Is it safe to take a shower during a thunderstorm?

[Leigha]

I was taking a shower earlier, and heard thunder in the distance. Thunderstorms during the summer in the south sort of sneak up on you. Have read mixed opinions on if showering during a thunder storm is safe, but looks like it's not!  

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/shower-in-thunderstorm/

What are your thoughts? Do you play it safe, and wait for thunderstorms to pass over, before you take a shower?
 

[Syne]

Meh, I'd be more concerned with a power outage in a bathroom without windows. And my house has been hit by lightning at least once before...lost a bunch of electronics.

[C C]

What are your thoughts? Do you play it safe, and wait for thunderstorms to pass over, before you take a shower?

There was an era when people probably worried more about being on a non-wireless landline phone during a lightning storm. While more vulnerable time would be spent showering, otherwise it would seem as unsafe to be washing hands or dishes at a sink, or doing anything in proximity to a metal pathway.

Here's a case of a man who was struck by lightning arcing from a light switch, while sitting in his office. Minus the injury, I have some personal experience with what that is like.

We once lived for several months on a hill, in some kind of industrial shop that had been converted to a residential dwelling. During bad weather you could literally see the stuff crackling sporadically across a room or hallway in the dark, accompanied by "snapping" sounds. Still not sure whether it was issuing from metal framework, or electrical outlets, or what. Never getting struck during that period may have had something to with being careless or somewhat reckless about taking precautions in the future.

Windows are supposedly too much an insulator for the urban tales of bolts passing through them to have much validity. But they would probably shatter if struck (thus staying away from them still warranted, as if wind damage wasn't enough reason) .

[Leigha]

Meh, I'd be more concerned with a power outage in a bathroom without windows. And my house has been hit by lightning at least once before...lost a bunch of electronics.

Wow, what was that experience like? Did it shake the house? You would think that would scare you from showering during a thunderstorm! 

What are your thoughts? Do you play it safe, and wait for thunderstorms to pass over, before you take a shower?

There was an era when people probably worried more about being on a non-wireless landline phone during a lightning storm. While more vulnerable time would be spent showering, otherwise it would seem as unsafe to be washing hands or dishes at a sink, or doing anything in proximity to a metal pathway.

Here's a case of a man who was struck by lightning arcing from a light switch, while sitting in his office. Minus the injury, I have some personal experience with what that is like.

We once lived for several months on a hill, in some kind of industrial shop that had been converted to a residential dwelling. During bad weather you could literally see the stuff crackling sporadically across a room or hallway in the dark, accompanied by "snapping" sounds. Still not sure whether it was issuing from metal framework, or electrical outlets, or what. Never getting struck during that period may have had something to with being careless or somewhat reckless about taking precautions in the future.

Windows are supposedly too much an insulator for the urban tales of bolts passing through them to have much validity. But they would probably shatter if struck (thus staying away from them still warranted, as if wind damage wasn't enough reason) .

Oh my gosh, that sounds terrifying, CC! You could hear snapping sounds and visualize ''crackling?'' 

Lightning takes the path of least resistance, so it'd seem quite unlikely that the shower would provide such a path. I think what concerns me is standing in water (shower) during a thunderstorm, despite knowing that it's likely improbable. Supposedly, lightning doesn't strike bodies of water as much as land, but still.

[C C]

Oh my gosh, that sounds terrifying, CC! You could hear snapping sounds and visualize ''crackling?'' 

A "flash" or "spark" doesn't adequately capture the sight of it when you're sharing the same space. Some synesthetic visual analogue of "crackling" really is more applicable, even though sound-wise what you hear inside is more like a single pop or snap with each occurrence. Rather than the familiar extended series of cracks in the distance along with the thunder.

Several rounds of that over the ensuing weeks and after awhile you almost ignore it like someone routinely using an oxy-acetylene cutting torch does bits of hot slag dropping around their booted feet or "sprinkling" onto their leather-covered arms. A dangerous indifferent attitude to slip into, since the consequences with lightning are a lot worse than minor burns from hot metal.

Lightning takes the path of least resistance, so it'd seem quite unlikely that the shower would provide such a path. I think what concerns me is standing in water (shower) during a thunderstorm, despite knowing that it's likely improbable. Supposedly, lightning doesn't strike bodies of water as much as land, but still.

It's always seemed unlikely that it would prefer traveling through the wiring of a house rather go to the ground cable/copper-rod, but a handful of electronic devices over the years attest otherwise. Metal plumbing may not be much different. Strangely, though, never had a television or other gadget get completely fried, apart from a dial-up modem back in prehistoric times. For instance, once had a netbook get its USB ports knocked-out, but the rest of the crazy thing kept working (you could feel it getting unusually hot underneath if it ran for an hour or so, though).

I would say that it was truly amazing that nothing ever got fried at that place on the hill, but that was overshadowed more by us not getting struck or injured.

[Syne]

Meh, I'd be more concerned with a power outage in a bathroom without windows. And my house has been hit by lightning at least once before...lost a bunch of electronics.

Wow, what was that experience like? Did it shake the house? You would think that would scare you from showering during a thunderstorm! 

Just a loud crack. Tripped all the breakers. The bathrooms were protected by a surge protector in the breaker box (which had to be replaced), but we had other stuff that wasn't protected (couple of TVs, stereos, etc.). We suspect the house was hit once after that...saw sparks fly off the external power junction through a window, but everything was protected and/or it just didn't hit anything vulnerable. I don't remember anything ever happening while in the shower, nor even hearing about something like that.

[Zinjanthropos]

https://commotionwireless.net/docs/build...rotection/

I would think if you’re dependent upon electrical devices(s) to keep you alive then a bad ground may put you in mortal danger. Seems static buildup is more of a problem than a thunderbolt out of the blue. 

In my gas-fitter days I saw plenty of circuit boards, transformers and electrical wiring damaged during lightning storms. Many cases where I had to replace several components on a furnace installed when proper grounding wasn’t available. I’ve also seen appliances installed without a ground wire even though house is grounded. Lot of modern furnaces depend on a good ground, flame sensing in particular.

Anyways I had to investigate an instance when a man said he smelled gas while he showered. To make a long story short, I eventually discovered the sewer running below the street was full of natural gas from an underground leak 3 houses down the road. Turned out that when he showered the running water from his shower opened the pea trap drain allowing the gas from the sewer to enter house. Another reason to make sure basement and other pea traps around the house have water in them. After a long dry spell the standing water will evaporate and everything from sewer gases to nasty little insects and bugs gain access to your house.

[confused2]

I was eating a meal with a friend when lightning struck about 20 feet away - the garden not the building itself. The (200-year-old) ceiling fell down around (and on) us. My host, now coated in bits of plaster and white dust, calmly proposed that we move on to the next course.

[RainbowUnicorn]

What are your thoughts? Do you play it safe, and wait for thunderstorms to pass over, before you take a shower?

There was an era when people probably worried more about being on a non-wireless landline phone during a lightning storm. While more vulnerable time would be spent showering, otherwise it would seem as unsafe to be washing hands or dishes at a sink, or doing anything in proximity to a metal pathway.

Here's a case of a man who was struck by lightning arcing from a light switch, while sitting in his office. Minus the injury, I have some personal experience with what that is like.

We once lived for several months on a hill, in some kind of industrial shop that had been converted to a residential dwelling. During bad weather you could literally see the stuff crackling sporadically across a room or hallway in the dark, accompanied by "snapping" sounds. Still not sure whether it was issuing from metal framework, or electrical outlets, or what. Never getting struck during that period may have had something to with being careless or somewhat reckless about taking precautions in the future.

Windows are supposedly too much an insulator for the urban tales of bolts passing through them to have much validity. But they would probably shatter if struck (thus staying away from them still warranted, as if wind damage wasn't enough reason) .

once

i have had many conversations with electricians who specialise in both electronics and high voltage combined.
having an independent earth wired to your roof was their simple solution to add safety.


while in one of those houses a tree around 5 inches thick was split by lightning around 5 meters from where i was sleeping, another time a small shrub had half of it blown off by lightning only 2 meters from the corner of the room i was sleeping in.

i have also been inside with direct strikes to the roof twice

i have been a few meters away inside a house where the lightning has struck the veranda handrail (maybe 3 times)outside only a few meters away and then gone into a small tree into the ground.

1 lighting strike hit the house once and it was only because the owner who was an electrician had made a secondary breaker(board) switch fuse behind(infront) the main board and an independent earth pin that it did not blow out any people of points inside the house, only blew both breakers, (the primary and the secondary & tripped half the secondary breakers) and a light bulb.
quite possibly saved several peoples lifes.

people are far more likely to injure themselfs by operating a motor vehicle or crossing the street when they are not paying attention.


yet proper sound logical electrical standards save (easy-save)lifes
they are easy saves because people tend not to count them as near miss deaths and they are statistical quantifier death instance reductions like seat belt regulations.


it is hard to have a sane logical conversation about peoples miss placed paranoia that is lent up against something they do not wish to learn about when it fills a social connective human emotional process.
(this is very common around suburban people who lack a variety of experience in different life processes and activities)


2 things i recently pass up to be fixed
a commercial cleaner using a back pack vacuum cleaner holding a broken power cord with exposed power wires which were broken and arching so he would wiggle it with his hand to make it work and continue vacuuming.
(could have been dragged through a puddle of water as a customer walked past and killed them)


commercial cleaner plugged into a wall socket which they had pushed and pulled with the vacuum cord for many months on end until the entire socket was falling apart.
internally the socket had alloy clamp pins used to screw the plastic face plate tot he alloy wall trunking.
both alloy pins were loose and the vacuum was plugged in,
had one of the pins fallen another inch, it would have turned the wall trunking live along an entire office floor of workers.


cheap and easy to fix
chances of death from electrocution probably only around 10%
chance of electrocution by short(resulting in 10% chance of death) fault, probably only around 15%


its a numbers game

---

average house ? no !
properly safely wired house ? yes !

is that helpful ?

[Leigha]

What are your thoughts? Do you play it safe, and wait for thunderstorms to pass over, before you take a shower?

There was an era when people probably worried more about being on a non-wireless landline phone during a lightning storm. While more vulnerable time would be spent showering, otherwise it would seem as unsafe to be washing hands or dishes at a sink, or doing anything in proximity to a metal pathway.

Here's a case of a man who was struck by lightning arcing from a light switch, while sitting in his office. Minus the injury, I have some personal experience with what that is like.

We once lived for several months on a hill, in some kind of industrial shop that had been converted to a residential dwelling. During bad weather you could literally see the stuff crackling sporadically across a room or hallway in the dark, accompanied by "snapping" sounds. Still not sure whether it was issuing from metal framework, or electrical outlets, or what. Never getting struck during that period may have had something to with being careless or somewhat reckless about taking precautions in the future.

Windows are supposedly too much an insulator for the urban tales of bolts passing through them to have much validity. But they would probably shatter if struck (thus staying away from them still warranted, as if wind damage wasn't enough reason) .

once

i have had many conversations with electricians who specialise in both electronics and high voltage combined.
having an independent earth wired to your roof was their simple solution to add safety.


while in one of those houses a tree around 5 inches thick was split by lightning around 5 meters from where i was sleeping, another time a small shrub had half of it blown off by lightning only 2 meters from the corner of the room i was sleeping in.

i have also been inside with direct strikes to the roof twice

i have been a few meters away inside a house where the lightning has struck the veranda handrail (maybe 3 times)outside only a few meters away and then gone into a small tree into the ground.

1 lighting strike hit the house once and it was only because the owner who was an electrician had made a secondary breaker(board) switch fuse behind(infront) the main board and an independent earth pin that it did not blow out any people of points inside the house, only blew both breakers, (the primary and the secondary & tripped half the secondary breakers) and a light bulb.
quite possibly saved several peoples lifes.

people are far more likely to injure themselfs by operating a motor vehicle or crossing the street when they are not paying attention.


yet proper sound logical electrical standards save (easy-save)lifes
they are easy saves because people tend not to count them as near miss deaths and they are statistical quantifier death instance reductions like seat belt regulations.


it is hard to have a sane logical conversation about peoples miss placed paranoia that is lent up against something they do not wish to learn about when it fills a social connective human emotional process.
(this is very common around suburban people who lack a variety of experience in different life processes and activities)


2 things i recently pass up to be fixed
a commercial cleaner using a back pack vacuum cleaner holding a broken power cord with exposed power wires which were broken and arching so he would wiggle it with his hand to make it work and continue vacuuming.
(could have been dragged through a puddle of water as a customer walked past and killed them)


commercial cleaner plugged into a wall socket which they had pushed and pulled with the vacuum cord for many months on end until the entire socket was falling apart.
internally the socket had alloy clamp pins used to screw the plastic face plate tot he alloy wall trunking.
both alloy pins were loose and the vacuum was plugged in,
had one of the pins fallen another inch, it would have turned the wall trunking live along an entire office floor of workers.


cheap and easy to fix
chances of death from electrocution probably only around 10%
chance of electrocution by short(resulting in 10% chance of death) fault, probably only around 15%


its a numbers game

---

average house ? no !
properly safely wired house ? yes !

is that helpful ?

This is very informative. I'm a little paranoid though, that is true. 

I wonder why lightning would strike a roof? Is it striking a metal rod on the roof, etc? I just don't see the roof as being a conductor.

---

I was eating a meal with a friend when lightning struck about 20 feet away - the garden not the building itself. The (200-year-old) ceiling fell down around (and on) us. My host, now coated in bits of plaster and white dust, calmly  proposed that we move on to the next course.

Lightning struck the garden, the ground?

---

https://commotionwireless.net/docs/build...rotection/

I would think if you’re dependent upon electrical devices(s) to keep you alive then a bad ground may put you in mortal danger. Seems static buildup is more of a problem than a thunderbolt out of the blue. 

In my gas-fitter days I saw plenty of circuit boards, transformers and electrical wiring damaged during lightning storms. Many cases where I had to replace several components on a furnace installed when proper grounding wasn’t available. I’ve also seen appliances installed without a ground wire even though house is grounded. Lot of modern furnaces depend on a good ground, flame sensing in particular.

Anyways I had to investigate an instance when a man said he smelled gas while he showered. To make a long story short, I eventually discovered the sewer running below the street was full of natural gas from an underground leak 3 houses down the road. Turned out that when he showered the running water from his shower opened the pea trap drain allowing the gas from the sewer to enter house. Another reason to make sure basement and other pea traps around the house have water in them. After a long dry spell the standing water will evaporate and everything from sewer gases to nasty little insects and bugs gain access to your house.

Wow, that's interesting, Z. If gas is seeping in like that, could a fire start? Even at that slight amount? 

I'm not familiar with static buildup, I'll have to see what that's about. Thanks for the info.