On 4/12/12 6:22 AM, Michael Baker wrote:
Time-nutters--
Around here (N. Central Flori-DUH) it is not uncommon for
near-by lightning strikes to damage underground cables and
wiring. This is why buried wiring to things like driveway
gate-openers are often placed in conduit rather than done
with direct-burial wiring so that if lightning damages the
wiring a new cable can be pulled through the conduit without
having to re-dig the burial trench.
Some years ago I had occasion to hold some long discussions
with Martin Uman, one of the worlds most distinguished and
eminent lightning researchers. He commented that even with
the most extraordinary and costly efforts to install protection
measures, that-- sooner or later-- there was a good chance that
lightning would find a way to damage things.
Dr. Uman (and his colleague Dr. Rakov) probably know about lightning and
effects than any other humans alive. He's making an excellent point:
at some point, the cost to replace the gear (or the cost of being "off
the air") is smaller than the cost of the protection scheme.
Sometimes, you're better off having a sacrificial element, and a spare
in the closet for speedy repair.
His lightning research laboratory was located here in
N.Central Florida because it is in the heart of the most
dense strike area in N. America.
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