Unhook in a lightning storm? (1 Viewer)

[Jac Sprat]

Sitting in our van at Pompeii with the mother of a storm going on . Should we unhook?
Worse being here as youre not quite sure
Where the rumbling is coming from haha

 

[Fletton]

I've cetainly seen advice on un-hooking when abroad because of common power surges on their grids from strikes...

 

[Minxy]

If you can then yes at both ends and move the lead away from the van ...

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[Welsh girl]

We always unhook during lightning storms, you never know, that's our only contact with the ground so we're not a Faraday cage then.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Also put your satellite dish down/away if you have one.

 

[Jac Sprat]

Thanks guys
Amazed the dog is being cool about it.

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[Clarky]

What about the van sitting on four steel jacks?

Supposed to be a Faraday cage and safe in storms but that is without the jacks.

Richard.

 

[JeanLuc]

Storm-induced power surges are a well known cause of Elektrobloc failure on the continent so always unplug the EHU cable in a thunderstorm.

 

[icantremember]

We always unhook during lightning storms, you never know, that's our only contact with the ground so we're not a Faraday cage then.

I don't think most motorhomes are Faraday cages unless they are aluminium construction.

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[Jac Sprat]

Hymer on four wheels but no jacks

 

[MitchandJenny]

A STEEL car will be a Faraday cage, but I doubt that a plastic van will be.....
Mitch..
PS.. But, we live in hope..

 

[daveandsan]

Sitting in our van at Pompeii with the mother of a storm going on . Should we unhook?
Worse being here as youre not quite sure
Where the rumbling is coming from haha

Ask @Taran_Las he is the Lightning expert on here.

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[Clarky]

A STEEL car will be a Faraday cage, but I doubt that a plastic van will be.....
Mitch..
PS.. But, we live in hope..

One of the Carthago selling points is that they are a Faraday cage with the double aluminium body.
If we have the jacks down it will give the lightning a quick route to earth so should we retract them in a storm do you think?

Richard.

 

[funflair]

One of the Carthago selling points is that they are a Faraday cage with the double aluminium body.
If we have the jacks down it will give the lightning a quick route to earth so should we retract them in a storm do you think?

Richard.

I don't think you need to worry about the jacks as it will earth with or without them.

Martin

 

[Wildbill]

Dont know the answer to the OP as we always camp off gride
its ben that long cant remember ware the EHU cabill is or if wee stell have one
bill

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[laird of Dunstan]

if you think that scary ,try being in a yacht with a 40ft high lightning conductor sticking in the air

 

[Kingham]

if you think that scary ,try being in a yacht with a 40ft high lightning conductor sticking in the air

Or kayaking a couple of miles offshore with a carbon paddle and being caught out by an unforcast thunderstorm.

It quickly passed over after only a couple of distant flashes of lightning, but for a few minutes I was imagining......

 

[funflair]

Or kayaking a couple of miles offshore with a carbon paddle and being caught out by an unforcast thunderstorm

Been there 40 miles offshore in a kayak with Carbon paddle shafts as you say, the Lightning was so close you could smell/taste the ozone it produced, pretty scary afterwards.

Martin

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[Kingham]

Been there 40 miles offshore in a kayak with Carbon paddle shafts as you say, the Lightning was so close you could smell/taste the ozone it produced, pretty scary afterwards.

Martin

Looks like we both lived to tell our tales

 

[funflair]

One of the Carthago selling points is that they are a Faraday cage with the double aluminium body.
If we have the jacks down it will give the lightning a quick route to earth so should we retract them in a storm do you think?

Richard.

I think the benefit of having jacks down grounding the van is that it stops it sitting at a different potential to ground which if just sat on rubber tyres means you would become the conductor when you step out, jumping should be OK.

I think.

Martin

 

[Clarky]

I think the benefit of having jacks down grounding the van is that it stops it sitting at a different potential to ground which if just sat on rubber tyres means you would become the conductor when you step out, jumping should be OK.

I think.

Martin

Sounds hair raising!

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[Tootles]

I find that an early warning of any possible thunder storm is an essential part of either owning a motorhome, or for that matter, a caravan. If the sky suddenly darkens on a hot and humid afternoon, place a bucket of water about ten feet away. Then, get the wife to stand, one foot in the bucket, holding a steel framed umbrella. (You dont want her getting her hair wet. Lades who spend half the day washing it, dont like to get it wet). Now, retire inside, and read your book. A nearby lightning strike will be accompanied by a high intensity shriek, and a blue flash you may see through the window. No need to panic. Wait until the storm has passed, then unlock the door. The wife may have this slightly burned look about her, and her clothes may also be smoldering. Make sure she is fully extinguished before letting her enter. You will also find that the pleasant smell of ozone is a refreshing change from the usual pong of perfume.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

We always unhook during lightning storms, you never know, that's our only contact with the ground so we're not a Faraday cage then.

Faraday cages are alright but not fibre glass ones, bit like a strike whilst driving a Reliant.
My Fiesta was hit on the M2 and aaprt from a lot of light and noise, we were fine

 

[buttons]

Sitting in our van at Pompeii with the mother of a storm going on . Should we unhook?
Worse being here as youre not quite sure
Where the rumbling is coming from haha

I can see it now, a detailed preserved plaster cast of a motorhome with a hook-up still in place..

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[Allanm]

We were in a lightning storm a couple of years ago on hook up. We had a strike close by that we think blew our Truma heating elements. Anyway, all the trip switches had operated and we had no mains heating afterwards.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Toots..... I repeat my earlier post.... You are a Pillock matey ! ! ! !
Mitch.

 

[bungy]

@Taran_Las has experience of this!!

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[JJ]

Life must be pretty well sorted out if being hit by lightning is something folk worry about.

Just saying


JJ