I purchased some nicely made brackets that wrap around your deck railing to allow for mounting umbrellas for shade. An alternative use - mentioned and promoted by the manufacturer - suggests using their brackets as a base for a sail shade. We need this (shade), so I start putting this together.

The manufacturer suggests using a top rail (10-foot) for a chainlink fence. I also purchased some rubber feet that fit perfectly and a top cap to run the line for the sail.

This is a temporary install. It will stay up during the summer and come down during the winter.

As soon as I put one of these things up, I immediately figured this would be an excellent lightning rod. I don't have the sail yet, so I took the post down for now.

Should I ground these (four) posts? If so, how?

Seems to me like grounding it would make it more likely to get hit by lightning, no?

Lightning rods are grounded.

It’s ten feet tall. I wouldn’t waste my time. You’re home is more likely to be struck than that fence rail.

If you do it " correctly " it's going to look like hell .

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
It’s ten feet tall. I wouldn’t waste my time. You’re home is more likely to be struck than that fence rail.

It's 10 feet tall now, but we are likely to cut it down to 8 feet which would be less of an issue I suppose.

this is totally different from and antenna which has a feed wire to your house. And totally different from a metal fence which sometimes has bonding requirements.

This is just a pole. As such I'm not aware of any code requirements. Someone correct me if codes have changed since the last time I looked.

My best advice is leave it alone as-is, and go inside when an electrical storm approaches

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
this is totally different from and antenna which has a feed wire to your house. And totally different from a metal fence which sometimes has bonding requirements.

This is just a pole. As such I'm not aware of any code requirements. Someone correct me if codes have changed since the last time I looked.

My best advice is leave it alone as-is, and go inside when an electrical storm approaches

Thank you.

If lightning strikes that pole, it will conduct electricity to your wooden deck, and damage it, maybe set it on fire. There is a reason for grounding tall metal objects that are attached to structures and having lightning rods on structures.

People get struck by lightning playing golf, more than anyone else, and there are almost always much taller trees than the golfers holding a golf club over their heads.

quote:

Originally posted by Nuclear:
If lightning strikes that pole, it will conduct electricity to your wooden deck, and damage it, maybe set it on fire. There is a reason for grounding tall metal objects that are attached to structures and having lightning rods on structures.

People get struck by lightning playing golf, more than anyone else, and there are almost always much taller trees than the golfers holding a golf club over their heads.

So what would your suggestion be? If I was to ground these posts, how would it be done?

The ARRL has an entire textbook on grounding.

The www.qrz.com amateur radio forum has nearly daily threads on how to ground antennas. These gather no moss, as the stones roll down the hill from the experienced hams with an attitude write tomes to the original poster of the question, most often with supercilious criticism. And of course, arguments abound between the experienced hams who disagree violently.

Without personal experience, but having read many threads as I try to imagine starting my amateur radio hobby, I can related that
1. ground rods are eight feet long and hard as heck to get pounded into the soil.
2. brackets and fasteners exist to connect antenna rods (your poles) and the pounded in ground rod.
3. braided copper wire or #6 AWG wire connects metal poles and ground rods
4. for radio use, where the antenna on the pole has a wire going into the home, the ground rods are bonded electrically to the service ground of the home, using the big copper wire.

Again, just restating what I read in these somewhat authoritative forums.