I heard of a woman who turned on a tap during a thunderstorm and lightning struck outside her house just at the moment the tap was running.The lightning traveled through the ground into the running tap and the force of the lightning threw the poor woman across the room.Is this BUSTED,PLAUSIBLE or CONFIRMED?

If she was holding the tap at the time then perfectly plausible as the tap and piping is made from copper. So even if the tap wasn't running she could still get exactly the same result if lightning struck.

The lightning could strike any pipework in the house and she would feel it. Most houses have a hot or cold water header tank in the loft which lightning could easily strike.

quote:

Originally posted by Fitnessfreak:

Most houses have a hot or cold water header tank in the loft which lightning could easily strike.

Hey, Fit. I thought for a while you had disappeared.

Do you guys really have header tanks in the loft - and I assume by "loft" you mean what we would call the attic? That is interesting. Tell me why? Is your water system not otherwise pressurized? Just curious.

i think its plausible because the water piping along with the tap is completely metal, and the lightening may travel through wet groung into pipes.

Most English homes have hot water header tanks particularly if they have central heating systems (radiators) to keep the system from running dry. Although not linked with the same water, the pipes do run through the same boiler and have metal to metal connections.

Our cold water is pressurised, but the hot water works on a gravity feed system.

I've not disappeared completely - i like to stick my oar in occasionally. I'm touched that anyone even noticed.