A lightning diverter should be installed where the
lead-out wire attaches to the fence. A lightning diverter at this location serves the double
purpose of diverting some of the initial energy surge to ground and serving as a route of exit from
the fence of the energy flow reversed by the induction coil. This device has two terminals for
attaching wires and leads from each terminal that are set with a wide enough gap to prevent the
normal energizer voltage flow from arcing across, but close enough to allow a lightning voltage
spike to jump easily across and pass to ground. The top terminal is attached to the uppermost
electrified wire and the lower terminal to a ground rod. The lightning diverter ground must be
separate from the energizer ground. If a common ground rod is used, the lightning spike can pass
through the common ground system and return to the energizer potentially damaging the circuitry. It
is relatively cheap insurance to install several lightning diverters through the fence system at
lightning prone locations and where fences network together.
Ideally, more total ground rod capacity should be installed under the lightning diverter system
than under the energizer itself. Several types of lightning diverters are available, but all work
on the same
principle.
October 07, 2014
