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Posted By: LarryC Avoid lightning shock? - 04/23/09 10:58 PM
I just saw the following link on AOL about avoiding electrocution by staying off of the toilet during lightning storms.

http://www.aolhealth.com/healthy-li...hy-living%2Faging-well%2Fmen-live-longer

I understand about the elevation of the local ground potential in the area of the lightning strike. But is this pushing it a little too much? I mean what is the current path?

Of course there is always the potential of getting the **** shocked out of you, but that is a different matter all together.

Larry C
Posted By: Alan Belson Re: Avoid lightning shock? - 04/23/09 11:55 PM
I like #19 - 'Always swim in shark infested water with a buddy, as this reduces your chance of getting attacked by 50%.' I leave it to the math experts to work out just who, on average, gets it in the shorts! sick

#51 Hot curry actually reduces your chances of getting cancer of the colon.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/597525.stm

#52 Call a licenced electrician!

Alan
Posted By: site351 Re: Avoid lightning shock? - 04/24/09 09:59 PM
I went on a service call years ago to a house where the
lightning had struck the overhead primary line on a power
pole just in front of the home. Of course it smoked the 25 kw transformer that fed the 200 amp service....and the lightning
blew holes every 3 or 4 inches in the triplex feed wires. I opened the 200 amp box and found many of the circuits were not affected...at least in the loadcenter itself. And most of the breakers were tripped and reset with no problems. Most damage was the EMF from the lighning that blew right through the insulation in the wires at random. The one strange thing
I remember is the owner said he just got off the toilet and walked out of the bathroom when the Lightning struck. He saw
a flash from the bathroom and looked in and saw a crack in the commode base...the part you sit on..??? And water was leaking out. The bathroom was downstairs.... far from the loadcenter.

Lightning has so much power to unload in such a short period of time...no tellin' what path it will take....
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