Lightning Rod

So there's a storm brewing tonight. I just finished the COPPER hop pole. Everything is planted, the pole is up, and I just thought to myself, hmmm maybe that's why the pro's use wood?

I have 2 ten footers coupled together, with a tee at the top, and it's probably 18 feet in the air. I cemeneted in pvc about 2.5 feet down and that in turn holds the 1" copper as a sleeve.

So anyone heard of hops getting whacked by lightning? Anyone else use copper to string up their hops? I'll be sure and report back if anything happens to mine.

I'm interested now, if it gets struck once it has hops you could use em and give the beer a really cool name. I can't think of one off the top of my head but the label could show a guy with a beer in his hand and a kite getting struck by lightning in the other.

Ben Franklin's Thunderstorn Toasted Hop Ale.

Or Lightning Rod's 'Lectric Lager?

I would imagine the copper would just conduct the lightning down the pole and into the ground, as they are designed to do. Not sure what affect it would have on the hops. Perhaps the heat of the pole would damage them?

I'd like to see that thing!

I doubt it would cause any harm to you, as it will act like a lightening rod and channel the lightening into the ground. I suspect your plants would get cooked in the process though.

I've had a J-Pole HAM radio antenna on my chimney for years though, and no strikes yet.

When the weather clears up I'll go outside and take a shot of it. I obsessed a bit on the lightning rod thing last night and found this: "Lightning Rods DO NOT attract lightning, but . . . if lightning is going to hit your house, it will hit the Rods." from lightningrod.com

Quoting the Rat from Ratatouille ..

It's Lighteningie !

Make a doppelbock, and call it Blitzen!

Keep a rolling camera on it during the storm. If it gets hit those hops are gonna be vaporized. I bet it'll be cool to watch though.

frazier said:

Make a doppelbock, and call it Blitzen!

Click to expand...

And age it till Christmas. If nothing else, this thread is cool for the beer names.

I think I want one.

A buddy I just put up a trellis last night made from conduit and we had the same discussion about it being a lighting rod.