Lightening and Chimney Liners

[MarkF48]

Last night we had a few claps of thunder and it got me thinking about pellet stove installs that have venting in an existing chimney using a liner. (Mine is not installed this way)

The chimney is usually one of the highest points on ones house. If you run a metal pipe up the chimney and put a metal weather cap on it, it would seem that there is a pretty good chance for it to take a lightening hit at some point. Stoves are usually grounded through the power cord, at best with a 14 gauge wire back to the mains panel. 14 gauge wire would likely vaporize with a lightening strike through it and the lightening discharge would still seek ground somewhere inside the house.

Has anyone ever had a lightening hit on their stove install that they're aware of and does anyone run from the stove an additional heavy duty ground to a driven rod outside?

Sometimes I tend to think about things too much. This may be one of those instances

 

[silverfox103]

Sometimes I tend to think about things too much. This may be one of those instances

I don't have that setup either, but everything you said is absolutely true. What about the wood or pellet stove piping that runs up the side of a house or through the roof. The same situation applies. On wood stoves they don't have a fan etc., so they wouldn't even have the #14 ground in the power cable.

Tom C.

 

[mepellet]

Maybe we should all install ground rods for our stoves!

 

[mroletta]

Maybe we should all install ground rods for our stoves!

It's not to code without one!

 

[smoke show]

Maybe we should all install ground rods for our stoves!

It's not to code without one!

Huh?

 

[mepellet]

Maybe we should all install ground rods for our stoves!

It's not to code without one!

Huh?

 

[Jason]

i do have that set up but never happen to me yet!!
knoking on wood

 

[76brian]

If you're worried about this, do NOT install a separate ground rod for your stove without making a very low resistance connection from that, to the ground rod at your electric panel.

Otherwise, the stove ground and the main panel ground will be at differing ground potentials. Bad news. Lightning takes the path of least resistance, a strike at one end or the other could travel through the house to the other one if it has less resistance to ground, frying everything in its path.

Run very wide solid copper strap or 0 gauge copper wire directly to the ground rod at the panel, with a ground rod every 10 feet. Connections should be low resistance and mechanical, not soldered. Solder will melt.

If you have a TV antenna or wireless internet antenna, or an amateur radio tower, the same should be done with that.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Man, I have two of this type of install! I never gave it a thought but, holy cow, with all the lightning we have, it's only a matter of time! One more damn thing to worry about!

 

[edwinjk]

Hey Guys:
You might want with your power company & ask if they install surge surpressors. I had Duke install one at the meter
& the payment plan is about $15 for one year. I also have surge suppressors on the computers, TV & pellet stove. Just
a thought.

 

[tjnamtiw]

For a lightning bolt to get from my chimney to the electric meter's surge suppressor, it has to travel through my house wiring! I don't think that surge suppressor is going to do squat to protect me. Bonding a 0 gauge wire or flat copper strip to the end of my liner and then running it out through the ash dump in my fireplace to a good ground rod would make more sense.