mcdgary
New Member
This concerns 220V-240V deep well pump. Located at a 100 year old farm house. A 12/2 (two hot wire, no ground) wire runs from an elecrtical box inside the house to the well pump about 80' away outside. The 12/2 wire is connected to power box on a 4x4 pressure treated pole; the box is about 6' up the pole from the ground. Each wire (line) runs thru a 25 amp screw in type breaker to form the "load" terminals. The two wires then go down to the start run capacitor. Since no one lives there I take the "male" part of the start run capacitor off (one stolen taught me a lesson) and pull the lever to "off" on the electrical box upon leaving. Also, I unplug the two large 60 amp breakers on the main control panel inside the house. Hence, after I leave there is no electrical path from the house panel to the box on the pole, there is no path from the pole box to the "female" start run capacitor.
Upon returning in July I found the metal door on the outside control box "blown" off. Inside the house the metal door to the main power box was "blown" open. THere are four 20 or 25 amp screw in type fuses, which serve as the circuit breakers for minor house wiring and output to the pump. One of the fuses was disintegrated and blown out of the box (the brass part of the fuse was still screwed in.)
My theory is that during a severe thunder storm lightning "found" the 4x4 pole and metal box at the top of the pole. Since there is no path to the start run capacitor and, hence, the well (which I suppose is the pump's "ground" it jumped from the metal box to one of the "lines" of the 12/2 inside the metal control box and went (reversely) back to the mainbox in the house and POP! went the fuse.
Since I had no tools or meters (I was down for a funeral) I could not check much. I did have a small multi-meter and verified the two 110v inside aftering correcting the disintegrated 25 amp fuse, but nothing at the 4x4 pole box.
(1) Is my theory probably correct?
(2) Is there any problem of connecting a 12 gauge solid copper wire to the metal box on the 4x4 pole and running the wire down to a long metal rod into the ground about 2' deep? This wire is completely independent to the main wiring and comes into play to provide a lightning path to ground since I attempt to comletely de-activate all electrical paths when I'm not using the pump?
(3) I've had the power company to turn power off so I can get to the backside of the old power panel.
Upon returning in July I found the metal door on the outside control box "blown" off. Inside the house the metal door to the main power box was "blown" open. THere are four 20 or 25 amp screw in type fuses, which serve as the circuit breakers for minor house wiring and output to the pump. One of the fuses was disintegrated and blown out of the box (the brass part of the fuse was still screwed in.)
My theory is that during a severe thunder storm lightning "found" the 4x4 pole and metal box at the top of the pole. Since there is no path to the start run capacitor and, hence, the well (which I suppose is the pump's "ground" it jumped from the metal box to one of the "lines" of the 12/2 inside the metal control box and went (reversely) back to the mainbox in the house and POP! went the fuse.
Since I had no tools or meters (I was down for a funeral) I could not check much. I did have a small multi-meter and verified the two 110v inside aftering correcting the disintegrated 25 amp fuse, but nothing at the 4x4 pole box.
(1) Is my theory probably correct?
(2) Is there any problem of connecting a 12 gauge solid copper wire to the metal box on the 4x4 pole and running the wire down to a long metal rod into the ground about 2' deep? This wire is completely independent to the main wiring and comes into play to provide a lightning path to ground since I attempt to comletely de-activate all electrical paths when I'm not using the pump?
(3) I've had the power company to turn power off so I can get to the backside of the old power panel.