How Lightning Strikes Affect Sprinkler Systems
In the Northwest part of Florida we see our fair share of rain and thunderstorms throughout the year. With many of these storms comes fierce lightning. I have heard some people even call this area the lightning strike capital of the world, although I'm not sure if that's entirely true, but it is a very common occurrence in the Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Destin, and Fort Walton Beach area.
When lightning strikes at or near your house there are many potential things that can happen that can directly affect your automatic irrigation system. I have seen the aftermath of many lightning strikes and the amazing power and damage that it brings. I've seen irrigation timers/controllers blown off the side of a house and thrown 30 feet away. I've seen timers completely burnt, circuit boards fried, and wires completely melted.
The lightning doesn't even have to directly strike your house to cause damage. Many times it strikes a tree near your house and the electricity travels down the roots and then finds the sprinkler wire and makes its' way through it, causing damage. It can also split or break the PVC pipes.
Other times the lightning damage is not that obvious. Everything could appear fine on the outside, but when you go to operate your timer all of a sudden you discover the things aren't working properly or even working at all. Often a lightning strike can damage the internal components of the timer without any visible damage.
The timer may get stuck in the on position and not shut off the valves even when the dial is turned to "off". In this case you need to shut down the main breaker and the main water source if connected to city water. The timer could also appear to be fine at first, but it will no longer activate or turn on any of the zones on the system. This could be because the timer is "toast" or it could be a problem with the sprinkler wire leading to the electric valves.
I've also seen where the timer and wire is fine, but the solenoids on the electric valves get damaged and have to be replaced. When troubleshooting a sprinkler system after a lightning strike, power surge, or any electrical problem I have a certain process or protocol that I follow to discover and properly diagnose what is wrong with the system. I do this with the use of a digital multi-meter, a valve locater/wire tracer, and also another electrical diagnostic tool which allows me to test individual wires and pairs of wires in the multi-strand for shorts or open circuits.
Other problems may not be identified as quick or upfront. A good example of what I'm talking about here is when a lightning strike has occurred where a new timer must be installed, new wire run though the yard to each valve, and possibly even the solenoids on the valves replaced first prior to being able to inspect the system further. Once all that is done, then you may end up finding broken PVC pipes once you can turn the system on. This usually happens on systems with a well & pump setup that uses a pump-start relay or pressure tank. With irrigation systems on city water you should be able to activate the valves manually (as long as you know where all the valves or located in the yard) to identify any broken lines.
I pretty much described the worst case scenario with a lighting strike above. Typically a system will only experience one or two things wrong such as a bad timer and maybe a couple of solenoids. Still there are those cases where everything from the main circuit breaker, to the timer, the relay, the multi-strand sprinkler wire, and the valves all get damages with broken pipes to top it off! Home Owner's insurance will normally cover damages like this, but there's always that damn deductible that must be met first.
If you live in my service area and think your system may have experienced damage from a lightning storm, I'm the person to call. I have extensive knowledge and experience in cases like these and I actually enjoy the challenge that some of these situations can bring. Almost anybody can replace a broken sprinkler head or glue some pipe together, but it takes a professional to properly diagnose and repair sprinkler system wiring problems.
Also if you just have a few questions and would like to ask me, please feel free to email me or call and I will be happy to help you out.
Scott Young
Advanced Irrigation Systems, Inc.
850-729-7110
My Sprinkler System Design Book
When lightning strikes at or near your house there are many potential things that can happen that can directly affect your automatic irrigation system. I have seen the aftermath of many lightning strikes and the amazing power and damage that it brings. I've seen irrigation timers/controllers blown off the side of a house and thrown 30 feet away. I've seen timers completely burnt, circuit boards fried, and wires completely melted.
The lightning doesn't even have to directly strike your house to cause damage. Many times it strikes a tree near your house and the electricity travels down the roots and then finds the sprinkler wire and makes its' way through it, causing damage. It can also split or break the PVC pipes.
Other times the lightning damage is not that obvious. Everything could appear fine on the outside, but when you go to operate your timer all of a sudden you discover the things aren't working properly or even working at all. Often a lightning strike can damage the internal components of the timer without any visible damage.
The timer may get stuck in the on position and not shut off the valves even when the dial is turned to "off". In this case you need to shut down the main breaker and the main water source if connected to city water. The timer could also appear to be fine at first, but it will no longer activate or turn on any of the zones on the system. This could be because the timer is "toast" or it could be a problem with the sprinkler wire leading to the electric valves.
I've also seen where the timer and wire is fine, but the solenoids on the electric valves get damaged and have to be replaced. When troubleshooting a sprinkler system after a lightning strike, power surge, or any electrical problem I have a certain process or protocol that I follow to discover and properly diagnose what is wrong with the system. I do this with the use of a digital multi-meter, a valve locater/wire tracer, and also another electrical diagnostic tool which allows me to test individual wires and pairs of wires in the multi-strand for shorts or open circuits.
Other problems may not be identified as quick or upfront. A good example of what I'm talking about here is when a lightning strike has occurred where a new timer must be installed, new wire run though the yard to each valve, and possibly even the solenoids on the valves replaced first prior to being able to inspect the system further. Once all that is done, then you may end up finding broken PVC pipes once you can turn the system on. This usually happens on systems with a well & pump setup that uses a pump-start relay or pressure tank. With irrigation systems on city water you should be able to activate the valves manually (as long as you know where all the valves or located in the yard) to identify any broken lines.
I pretty much described the worst case scenario with a lighting strike above. Typically a system will only experience one or two things wrong such as a bad timer and maybe a couple of solenoids. Still there are those cases where everything from the main circuit breaker, to the timer, the relay, the multi-strand sprinkler wire, and the valves all get damages with broken pipes to top it off! Home Owner's insurance will normally cover damages like this, but there's always that damn deductible that must be met first.
If you live in my service area and think your system may have experienced damage from a lightning storm, I'm the person to call. I have extensive knowledge and experience in cases like these and I actually enjoy the challenge that some of these situations can bring. Almost anybody can replace a broken sprinkler head or glue some pipe together, but it takes a professional to properly diagnose and repair sprinkler system wiring problems.
Also if you just have a few questions and would like to ask me, please feel free to email me or call and I will be happy to help you out.
Scott Young
Advanced Irrigation Systems, Inc.
850-729-7110
My Sprinkler System Design Book
posted by Irrigationman at
11:28 PM
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