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[TowerTalk] Lightning protection

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Lightning protection
From: n4zr@contesting.com (Pete Smith)
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 01:25:42 +0100
At 03:36 PM 7/29/99 EDT, N6CW@aol.com wrote:
>
>While thumbing through a copy of the current issue of This Old House
magazine 
>last night I came across an interesting article about protecting your main 
>electrical entry panel. Now this might be old hat to those of you in 
>thunderstorm country but I had never heard of this here in Southern 
>California. A product called BOLT BUSTER (as in lightning bolt) is a large 
>version of the plug in surge protector. It is a bottle shaped device 
>consisting of small zinc oxide discs. It installed across the mains inside 
>the electrical box. Much more information and pictures are available in the 
>article, pgs 59,60,136.
>
>The article states that this device is rated to withstand surges up to
50,000 
>amps which should be more than enough to protect all your appliances and 
>equipment inside the house. The cost of this model, and other manufacturers 
>models, is approximately $40.00. A call to a couple of local electrical 
>houses here in San Diego revealed that they are not in stock but are 
>available. One manufacturer, but not the Bolt Buster (Delta Lightning 
>Arrestors), has information at www.panamax.com.
>
>The usual disclaimers apply. I just thought this was useful information.
Does 
>anyone have any experience with these devices and/or am I just behind the 
>curve on this?

Our local electric company rents a similar device encapsulated in a unit
that goes between your meter and the service entrance, and which carries
with it a significant $ guarantee when used in conjunction with individual
surge suppressors at the appliances.  From what they could tell me, the
theory is that the big suppressor clamps the spikes to a few hundred volts,
so that the individual units can handle what's left.

73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr@contesting.com 

Sometimes a tower is just a tower

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