Can you get electrocuted while showering during a lightning storm?

[Night201]

?

 

[gistech1978]

showing?

 

[Night201]

yes, sorry...changing subject now.

 

[mobobuff]

I think it would have to be one well-placed lightning strike, but I suppose it's possible.

The chances that it would be fatal, on the other hand, may be a tough conclusion.

 

[gistech1978]

hmm
im sure you could.
but ive showered during thunderstorms and ive yet to be electrocuted.

 

[Preyhunter]

Once when I was very little, my family was vacationing at the beach in Florida (somewhere around Destin I believe). A storm blew in faster than you would expect and we all rushed into the cabin we were staying in. My aunt was washing the sand off of my feet and legs in the sink when lightning struck the water line somewhere and it traveled through the pipes and came out the sink, shocking the hell out of me. Having experienced this, I know it's possible for the lightning to travel through water pipes and come out where the water is flowing. I would imagine that, given the right conditions, someone could die that way. I never shower during a thunderstorm and never plan to.

 

[PhlashFoto]

if the pipes are grounded then its not possible. Prey as for you getting shocked, those water pipes werent grounded.

 

[jagec]

If you get struck by lightening, yeah. Of course, you can get electrocuted at any time if you are struck by lightening.

The water pipes might magnify the radius over which a lightening strike would be felt, but it would still have to strike pretty close by.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ELopes580
if the pipes are grounded then its not possible. Prey as for you getting shocked, those water pipes werent grounded.

I'm pretty sure the water pipes would be grounded, as one method of grounding the electric in old houses is through the water pipes coming in from the outside.

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: jagec
Of course, you can get electrocuted at any time if you are struck by lightening.

Only if you die. Electrocution requires death.

 

[Rapidskies]

4. Stay away from metal. Metal generally attracts lightning. This also means that you should not shower or bathe during storms. Your pipes are made of metal, and current flows through wet things, including people.

5. Don?t sit on the toilet if you can help it. You?re sitting right in the way of a direct ground.

6. Pay attention to your body. It will tell you if you are about to be hit. When you feel the warning signs (a feeling of static electricity, hair standing on end, a tingling sensation), take action immediately: get low (roll into a ditch if possible).

7. Don?t talk on the telephone. The phone lines are not immune to lightning strikes.

 

[drnickriviera]

Originally posted by: Whade


5. Don?t sit on the toilet if you can help it. You?re sitting right in the way of a direct ground.

How is a toilet grounded? Porcelian is a good insulator.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Whade
4. Stay away from metal. Metal generally attracts lightning. This also means that you should not shower or bathe during storms. Your pipes are made of metal, and current flows through wet things, including people.

5. Don?t sit on the toilet if you can help it. You?re sitting right in the way of a direct ground.

6. Pay attention to your body. It will tell you if you are about to be hit. When you feel the warning signs (a feeling of static electricity, hair standing on end, a tingling sensation), take action immediately: get low (roll into a ditch if possible).

7. Don?t talk on the telephone. The phone lines are not immune to lightning strikes.

You forgot how putting on tin foil hats acts as an isolated ground too

 

[dman]

The pipes in our home are PVC, new construction = crappier materials, but, I think it's better suited to protect against lightning. Discuss.

Archived Link of same question... I posted a long time ago.

Reason I asked: Argument w/ the wife. Never really resolved... hard to prove it's impossible.

 

[desiplaya4life]

Originally posted by: Preyhunter
Once when I was very little, my family was vacationing at the beach in Florida (somewhere around Destin I believe). A storm blew in faster than you would expect and we all rushed into the cabin we were staying in. My aunt was washing the sand off of my feet and legs in the sink when lightning struck the water line somewhere and it traveled through the pipes and came out the sink, shocking the hell out of me. Having experienced this, I know it's possible for the lightning to travel through water pipes and come out where the water is flowing. I would imagine that, given the right conditions, someone could die that way. I never shower during a thunderstorm and never plan to.

oh thats funny to hear that u are not phobic to showering in a thunderstorm lol