![]() ![]() ![]() The first step is to find out where the grounding networks will go. You can expect the professional installing your lighting rod to run through the following general steps. With the incorrect installation, you run the risk of causing more problems than you solve. Lightning Rod Installationįirst and foremost, we should recap again that lightning rod installation is a job that’s best left to the professionals. Adding a lightning rod to your home is an investment of around $1,500 on average. High cost – The only other con commonly associated with lightning rods is their cost. It’s crucial to invest in a professional. When installed incorrectly, a lightning rod can even work against you and become a hazard rather than a safety precaution. Unfortunately, this goes beyond just worrying about whether or not the lightning rod will work too. Must be correctly grounded – In addition to being installed by a licensed professional the rod must be properly grounded and checked by a licensed electrician every 6 to 12 months. It’s a good idea to seek out a licensed dealer that has credentials from the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL). This isn’t the type of home renovation project that you should take on as a DIY project. Must be installed by a professional – The first thing to note is that you should only have a professional install a lightning rod. So, let’s take a look at a few of those to get a better idea of the full picture behind lightning rods. On the other hand, there are some downsides to lightning rods that you should take into account. This means that they aren’t going to be too obtrusive while they do their job. All you have to do is simply discuss it with the person you hire to install the lightning rod.ĭoesn’t take a lot of space – While tall, lightning rods are narrow and don’t take up a lot of horizontal space. Installing a lightening rod may prevent such costly damage in the event of a strike.Ĭan customize to fit your needs – On top of that, since every home is different, you can customize your lightning rod set up to best protect your home individually. Protect your home’s electrical system – A lightening strike can damage a home’s electrical system. When you have a lightning rod installed, you won’t have to worry as much about the sudden disaster that a lightning strike on a home can cause. Help prevent fires from lightening strikes – The first benefit of lightning rods is one that we’ve already noted: their installation does add safety features to your home. First, we’ll get started with the positives. Now that we’ve covered exactly what lightning rods do and how they do it, let’s take a look at a breakdown of the major pros and cons of lightning rods. Metal roofs are much less likely to catch fire than wood. While metal roofs are not more prone to lightening strikes than other roof types the roof material of your home can influence how flammable it is. The roof of your home also plays a part in lighting strike safety. If you want to protect from some of the additional effects of lightning such as power surges, there’s more to it.Īt its basics, though, aluminum or, even more commonly, copper is the main component of a lightning rod that gives it its conductivity and, thus, protects your home. This simple design can be expanded upon, though. ![]() The most common choices for conductive materials for this purpose are usually either copper or aluminum – more specifically aluminum or copper cable.Ĭopper, in particular, along with alloys of copper are the most often used materials for lightning rods thanks to their ability to conduct electricity effectively. While there are a few different types of lightning rods with different design styles, the materials needed for them are generally pretty common. As such, lightning rods are exclusively made with conductive materials that the electricity from the lightning can travel through effectively. The concept of a lightning rod only works if the rod itself can conduct electricity. Rather, the energy of that strike is diverted safely into a grounding network. This area is called a grounding network and through this technique, you’re much less likely to experience something like a house fire from a lightning strike. When lightning does strike, though, a lightning rod can work to conduct lightning down the rod so that it can disperse below. These simply aren’t going to keep lightning away from your house. On the other hand, this doesn’t mean that lightning rods will prevent lightning from striking. Ultimately, lightning rods are another tool for homeowners to use to help stave off some of the more dangerous aspects of nature.Īs the name suggests, this particular tool is meant to save you from a lightning strike or, more specifically, save your home plus everyone and everything inside from a house fire started by a strike of lightning. Are Lightning Rods For Roofs A Good Idea?. ![]()
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