I finally got one

[Dapper Dave]

No, not a new gun, holster, belt, reloading tool, nothing like that, just something I've kind of wanted for years, and never could get, until my loving wife bought a kit. Then I paid a soldier in need to get the foundation done. Concrete set for two days, and up she went today.

 

Ain't she a beaut?

 

 

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

Congrats, looks great. When we built our retirement home 25 years ago, the first thing that went in was a flag pole & flag.

 TEN   HUT!  Salute

[Cypress Sun]

Very nice.

 

I kind of doubt the lightning is very prevalent in Arizona but proper grounding of the pole is very important to protect your property. Consult a licensed electrical contractor if you're unsure of the grounding of the pole.

 

Just a heads up.

[Eyesa Horg]

3 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

Very nice.

 

I kind of doubt the lightning is very prevalent in Arizona but proper grounding of the pole is very important to protect your property. Consult a licensed electrical contractor if you're unsure of the grounding of the pole.

 

Just a heads up.

Thanks, I've been wanting one for years too. Just presumed burying a metal pole in the ground a few feet grounded it. 

[John Kloehr]

5 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

Very nice.

 

I kind of doubt the lightning is very prevalent in Arizona but proper grounding of the pole is very important to protect your property. Consult a licensed electrical contractor if you're unsure of the grounding of the pole.

 

Just a heads up.

Some info about flagpole grounding:

 

https://americanaflagpoles.com/blogs/news/flagpole-lightning-safety?srsltid=AfmBOor4BOejz_VtNuJQG4fB7iPP_GQ0NkZeng25rNzz-qksQW_Wd3IQ

 

I do like that pole, always appreciate seeing our flag fly.

[John Kloehr]

2 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Thanks, I've been wanting one for years too. Just presumed burying a metal pole in the ground a few feet grounded it. 

8 feet deep.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

We put one in as soon as we bought our house.  Two years later I added a solar light set similar to yours.

 

I have replaced the flags several times and the light array once.

 

Lots of flags here.  About 1/4 of the homes have them and a lot of cars trucks, businesses, evernmotorcycle and bicycles have them.

 

Feels good!

[Stump Water]

3 hours ago, Dapper Dave said:

Ain't she a beaut?

 

Yes.

[Dapper Dave]

Hmm, I didn't know that about grounding...but it's aluminum, not steel. 

We haven't had a lightning strike anywhere near the house or property in...I think decades. We do get some good thunderstorms once in a great while, but our usual problem is wind. 

Now looking at that link, I might not have gotten it quite deep enough, being about 2.5 feet of pole in the concrete, but we'll see.  Maybe a couple of guy wires?

[John Kloehr]

28 minutes ago, Dapper Dave said:

Hmm, I didn't know that about grounding...but it's aluminum, not steel. 

We haven't had a lightning strike anywhere near the house or property in...I think decades. We do get some good thunderstorms once in a great while,

Aluminum or steel does not matter, the ground potential is at the top of that conductive pole. Lightning is weird. But drive a copper ground rod 8" deep within a few feet of the pole and connect a thick copper wire to it.

 

A rule of thumb, which does not quite match the science (I have a book on this). is to look up at something which you think might get struck. If it is less than 30 degrees off of straight up, then lightning can strike it and then you (don't stand under a tree or flag pole). If it is more than 60 degrees down from vertical, then lightning can strike you directly. At about 45 degrees, the object is more likely to be struck than you are and less likely to jump to you. Percentage odds, as under the most tightly controlled conditions, lightning is going to do whatever it does.

 

I was outside once in a back yard and lightning struck the power pole in the neighbors yard, then "ignored" the ground wire on it and jumped to ground elsewhere in the yard. We found the burned patch of lawn and "glass" (dug it up, about a foot long) from the strike a couple days later.

[Cypress Sun]

 Do you carry a firearm for protection?

How about smoke detectors in your house?

 

If so, have you ever needed either one of them?

 

Up to you, but I'd ground it if it were me.

[Dapper Dave]

Yes, yes, and much more than that, yes, the wife is ordering grounding items right now. I just didn't know, not something I had ever thought about before. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Not worried about lightening strikes with mine, It's made from sort of vinyl and is about 22 ft high, anchored in a concrete base etc. My illumination uses a solar powered spot to illuminate after sunset..

All the cords are inside the pole, behind a locking access panel.

[Dapper Dave]

My wife emailed before she went to bed that she already ordered the grounding spike.