roof and metal siding.. One bolt came real close, at first I thought it was a direct hit but later walked the entire yard and found this mark /divot about 30 feet from the house... I cannot figure if it hit the fence and traveled to a puddle of standing water on the other way around...

One circuit in the sunroom and the hot tub pump breakers tripped.. The rest of the house's AC power systems are ok... Cable guy was out last night and stayed till 10 PM... Incoming cable line lost a trap at the street 800 feet away, another filter in the cable box on the side of my house took a small hit.... He removed both and now I am up a running,,, faster net speeds and all.. Go Figure..

So, it looks like total damage was

A computer switcher I use to change keyboard / mouse and monitor between 2 computers 40 dollar part..

The Bearcat BC350C Live ATC scanner.. It still scans and stops on freq when a signal is present, but no audio,, pulled out the external speaker plun that goes to the computer and the internal speaker in the scanner does not work so the audio circuit must be toast... I will call Dave @ LiveATC and buy another one to replace the dead one.. 50 dollars.

I lost my trusty but 20 year old Davis Weather Instruments ( Weather Monitor II)... Needed to update anyway.. Probably 300 dollars..

I consider myself pretty damn lucky.. it could have been ALOT worse..

Side note... The cat, upon hearing the massive thunder of the strike bolted... Found it late last night huddled in behind the firewood in my sunroom.. Still hiding this morning,, musta scared the siht out of her....:yikes:
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Lightning travels from the Earth to the cloud typically, so it probably came out of the puddle and across the fence on the way up.
 
:eek:


yXhxJEK.jpg


pQsiQmQ.jpg
 
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jsstevens said:
In Florida you could (I don't do this for a living any more) bond the ground wire to the copper water pipe or use two separate ground rods. Now that water pipes are plastic, I guess they don't do that.


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The way Ron wrote it made it sounded like he thought water pipes are bonded which is absurd. The current electric code is that the ground must be bonded within 6' of entrance of a conductive service line. The only reason I'm sure of that requirement is that I looked into upgrading my electric service a couple years ago and I would have had to tear out some finished ceiling to comply with the bonding requirement. The electrician said the city inspectors weren't cooperative in granting waivers.
 
Henning said:
Lightning travels from the Earth to the cloud typically, so it probably came out of the puddle and across the fence on the way up.
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Yup....

That makes sense.....

Also, I went to the airport this morning to wash the plane... OPned the garage door with the button on the wall... Backed the truck out and went to close the door with the clicker.....:nono::nono::nono:...

My other door I don't park in works perfectly... I am not sure if it will be easier to switch the boards out or just move the good opener to my side.. Probably a 1/2 job either way.. It is a Genie that is 25 years old. You can bet they don't make parts for it any more...
 
N801BH said:
I lost my trusty but 20 year old Davis Weather Instruments ( Weather Monitor II)... Needed to update anyway.. Probably 300 dollars..
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Why do you need a weather station in Wyoming. You know it's windy. You can use the calendar to guess the temperature...
 
N801BH said:
Yup....

That makes sense.....

Also, I went to the airport this morning to wash the plane... OPned the garage door with the button on the wall... Backed the truck out and went to close the door with the clicker.....:nono::nono::nono:...

My other door I don't park in works perfectly... I am not sure if it will be easier to switch the boards out or just move the good opener to my side.. Probably a 1/2 job either way.. It is a Genie that is 25 years old. You can bet they don't make parts for it any more...
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Probably as cheap to replace the pair as repair the one.
 
Henning said:
You might even make your insurance deductible...:lol:;) You may want to look for any other electrical anomalies like outlets not working as well.
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Ha.....
I have a 10 grand deductable.....:redface:
 
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