My AC got zapped!

[Leigh Costello]

You know when your insurance company has just paid off on a big thing like a roof that something else is going to get Mothered by Nature.

So last night, we were sitting on the porch with some friends watching the clouds come together. Listening to the distant rumble get closer. Birds no longer at the feeders, dogs begging to go inside. Cats winding their shedding bodies around our legs. Satellite lost its signal. Can't even tune in the Cardinals because of the static. Electric fluttering, turned off everything (I thought). Lightning zipping in the clouds. Just waiting for the storm to get closer.

Then, a hissing zipping KAPOW! Blue light lit up the porch. Anything metal was sparking and then the noise. Or lack of. Deafening boom. Instant pain as our chairs became our enemies. Clamoring over pets to get inside. Laughing nervously. Still have power.

Check the phones, yes good there. Fridge is fine, freezer etc. all fine. Then we realize that the AC is running but not producing cold air.

Well, after one whole day of relative coolness outside, we know that our blower motor got toasted, the AC unit needed a resistor or some such thing. And the control panel may have a problem. Phooey! Oh well, our savings account isn't earning interest anyway. :D

Oh, and would you believe that our behinds have little bolt mark burns from our chairs!?! Good thing we weren't on the back deck in the lawn chairs! :eek: Eat your heart out Harry Potter!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Leigh....That was too close for comfort!

20 years ago some friends and I were camping and fishing in a wilderness area near here. Another guy and I hiked out to some lakes that the others weren't physically capable of getting to and back in the same day. We fished and had terrible luck.

On the way back to camp we were climbing a nearly vertical face that was about 1/4 mile from camp when we reached the summit. A cloud blew over...black cloud and then a loud "BOOM!" and super bright flash. I'm not sure....the other guy isn't sure either....some how I managed to get my 200 lb. + body and apparently cleared him in the air. Scared.....frightened...not strong enough words. When we got back to camp they stated the lightning had struck about 1/2 between the face we were on and camp...so about 1/8 mile away! Too close for comfort!

Sorry about the AC and the burns. I hope the burns heal soon and completely!

[Rich Stewart]

I am somewhat of a nasty weather freak. I love to sit out on the porch and watch thunderstorms. I spent a month in MO and I gotta tell you, those storms are way, WAY too intense for me. They had me running for cover. MO has some of the most intense thunderstorms I have ever experienced.

[curtis rosche]

got pictures ?

[Belinda Barfield]

You always tell a great story Leigh. :D

I love storms, too. One day I'm going to visit so I can watch a good storm and listen to you tell stories, LOL. Seriously, I'm glad everyone is okay. The burns will heal. Like you said, that money wasn't doing anything but sitting there anyway.

[Rod Sheridan]

got pictures ?

Curtis, I can't wait to see what the Moderators do when a photo of the burns on Leigh's behind gets posted:D

Regards, Rod.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

A 10 year old boy and his father were camping at a fishing lake south of Indy Wednesday night. About 3:30 AM they tried to get to their car during a thunder and lightning storm. Both were truck by lightning. The boy did not survive.

[David G Baker]

Belinda,
Take a train ride across the prairie during the storm season in the night time and you may see enough lightning to last you a life time.
I spent around 40 years in Northern California where there is some lightning but when I moved to Mid Michigan I found out that it can lightning for hours on end and from all directions. Took me a while to adjust, now it helps me sleep unless it is too loud or too close.

[Robert Parrish]

I feel your pain, they just finished replacing my pool pump and timer that was hit by lightning last Friday. It also damaged several circuit in my attic that will have to be replaced. The lightning hit between my neighbor and I. He also had some damage. We expect it here because this is the lightning capital of the country!

[Leigh Costello]

Belinda,
You are welcome any time. I do love to talk and tell stories.

I can honestly say the weather is one of the reasons I love Missouri. The extremes are amazing. I don't usually wait to get a zing before I go inside. I have seen many tornadoes in the past. A freaky force of nature.

No no pictures of the weather because I have dial up and it take too long to upload.

My heartfelt sympathies to everyone who has been harmed by storms.

[Stephen Musial]

We were hit with the same storms - but we just had a few power flickers/surges and it fried the compressor in the heatpump/AC. It was a 25 year old Trane so it lived a good life but went out with a bang: oil all over, wires fried and welded together, etc.

So, instead of a beach vacation this year it will be Table Rock Lake and Steal-Your-Dollar City.

Gotta love Missouri weather - 70 degrees right now, going to be 95 on Thursday.

[Leigh Costello]

Stephen,
How about that humidity today!

Update: We are in the cool zone again. Got up to 85 in the house today, basemeant was still cool though. The entire bill was much less than expected, woohoo. I am still going to finish my freezer pop then off to bed. Ahh, I do like central air. And when the house cools off, sweet dreams for me!

[Greg Crawford]

I had a friend whose wife got struck by lightning while cutting firewood in the mountains of Utah. She survived, but has problems with her ears. My friend said he heard this loud crash, looked around and couldn't find his wife. After searching a little further, he said "I found her in the bushes smoking", and he didn't mean cigarettes! Her boots were still where she had been standing, with her socks fused into them. She still has those (leather) boots and has never been able to get the socks out.

It's really unfortunate that the boy on the camping trip didn't survive to be able to tell about it, and I'm sure his dad won't have much desire to ever discuss it. Really sad.

[Stephen Musial]

It was lovely - you could take a knife outside, cut out a piece of air, put it in a glass and drink it. This is the time of year that I'm glad I put a veneering bench in the basement so I don't have to go out to the garage to make something.