Remember last week when lightning hit at the farm? I had said that we thought at that time that the generator AND the water pump were fine, that we had only lost our alternative power system with its inverter and 12V battery bank, but that turned out not to be the case. At first we were mystified as to where the lightning actually struck. It turned out that it hit our water tower, which, by the way, has a lightning rod to ground on it.
Our main water tower – we used to have to go up there to make phone calls, but now we have a booster antenna in our house!
I guess if a lightning bolt is huge enough and close enough, it doesn’t care what you’ve got going to ground! That day it traveled down the wire that is attached to the float/shut off system, all the way to the pump control panels and batteries in the generator room, which is down the hill and behind the garage. We have been able to function just fine thanks to some back-up systems, like 12V lights in our homes and a solar pump for the well water, but we are looking at having to purchase some replacement items. We are thankful for people like Luke T. and Ron Z., who can help us from afar with advice and purchasing! We are thankful for Leonard and Jackson and their technical help right here on the farm! Thankful is what we are, for what we have! Truly!
