Copper Cross

[yanici]

We are installing a copper cross in the front of our building. This cross is not going to be close to the building, but we are in Orlando, Fl. and we get a lot of lightning in the area. Would it help at all to ground this to a rod. The cross is about 10 feet tall and made of all copper pipe, it will be cover with some type of plants our flowers.
If we get 20,000 volts of lightning with 40,000 amps in a fraction of a second is a ground rod going to help anything or even change anything.

With the price of copper being what it is I would be more afraid that someone might saw it off at the bottom and sell it for scrap. Maybe you should electrify the cross instead of grounding it.:grin:

 

[FNCnca]

Maybe you should electrify the cross instead of grounding it.:grin:

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I'm not sure that anyone here said anything about a ground rod preventing a lightning strike.

I think the question is would it be a good idea to ground the cross as it would minimize any damage that a lightning strike might cause?

We had a church here that had a steel cross that went from above the roof, into the footing and was tied to the steel beams in the ceiling as well as the columns coming down. All of this steel pretty much surrounded the baptisamal pool. I had them bond it all together with the pool steel. Is this going to prevent a strike? No. I was using the same thought as pool bonding by equalizing the plane.

Now we don't get much lightning here so I am very far from being an expert, but we did have it hit a transformer a block from my house and the fire started in the back of my property where the poles were grounded. Also saw the top of a palm tree get blown off. It wasn't even the highest point, but I bet it had the most moisture in it.