Lightning/static protection for church bells.

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mikmed98

Member
Location
New Jersey
I am scheduled to wire up a automated church bell in the tower. The church is newly built and the engineers did not require any kind of lightning protection due to it being a concrete structure.

My my question is this. Is there any type of lightning/static protection I need to install to help prevent the church bells from being struck by lightning? Ground rods with bare cooper to the frame? Static arrestors? Etc.. Thank you in advance for the help!
 
Be sure they have surge protection (SPD) on the panel that feeds the church bell system.

The EGC that you run with the branch circuit to the church bells will provide an adequate (you can oversize the EGC if you want to be extra thoughtful) connection to the grounding system. At least there will be a lower impedance path to ground than through some of the electronics.

OR you can take the other approach, by running the branch circuit through at least a short piece of ferrous raceway, to protect the rest of the building system and sacrifice the bells in the event of a strike, because the raceway will act as an inductor to transient power flow.
 
The bells are real bells.. Run off of motors and strikers. Total of 4 bells of different sizes. The bell structure is all steel. It's beams are set on concrete.
 
Mikmed98 said:
...to install to help prevent the church bells from being struck by lightning...
Click to expand...

There is almost nothing you can do to prevent a lightning strike, cost effectively. What you are probably looking for is how to mitigate the effects of a strike or near strike should one occur.
 
Mikmed98 said:
I am scheduled to wire up a automated church bell in the tower. The church is newly built and the engineers did not require any kind of lightning protection due to it being a concrete structure.

My my question is this. Is there any type of lightning/static protection I need to install to help prevent the church bells from being struck by lightning? Ground rods with bare cooper to the frame? Static arrestors? Etc.. Thank you in advance for the help!
Click to expand...

If this is a new development, there may be a separate lighting protection plan going to another contractor. You may want to ask the engineer or project manager.
 
Mikmed98 said:
The bells are real bells.. Run off of motors and strikers. Total of 4 bells of different sizes. The bell structure is all steel. It's beams are set on concrete.
Click to expand...

Somebody should be providing lightning protection for the steel structure. Including down conductors to earth ground.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top