I have no lightning protection.

Marcel
Marcel Solar Expert Posts: 39
What can we get going without spending a ton of money? Building a house and don't have much to spare. We're in an RV now. The system will be moved to the house when the house is finished. I have one lightning arrestor that I used to have hooked up to a small RV system but since we got the Trojans we have nothing in the way of lightning protection. A bit worried. Thanks!

Comments

  • azrc
    azrc Solar Expert Posts: 43
    Re: I have no lightning protection.

    Some wire and a t-post? Maybe a couple of these.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: I have no lightning protection.

    I am not quite sure of the first part of the question... Are you asking "what would I do" if I need to make an off-grid system and I was watching my cash?

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Marcel
    Marcel Solar Expert Posts: 39
    Re: I have no lightning protection.

    Yep, looking for recommendations for lightning protection without spending lots of money right now. After the house is built we can hopefully do more, but what is the minimum we should have now with the set-up we have? With 3 charge controllers I'm not sure what to do. Thanks.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: I have no lightning protection.

    First, some "canned" responses:

    A couple threads about Lightning:

    Off Grid Grounding Technique?
    Another Question, this time about Lightning

    Note, the above are discussions, not a do A, B, and C--and you will be "safe". There probably is no such thing with lightning. Several different techniques are discussed--and a few of those posters even have experience with lightning. :cool:

    And our host's consolidate FAQ page:

    www.windsun.com From other past posts here, Windsun (admin/owner of NAWS), he said that most of lighting induced failures he saw were in the Inverters' AC output section.

    Proper grounding can help. Improper grounding can hurt. And a direct strike is going to take out lots of equipment (have savings/spares as needed).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • MisterB
    MisterB Solar Expert Posts: 156 ✭✭
    Re: I have no lightning protection.

    I have been reading some of the links in the preceding post and I wasn't familiar with the term but a "Single Point Grounding System" is well worth the money invested and it is what I did 20 years ago without knowing the term and I have had good luck so far with lighnting when some of my neighbors have not.

    When you are building and have trenches and holes dug, is when you have a chance to bury copper into the ground and bond it together. I know it costs money but it will be money well spent.