rkpye5
Texas
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Joined: 02/20/2004
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Has anyone ever had a lightning strike hit their RV?
Just wondering. We had a storm today and it just crossed my mind.
Thanks,
Kim
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bflem
Springfield,Mo. Juno Beach,Fl.
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Joined: 08/01/2001
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Lightning struck the TV antenna on a coach at the Winnebago Grand National Ralley a few years ago and scorched an area on the headliner and probably did other damage. Now on their storm warning info they say awnings up and antenna's down. I was at a ralley a few years ago in Oklahoma and a transformer in the campground got hit. Almost everone had some kind of electrical damage. I would worry more about damage through the electric cord than a direct strike. Since that time I have the small disposable surge protectors on my refrigerater and TV.
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metalmangler
WV, U.S.A.
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Joined: 06/19/2004
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If you can stand it, unplug. My In-laws live on a little hill that seems to attract it. They have learned nothing's as sure as being unplugged. Surge-protectors may improve the odds an appliance will survive--kinda like a motorcycle helmet if you're riding. But the best protection against a direct hit in either case is not to be available for it. The lines to the CG or Park are a lot more attractive to a strike than a RV sitting on rubber & wood. If you're under a storm warning with lightning possible and you can stand to unplug 'til it's over--that's a site better protection than any consumable widget you can buy from CW or W-Mart or anywhere else.
I'm metalmangler and I approved this message 
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mechmagcn
El Dorado AR USA
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Joined: 01/12/2003
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I never had a direct hit, but I lost my power convertor 2 weeks ago to a nearby power line hit.
Jeff & Donna
99 NU-WA Snowbird 34+2 102 SE 5er "Dawghouse"
71 Mack R600 Toterhome "SuperDawg"
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DDVTX
Houston, Texas
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Joined: 01/16/2004
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Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to see lightning strike a tree 75-100' away, and that was more than close enough for me. If I had not been speaking with the ranger in the family center, I would have been either standing in a wet parking lot closer to the tree, or in the car almost right under the tree.
Watching the blue streak come down the tree, jump off, or maybe it was heading back up then, but either way, it was an awesome site of extreme power. Most likely enough power to run all the rigs with all ACs going for quite a while. The smoke that came off the tree from being hit, it was an oak tree, really made me aware of just how powerful a lightning strike can be.
Add seeing that to knowing that in one weekend here in Houston, both here and elsewhere in the state, back in the Spring half a dozen persons were killed in 3 separate strikes, with I believe it was 3-4 of them all under one tree. I am sure that most of us have metal from the rig touching the ground, so unlike your car where the tires are good insulation, the rig, while parked, probably discharge the electrical power of the strike right into the ground, blowing out all kinds of electrical items in the process.
When I got back to the rig, I was just happy nothing had hit my or the neighboring rigs. I assume with an antenna or dish up, it would blow out the tv and satelite gear at a minimum.
David (N5SNS), Darlene, and young Victoria (a RVing family)
FMCA; AAA; Tousand Trails; Good Sam Club Life Members; HR Club
38' HR Endeavor-D
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TucsonJim
Tucson, AZ, USA
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Joined: 10/17/2004
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The rubber tires do not "insulate" a vehicle. The lightning is strong enough to travel for miles through the air, so 3 or 4 inches of rubber is not going to stop it. The reason you are fairly safe in a vehicle is that the metal skin of the vehicle shunts the electricity around you. When in a vehicle, simply keep your hands off of metal objects and you should be okay. I posted a similar concern a few days ago, and was reminded that if you have an metal framed RV, you get many of the same safety benefits of the metal skinned car or truck. If you have a wooden framed RV with fiberglass siding, you might consider moving to the TV in a severe storm.
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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Joined: 08/26/2002
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While I love a good thunderstorm I'm not exactly in love with the lightening when it gets close.
We've had 3 hits on RV's in the extended camping family. Two TT's and one coach as well as collateral damage on quite a few rigs over the years from overloads coming in through the shore power when park lines got hit.
One TT took it right in the tongue jack. Melted the guts. You all know how close the propane cyclinders are to the jack, but not a thing happened to them.
The coach had it hit the curb side mirror, come thru the side, blow the snaps and zippers off the passenger's jeans, left a third burn down her side and exited as far as we could figure from her foot to the heater controls which were toasted and down from there.
two things we did learn was that a surge suppressor is not a lightening arrestor. Lightening puts a lot more joules into the power lines than most surge suppressors can handle and it's best to unplug if lightening gets close.
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