cougarjohn
Utah,USA
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Joined: 04/15/2003
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Lightning usually seeks the high spot. I would put a 10 ga. ground wire on your TV antenna to keep a possible lightning strike out of your camper. Lightning would do a lot of damage if it entered into your camper. People on golf courses are the #1 target every year.
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Cat320
Western AR
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Joined: 11/01/2005
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Get a surge guard. At least your electonics will be okay.
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bluck
Silver City, NM 88061 USA
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Joined: 01/01/2002
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Actually a surge protector is of little use protecting from lighting. It is more for slight voltage spikes normal to many electrical distribution systems. When I worked for the electric company customers who were worried about lighting were always told for some real protection they would need a lighting arrestor. Cost is more but so is the protection. Even with an arrestor you may not get 100% protection. I have lost two TVs and a computer to lighting all on surge protectors, one TV the lighting came in through the underground coax.
Also the poster that said a fiberglass sided rv would be more likley for damage. That would be true if they were wood framed. My trailer and most other fiberglass sided RVs have an alluminum frame which provides a metel frame around you.
When I worked in electricity we always thought the safest place during a storm was inside an electrical substation.
2004 Chevy.
Duramax-Allison
2004 Thor Mirage
Kawasaki Prarie 700
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Road Runners
Tampa Bay, Florida
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Joined: 12/19/2001
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I am sure someone knows more about this than I, but wouldn't a fiver with aluminum rafters, aluminum studs in the walls and metal frame underneath make an acceptable faraday cage for lightening protection of those inside?
'05' F-250 Power Stroke
'00' 30' Cameo Fifth Wheel
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Use2bBandman
Fredericktown, Missouri
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Joined: 11/18/2004
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Living on a hill, we have lost THREE tv's and various other electrical applicances, phones, etc.....and not because the house was struck but because the lightning strike was just close by. Now....on the other hand we were struck while driving our car down the highway through a storm.....and all electrical things, the computer, and ALL the tires had to be replaced. The tires each had a hole in them from the strike...and everything else just rather melted or shorted out. We were lucky.....just very frightened and a bit dazed for a few minutes.
John
John and Marsha
2001 F350 Ford,Diesel,CC,Long Bed
2005 Cedar Creek 5er: 37' RDQS
http://thehowserhouse.blogspot.com
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tdharley
Manorville, NY
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Joined: 01/10/2004
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Interesting reading from the National Lightning Safety Institute, especially the part about Fiberglass not being a good conductor:
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/vehicle_strike.html
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Sheila161
Massachusetts
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Joined: 10/08/2007
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We are in Vermont under 100 ft. pines, when a storm comes thru, we usually got to the lodge or the restrooms and unplug our camper! My thought is, the camper is insured and although we are, too, our lives are more important. I feel like I'm sitting in a soda can during a storm, not worth taking a chance a tree comes thru or it gets struck! We met a couple whose camper got lots of damage from a lightning strike that hit a tree about 20-30 ft away, it buckled the side of their camper and they lost appliances! We just kinda watch what's going on, and if it gets windy with lots of lightning, we move to the lodge! Then it's fun to watch the storm!
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Earl E
Klamath Falls, Oregon
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Joined: 04/16/2007
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The fact is that very few people get hit by lightening. It does happen but so seldom that I wouldn't worry about it. If you are going to worry about getting killed in your RV, then worry a lot more when you are traveling down the road. The odds of getting killed there are 1000's of times greater than lightening.
2008 Keystone Springdale 252
2004 Chevy Silverado, 5.3 L V8
Prodigy brake control and Equal-i-zer
Retired and traveling all we can!
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Blaster Man
USA
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Joined: 08/01/2007
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A surge guard will protect your RV from both high and low voltages. A little expensive, but worth it.
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kihutson
Daleville, Indiana
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Joined: 06/11/2007
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I looked up "Faraday Effect" and could not understand any of it. Can someone please break it down for the "electricity/lightening impaired"?? Thanks so much, in advance!
>> Kathy <<
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