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Message
Can lightning follow water/sewer lines into house?
Posted on 3/28/23 at 4:36 am
Posted on 3/28/23 at 4:36 am
Had a strange situation yesterday, and not sure what to think of it or what to do (if anything).
We had a couple of pretty strong thunderstorms (one severe warned) move through our area Sunday night/Monday morning. Woke up Monday morning and the GFCI in our garage with our tankless water heater was tripped. Also, the breakers for our disposal and washing machine were tripped.
No other breakers tripped, no alert from the UPS units on our electronics, no issues with anything else.
I am wondering, did lightning hit either the water or sewer lines somewhere else in the neighborhood and follow that to those three points? Is that possible?
If not, what would explain those three circuits, all with a connection to water, tripping?
We had a couple of pretty strong thunderstorms (one severe warned) move through our area Sunday night/Monday morning. Woke up Monday morning and the GFCI in our garage with our tankless water heater was tripped. Also, the breakers for our disposal and washing machine were tripped.
No other breakers tripped, no alert from the UPS units on our electronics, no issues with anything else.
I am wondering, did lightning hit either the water or sewer lines somewhere else in the neighborhood and follow that to those three points? Is that possible?
If not, what would explain those three circuits, all with a connection to water, tripping?
3
Posted on 3/28/23 at 5:22 am to PJinAtl
Yes. Not from personal experience, but what I have been told.
Posted on 3/28/23 at 9:37 am to PJinAtl
Lightning is weird. In December lightning hit what I assumed to be the house since there was a loud bang and crack in the house when it struck. I have cameras on every side of the house and none of them caught the strike but it was close enough to shake the house, knock out power, and the internet lines were all fried. No visual or physical damage to the roof or rest of the home whatsoever though. I assume it hit the house but there was no physical damage at all.
Posted on 3/28/23 at 8:12 pm to PJinAtl
Yes they can 100% follow galvanized or copper water lines, or cast iron sewer pipes. If it tripped all your plumbing appliances it sounds like it struck very near your house, maybe a fire hydrant or water meter box or even just struck the ground and traveled through the pipes to your panel.
Be on the look out for soggy spots in your yard after the rain stops. I've had to go fix leaks caused by lightning strikes that punched dozens of pinholes in the already corroded galvanized water line buried underground.
Be on the look out for soggy spots in your yard after the rain stops. I've had to go fix leaks caused by lightning strikes that punched dozens of pinholes in the already corroded galvanized water line buried underground.
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