Downconductor touching metal stud

[bunuelbresson]

There is a lightning protection down conductor running on the inside wall of a building in the basement levels down to ground. The concrete building wall as well as the down conductor are going to be covered by a gypsum wall. Would it be a problem if a Gypsum wall stud touches the down conductor?

The lightning protection system is connected to the grounding system and my fear (if justified) is that a leak might want to get back to the source via the mentioned down conductor. If the down conductor is touching a metal stud, the stud might become electrified inside the wall? (is this a stupid question? ).

Should I protect the down conductor by a PVC tube? or can I leave it bare since it will be hid by a gypsum wall even though there's a possibility that a metal stud touches the down conductor?

Excuse my complete inexperience with this stuff! :?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I really don't know much about this but I would be concerned about a bare lightning ground wire running thru metal studs. It may be wise to sleeve it at those locations.

 

[GoldDigger]

The details are a specialized issue for lightning protection, but some of the general principles of electricity apply.
Currents related to a lightning discharge (not necessarily "strike") can be enormous and one design goal for protection is to provide a path for that current which will minimize the related damage.
If the discharge current found a path through major building steel which is bonded down to earth, it is not particularly likely to increase damage.
At the voltages involved, the grounding electrode resistance will be small compared to the inductive reactances at the high frequencies involved.
But if the same level of current flowed through loosely connected steel studs, the results are less predictable and other vulnerable metal parts could become energized.
To have all of that happening concealed behind wallboard seems to be a really bad idea.
That said, I am not convinced that PVC pipe would necessarily survive a large discharge event down that conductor.
Consult a professional in that field.

Tapatalk!

 

[bunuelbresson]

The details are a specialized issue for lightning protection, but some of the general principles of electricity apply.
Currents related to a lightning discharge (not necessarily "strike") can be enormous and one design goal for protection is to provide a path for that current which will minimize the related damage.
If the discharge current found a path through major building steel which is bonded down to earth, it is not particularly likely to increase damage.
At the voltages involved, the grounding electrode resistance will be small compared to the inductive reactances at the high frequencies involved.
But if the same level of current flowed through loosely connected steel studs, the results are less predictable and other vulnerable metal parts could become energized.
To have all of that happening concealed behind wallboard seems to be a really bad idea.
That said, I am not convinced that PVC pipe would necessarily survive a large discharge event down that conductor.
Consult a professional in that field.

Tapatalk!

Consult a professional! That's a very good idea

 

[don_resqcapt19]

This needs to be looked at by someone who does lightning protection systems, but it is my understanding that NFPA 780 requires all conductive objects within 6' of down conductors to be bonded to the down conductor.