Another lightning strike another Well Control Box

[bmaverick]

Is this what you are suggesting?

Amazon.com

Yes, but the wire looks too THIN to really do anything. 6mm or 1/4-inch wire is NOT going to save the building from a strong violent lightening strike. 3/8 to 5/8 thick will survive multiple hits before needing a replacement. Think of the wire as a fuse. The thicker the wire, the more power can run thru it. 5A fuse vs 20A fuse. In this case, what can withstand a bad strike and function if the storm hits 2 or 3 times more!

Another option to save cost is, buy long threaded black pipe, run it up along the house with standoffs, and connect the THICK cable from the lightening rod mast to the pipe.

The black pipe acts as the down conductor.

The image above needs stand-offs. WHY? well, who wants to scrub or repaint the wall after the strike happens! Even plaster outside walls will show the char.

So stand-offs saves you from plenty of cleaning and painting.

 

[bmaverick]

My great aunt had an old lightning rod system on her old farmhouse. It had the globe on each rod and twisted wrought iron all the way down to the ground. Come to think of it she had the old standing seam metal roof too.

Metal roofs for down conducts are done this way. I laugh when being inside a building with them as the whole place shakes violently when it takes a strike.

 

[bmaverick]

For people who need more into to protect their homes, workshops, garages, barns, or solar installation, this here is an easy read.

Lightning Protection Overview - Lightning Protection Institute

IF the wire needs to BEND, it has to be a certain minimum radius, else it will not move the energy properly.

Once you are educated in the simplicity of how these work, make a parts list and make one for your needs.

 

[5030]

Sounds to me like you need to install some type of clamping device on your input feed to the control box.

 

[bmaverick]

Sounds to me like you need to install some type of clamping device on your input feed to the control box.

And to be in the opposite ground field from the lightening strike earth ground field drawn away from the house.

The higher the joule clamping rating the better the protection on electrical powered devices.

 

[steve tym]

When the national electrical code made us ground motors in 1990 and casing in 1993, we thought lightning strikes would multiply, they did not, they deminished.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The one I see goes by the main breaker box, have to have a open spot for a breaker for the surge protector.

some wire them in with the mains incoming, some people will piggy back on a breaker. maybe not code, but works the same.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

@WoodChuckDad congratulations on diagnosing the issue and getting it fixed. But, wow 177F seems like a dangerous default for the water heater to jump to.

Isn't rapid shipping wonderful?

All the best,

Peter

Very dangerous. Pex tubing is rated to 180 degrees at 100 PSI

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Sounds to me like you need to install some type of clamping device on your input feed to the control box.

I’m not sure what you mean.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

It happened again last night. Lightening storm took out the well control box. I’m not sure if I should just start a new thread or roll with this one.
I have a spare capacitor that I bought when I bought this new well pump control box
This is a two horsepower franklin brand 230 V control box. The original capacitor is BMI brand 105-126 UF. 220 VAC. The replacement is SeaKnight brand. 105-126UF 250VAC
When I bought the control box, Amazon recommended this capacitor as a replacement.
First Question
how do I know that I am connecting it properly? The Prongs are not marked. The only marking on the underside of the original is a number 4. Using the white hole as a reference point, I connected the replacement identically as the original.
In a prior incident, I used a capacitor that appeared to be rated slightly lower than the original and it blew a hole in the top, venting a gas or smoke into the room. I would very much like to not do that again. It scared me
Is the way I did it correct?
This is oroginal

This is the replacement

Second question
I could see an electrical storm rolling in so I turned off the breaker to the well pump. The storm was very dynamic with lots of loud lightning strikes. None seemed to be extremely close, but at one point we heard a distinctive electrical crack from the mechanical room. Easy to hear from bed because the master bath is unfinished, with no doors and the mechanical room is on the side of master bath. When that happened there was a corresponding flash outside but not a loud boom that would indicate a close strike
This morning, I turned the breaker back on, the pump came on and within a few seconds I heard a click that made me think the well box was turning off- the click sounded like when the reset buttons have tripped in the past. But the pump kept working. About an hour later, I was in bed and heard another click and soon there after my wife informed me that there was no water.
In a nearly Saint-like manner, and without any profanities I told my wife that I would take a look at it.
How could the storm take out the control box if I had the breaker turned off? Is it possible that a lightning strike went thru the ground and voltage came up from the well? How did this happen?