Lightning strikes Ringwood well – causes additional damage in the home

The inset photo shows what a well

pump should look like. The other 

photo shows the well pump from 

Ringwood that was recently struck

by lightning.

John Matthesius, of McHenry Water Well and Pump, said that, in his 46 years servicing and repairing wells, he’s seen hundreds of wells that were struck by lightning but the well he was called to in Ringwood last Thursday, April 7, was the worst.

“It blew the well cap off. It blew the motor off the pump and the motor fell into the bottom of the well,” he said. “It burnt the pressure switch and fried the components in the control box. There is a little black relay in there and it blew that apart.”

He said that it also appeared to blow apart a welded connection holding the motor shell to the pump.

“It just blew that motor shell right off,” he said.

While the lightning strike devastated the well equipment, it did more damage than that. It also destroyed the motherboard in the home’s furnace, knocked out the television, the internet, a computer and a refrigerator.

Matthesius said that the homeowner was fortunate; he had insurance that will cover the damage.

“When the lightning struck, it knocked all the scale off the inside of the well casing,” said Matthesius. “I had to pump the well over the top to get rid of all the sediment. It took almost a day to pump the well clear before I could turn the water back on in the house.”

The lightning apparently hit about 3 a.m. Thursday. Matthesius said he received the call from the homeowner at about 10 a.m. and was on the job by 11 a.m.

“The well is a perfect lightning rod,” said Matthesius. “But this strike really hit hard.”