[pics] Lightning Strike Risk?... DirectTV Dish on Roof, Inactive & Ungrounded

[LoneRanger]

House we bought has an inactive DirectTV dish on corner of roof over kitchen. We have no intentions of subscribing. Coax is disconnected and looks like someone snipped ground wire as well? Just need to know if this is a lightning strike risk. There is a coax feed under eave to the right (not in picture) that I can connect the coax to if that would be safer. The coax feed goes into cable box on house and into a four way splitter than it properly grounded to the earth spike. I'm thinking if I connect the coax lead on the dish to the coax under the eave then that should earth it?

 

[Donald]

Lightning wants to go to ground. So an un-grounded piece of metal will not be much of an attraction. I actually have the same thing. I needed a newer one at a different angle for HD and it was installed in the back yard on a pole. Now the tree limbs knock it out of alignment.

I would go up on the roof with some quality roof caulk and remove the dish and caulk the holes.

We have DirectTV and they are expensive. We should have fiber to the home shortly and will dump DirectTV then.

 

[dbias]

Just take the 4 bolts out of the sides of the base plate that screw into the vertical pole and the dish and the pole its mounted to will come down easily. Leave the base plate in place so it wont leak. There is supposed to be a black mastic on the bottom of the base plate that seals the screws but unfortunately it sticks to the shingles and if you try to remove the base plate you will probably pull up a couple shingles with it.

 

[LoneRanger]

Thanks for this info !!

 

[SZR48207]

I had the same thing - an unused dish on my roof for the first 5 years I owned my house, and mine was even grounded (but not coax connected) and it was never hit. Then again lightning strikes are about as random as can be, so..

Anyway I took mine down just before I had a new roof installed so I didn't have any concerns about leaving holes in the shingles.

 

[Dave9]

It is not even as tall as the rest of the roof so it is not going to attract lightning. Lightning is not any more attracted to something like that if it is grounded, it has already traveled quite a way before that point and will find ground by continuing the next dozen feet or so.

You only need it grounded if it is connected via the coax to something inside the home, to divert the surge away from the home equipment but really the coax ought to still go through a surge suppressor inside for that last line of defense, again if it were to be hooked up.

 

[alarmguy]

No risk what so ever.
But, if your not using the dish, why dont use just take it down?
Its, like, to me, leaving an old broken down car in the driveway.
Leave the mounting bracket in place and just unbolt the dish.

 

[LoneRanger]

How do I dispose of the dish once it's down?

 

[SZR48207]

Originally Posted by LoneRanger
How do I dispose of the dish once it's down?


If you can't find someone who wants to buy it off craigslist, then just throw it into the trash.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by LoneRanger
How do I dispose of the dish once it's down?


The same way you dispose of anything. Break it up, break it down and put it in with the garbage heck its smaller then a TV and most household stuff.
FYI - it has no value to anyone.

Heck, ugly as sin and even worse if you dont use it.