SURGE SUPPRESSOR

Most electric meters have spark gaps.

Here in California we rarely see lightning; it's a real novelty. The power lines don't generally have the high ground wire like most places have.

What kind of event is the plug intended to fix?

What happens if the plug arcs over? Wouldn't the surge current available destroy the plug and perhaps start a fire?

Don't automotive spark plugs have a resistor embedded to reduce RFI? I presume a non-resistor plug would beneeded.

Basically, dry ground has poor conduction for a ground rod, so it's for the kind of lightning event that induces currents on long lines.

Yep. If there's too many joules, that can happen anyhow. Plugs are cheap.

Yes. This is an ancient folk remedy, might pre-date even the earliest solid-state arrestors of silicon carbide.

Good info. Thanks

Telephone land lines have had spark-gap surge arrestors for as long as I can recall, probably dating back to Alexander Graham Bell.

Joe Gwinn

Most likely it was Bell's idea. ;-) I worked on some land lines 60 years ago and they were all over the place.

Before telephone lines there were telegraph lines and the Carrington event.

piglet