is there a scientific reason not to shower during a thunderstorm?
In: 7240
There are three methods lightning might follow into your shower, electrocuting you.
First, it could strike on or near your house, following the wiring in search of ground. This is why computers can fry and light bulbs can pop. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for the ground wire from some outlets to wrap around your copper drain pipes since they’re both conductive and head to the ground. This means it is also possible the electricity could flow from, say, roof to wire to pipe to shower drain to your body.
Second, the course could be more direct. Lightning could strike an exposed pipe, like the sewer gas vent on your roof, and flow directly through the pipes in your home and to the shower drain.
Third, it can indirectly reach your pipes by striking ground nearby your house. It’s possible that lightning could follow sewer or septic pipes up into your house if that’s the path of least resistance as it spreads through ground.
None of these are very likely. You’re probably more likely to just be directly struck while outside. But even very rare events like this can occasionally happen.
I know this is just circumstantial, but I saw lightning damage to a shower first hand. It was 25 years ago or so, at my friends house that had copper pipes just like everything else in the area 25 years ago. The lightning hit their oak tree in their yard and jumped across to the house somehow. It destroyed their cable box, TV and speaker system they had in the living room. The bathroom in the hall had flash damage around the showerhead and bits of the metal pipe connecting the showerhead was blown out.
We lived in an area that’s known for it’s high rate of lightning strikes. I was always told in school about lightning safety and to not use the shower or (corded) phones during storms. I followed those guidelines loosely at first. After seeing the damage to my friend’s house never used a shower in a lightning storm ever again.
There are three methods lightning might follow into your shower, electrocuting you.
First, it could strike on or near your house, following the wiring in search of ground. This is why computers can fry and light bulbs can pop. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for the ground wire from some outlets to wrap around your copper drain pipes since they’re both conductive and head to the ground. This means it is also possible the electricity could flow from, say, roof to wire to pipe to shower drain to your body.
Second, the course could be more direct. Lightning could strike an exposed pipe, like the sewer gas vent on your roof, and flow directly through the pipes in your home and to the shower drain.
Third, it can indirectly reach your pipes by striking ground nearby your house. It’s possible that lightning could follow sewer or septic pipes up into your house if that’s the path of least resistance as it spreads through ground.
None of these are very likely. You’re probably more likely to just be directly struck while outside. But even very rare events like this can occasionally happen.
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When lightning strikes near your house it energizes the ground around the strike with upwards of 50 million volts. The voltage dissipates fairly quickly around the strike. The reason to stand with your feet together is the differential in voltage just over a couple feet can be enough if you are standing with your feet apart to kill you should lightning strike close to you. If you are in the shower a lightning strike close to your water line will bring that current directly to the shower since the copper pipes will conduct electricity without dissipating.
When lightning strikes near your house it energizes the ground around the strike with upwards of 50 million volts. The voltage dissipates fairly quickly around the strike. The reason to stand with your feet together is the differential in voltage just over a couple feet can be enough if you are standing with your feet apart to kill you should lightning strike close to you. If you are in the shower a lightning strike close to your water line will bring that current directly to the shower since the copper pipes will conduct electricity without dissipating.
I know this is just circumstantial, but I saw lightning damage to a shower first hand. It was 25 years ago or so, at my friends house that had copper pipes just like everything else in the area 25 years ago. The lightning hit their oak tree in their yard and jumped across to the house somehow. It destroyed their cable box, TV and speaker system they had in the living room. The bathroom in the hall had flash damage around the showerhead and bits of the metal pipe connecting the showerhead was blown out.
We lived in an area that’s known for it’s high rate of lightning strikes. I was always told in school about lightning safety and to not use the shower or (corded) phones during storms. I followed those guidelines loosely at first. After seeing the damage to my friend’s house never used a shower in a lightning storm ever again.
I know this is just circumstantial, but I saw lightning damage to a shower first hand. It was 25 years ago or so, at my friends house that had copper pipes just like everything else in the area 25 years ago. The lightning hit their oak tree in their yard and jumped across to the house somehow. It destroyed their cable box, TV and speaker system they had in the living room. The bathroom in the hall had flash damage around the showerhead and bits of the metal pipe connecting the showerhead was blown out.
We lived in an area that’s known for it’s high rate of lightning strikes. I was always told in school about lightning safety and to not use the shower or (corded) phones during storms. I followed those guidelines loosely at first. After seeing the damage to my friend’s house never used a shower in a lightning storm ever again.
When I was a kid lightning struck a tree about 20 feet from our house, traveled to the building and somehow blew up the master bathroom. Going in after the copper pipes had become knotted up and shot out of the walls. They were lying on the ground amidst shattered tile and porcelain. Crazy violent scene and I’ve never gone into the bathroom during a lightning storm since.
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