# Should I Install Lightning Rod



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

The other afternoon I was sitting at home watching television, when suddenly my screen went blank, and my television began to make a high pitched squeal noise. A fraction of a second later there was an extremely bright flash, and then the TV went back to normal. I'm not sure, but I suspect that a bolt of lightning may have hit the metal bars outside my living room window, or perhaps it may have hit some barbed wire on top of a wall near my house.

This has got me wondering what would happen if a bolt of lightning were to actually hit the roof of my house? My roof is shaped like a four sided pyramid, and it is made from the same type of enamel coated sheet metal that you see on most people's houses over here. The peak of my roof is probably about 35' higher than the surrounding ground, and there really isn't anything of equal height near my house.

I'm wondering what would happen if a bolt of lightning were to strike my roof, and I'm guessing that the only path to earth would have to be through the concrete walls of my house? I'm just wondering if anyone else has taken the steps to install a lightning rod on their house, and what are the pros and cons of doing so?


----------



## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Maxx62 said:


> The other afternoon I was sitting at home watching television, when suddenly my screen went blank, and my television began to make a high pitched squeal noise. A fraction of a second later there was an extremely bright flash, and then the TV went back to normal. I'm not sure, but I suspect that a bolt of lightning may have hit the metal bars outside my living room window, or perhaps it may have hit some barbed wire on top of a wall near my house.
> 
> This has got me wondering what would happen if a bolt of lightning were to actually hit the roof of my house? My roof is shaped like a four sided pyramid, and it is made from the same type of enamel coated sheet metal that you see on most people's houses over here. The peak of my roof is probably about 35' higher than the surrounding ground, and there really isn't anything of equal height near my house.
> 
> I'm wondering what would happen if a bolt of lightning were to strike my roof, and I'm guessing that the only path to earth would have to be through the concrete walls of my house? I'm just wondering if anyone else has taken the steps to install a lightning rod on their house, and what are the pros and cons of doing so?


I would only because you are higher than the surrounding area. Also, while you are at it, you might want to make sure that the house electrical is properly grounded (doubt it). I remember finding out in Florida that my 50 year old house wasn't and for the cost of two 1 yard copper rods connected to each other and an outside faucet I was good, was minimal. 

Word of caution: do not use braided ground wire, it is a fire hazard and defeats the purpose of what you are doing.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

TV antenna is steel water pipe and buried two feet deep with cement as a ground, usually it's the first spot to get hit by lighting but not always, I found out the reason why I lost the internet on the 19 August was due to a lighting strike, it took out my modem, caller ID and damaged my lines, my DSL is grounded but I still had issue's, added a power regulator and a power surge on my DSL modem.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

jon1 said:


> I would only because you are higher than the surrounding area. Also, while you are at it, you might want to make sure that the house electrical is properly grounded (doubt it). I remember finding out in Florida that my 50 year old house wasn't and for the cost of two 1 yard copper rods connected to each other and an outside faucet I was good, was minimal.
> 
> Word of caution: do not use braided ground wire, it is a fire hazard and defeats the purpose of what you are doing.


I have two electrical outlets in my house which I've managed to attach to stainless steel rods I've driven into the ground outside, and these two receptacles supply power to my PC, modem, television, and microwave. (Don't get me started on my refrigerator.) 

Anyway, I think that my more important appliances are adequately grounded, but now I'm wondering what would happen to my roof it it were hit by lightning? Also, if I install a lightning rod on top of my house, I'm guessing that I will have to connect it to an earth ground, and how far does that connection need to be away from the ground for my electrical appliances?


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

mcalleyboy said:


> TV antenna is steel water pipe and buried two feet deep with cement as a ground, usually it's the first spot to get hit by lighting but not always, I found out the reason why I lost the internet on the 19 August was due to a lighting strike, it took out my modem, caller ID and damaged my lines, my DSL is grounded but I still had issue's, added a power regulator and a power surge on my DSL modem.


Assuming that the your devices are connected to a grounded circuit, shouldn't a good quality surge protector shield your devices from a lightning strike? (I honestly have no idea.)

I'm the worst person in the world when it comes to working on alternating current. I always start out remembering that AC has one line that is hot, and one line that is neutral, but after a few minutes of scratching my head I usually get confused and start thinking of it as positive and negative, like on a battery. So some of my electrical questions are probably way out in left field.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

It would also be interesting to see how long that big lump of copper stays on your roof. We had the couple of metres of heavy gauge copper wire going to an earth rod dissappear. We realised it had gone when we started to get shocks of of the appliances.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Be careful that if you do the installation that you do it completely and correctly. Then make sure that you maintain it properly.

Lightening takes the path of least electrical resistance

Concrete is not that good a conductor of electricity so even through you have a metal roof the path of least electrical resistance may just be through the air to a ground strike nearby.

If you do the installation you may actually attract strikes, but they will pass safely into the ground *IF YOU DO THE INSTALLATION CORRECTLY AND MAINTAIN IT PROPERLY.*

If the system is not installed correctly and is not properly maintained you may still attract the strikes but you will not pass them safely into the ground. *This is not a good thing. In fact this is a very bad thing.*

See NFPA 780: Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems for the correct design and installation details.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

I'm wondering what would happen to my roof, if it got hit by lightning, without a lightning rod installed on it? My main concern is that the lightning might make a hole in my roof (if that is even possible) and that I might not notice it until after I already have a lot of water damage. I don't see anyone else with a lightning rod on their house, so I'm wondering if I'm wondering if the roof can really be damaged by a lightning strike?


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Protecting Computer and appliances*



Manitoba said:


> Be careful that if you do the installation that you do it completely and correctly. Then make sure that you maintain it properly.
> 
> Lightening takes the path of least electrical resistance
> 
> ...


Thanks for any or all advice on ways to protect the TV, Computers and appliances. My TV antenna is outside the home and stuck in the ground with concrete. Going to have a professional take a look at all my grounding concerns, it's a real pain trouble shooting my internet only to find out two months later that my DSL modem was damaged and I had internet the whole time...dang. The Telcom contractors are so busy in my area, we were hit badly by Typhoon Glenda and they take short cuts on service, basically they only had time to check the phone lines on the pole and no house visit.

My Telcom did give me a generous rebate back, actually two rebates since Typhoon Glenda, so couldn't be happier, the whole rebate could be another discussion, things sure work differently here, I guess the bottom line on rebates is that you fill out small paper work at the office and then once you've received your DSL connection or phone connection and "Before" you pay your bill, have the main office adjust your billing, I'm sure that not all Telcom's work the same but the billing seems similar.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Maxx62 said:


> I'm wondering what would happen to my roof, if it got hit by lightning, without a lightning rod installed on it? My main concern is that the lightning might make a hole in my roof (if that is even possible) and that I might not notice it until after I already have a lot of water damage. I don't see anyone else with a lightning rod on their house, so I'm wondering if I'm wondering if the roof can really be damaged by a lightning strike?


It would probably melt a hole in it depending on how good a ground it was. It's not the metal your roof is made from that counts, it's how well it is grounded. A lightning strike won't be attracked to an ungrounded object, it will strike the hardest ground it can find, hence a lightning conductor is heavily grounded so is sacrficial.


----------



## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Gary D said:


> It would also be interesting to see how long that big lump of copper stays on your roof. We had the couple of metres of heavy gauge copper wire going to an earth rod dissappear. We realised it had gone when we started to get shocks of of the appliances.


That's true. People here will liberate you of anything they can get their hands on. A possible solution to the theft problem might be to do the work yourself and using a good quality marine paint, just paint the copper wire/rod battle grey. Then tell the neighbors that you used a cheap steel cable and painted it for rust protection.
They will think you're crazy but your investment might just be protected..


----------



## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

I worked at the Dau comm site on Clark in the 80s and know the locals love copper cable! They would cut it, hook a caribou up, and pull out 100 ft of underground cable and disappear in the dark before anybody'd know it.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

I found the below website in case anyone else is thinking about this. I have no idea if they ship to the PI or not.

Lightning Rod Parts: Parts and Prices: Page 2

Also, it looks like most of the equipment they have requires holes to be drilled into the roof. I'm a little bit hesitant to do that, because I'm worried about it being pulled off during a typhoon. I'm wondering if installing a couple of rods on top of tall poles near my house would be as good putting it on top the peak of my roof? I think I'll look around in the local neighborhood for an existing example to follow.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Generally there is a protection “umbrella” due to other structures in the vicinity, such as your rods on poles.

Be careful, this sort of installation requires some special considerations to size, spacing heights etc.

I strongly advise getting an electrical engineer with some experence in these things to do the design for you.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

cvgtpc1 said:


> I worked at the Dau comm site on Clark in the 80s and know the locals love copper cable! They would cut it, hook a caribou up, and pull out 100 ft of underground cable and disappear in the dark before anybody'd know it.


A friend of mine who had worked on some electrical power plants in South Africa had some particularly gruesome pictures of some guys who tried that on a live 15kV line.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

If your roof is ona timber frame I wouldn't bother because the impedance to ground will be quiet high and you are unlikely attract lightning. A nearby wet tree will be much more susceptible.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Grew up on the Dakota Plains where each year there are some severe thunderstorms. Most townsfolk do not have lightning rods & such as there are enough high surrounding structures to attract the lightning. Most farms have lightning rods at each end of the house and the same at each end of the barns as they are usually of wood construction and the highest in the vicinity except for the silo which has it's own protection. Now over many years as a pilot, I have been subjected to numerous thunderstorms and have flown through them. The lightning bolts are such a beautiful sight when up there amongst them, also very scary as you can just sense the power there. I have never been hit by one as the plane is kind of isolated in the airspace. I think one would have to be in the direct path of the lightning strike for it to hit a plane. 

Fred


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Gary D said:


> If your roof is ona timber frame I wouldn't bother because the impedance to ground will be quiet high and you are unlikely attract lightning. A nearby wet tree will be much more susceptible.


The frame of my roof is made from steel purlins. I believe that the steel frame is attached to the metal deformed bar (rebar) inside the hollow blocks making up the walls of my house, and those deformed bars go deep into the foundation of below the house. 

Hmm...I'm wondering if the deformed bar attached to my roof, and also attached to the foundation of my house would make an adequate ground by itself? I'm guessing probably not.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I would suggest it would make a quiet good earth as the concrete floor is the return path when you get a belt from the mains. My thinking about a wooden frame is along the lines of a car on rubber tyres, how often does a car get struck by lightning. The rebar in the walls would help dissipate the charge but it is the point of contact that is the worry. I do wonder if a house was to be struck with rebar in the walls if it could be the wall that is struct rather than the roof.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Manitoba said:


> Generally there is a protection “umbrella” due to other structures in the vicinity, such as your rods on poles.
> 
> Be careful, this sort of installation requires some special considerations to size, spacing heights etc.
> 
> I strongly advise getting an electrical engineer with some experence in these things to do the design for you.


There is a stand of bamboo about 40 - 50 feet from house. The stand has a thick base about eight feet in diameter, and the tallest stalks are about 40 - 50 feet in the air. I was thinking about cutting it down, because I was worried that it might come out of the ground during the next typhoon, and I definitely don't want that amount of mass hitting my house. Well, on second thought maybe the bamboo might serve as an effective lightning rod? Right now it seems pretty saturated with water due to the rain, so even it caught on fire I don't think it would burn very well. 

During last year's typhoon this particular stand of bamboo kept twisting and squawking in the wind, and it was amazing how far it leaned over without being pulled out of the ground. I'm guessing that the root system on this particular stand of bamboo must go down pretty deep. Also, my father-in-law once told me that the bamboo had been planted during the Japanese occupation, and the rumor was that a Japanese officer hid some gold underneath the spot before he planted it. Well, I guess that's a check mark in the column for cutting it down.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

We have a similar stand of bamboo in our back yard and it did come down cross our hut in the back yard in the last typhoon. Oh and by the way the gold is buried somewhere in our mango land.


----------



## yakc130 (Apr 27, 2012)

The theory about rubber tires insulating you is no good anymore. All tires have steel wire in them now.

You _might_ be safe if struck by lightning, but if a wire falls on the vehicle, it will be charged and you won't be able to get out safely. You'll have to wait until the power is cut.

I learned this in fire fighting school back in the late '80's.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

I think that that would be too far away to be any protection.

Anyway in a storm the bamboo would bend in the wind and not be as tall. Bamboo is after all just really tall thick grass.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Gary D said:


> We have a similar stand of bamboo in our back yard and it did come down cross our hut in the back yard in the last typhoon. Oh and by the way the gold is buried somewhere in our mango land.


I think that my gold is probably buried somewhere between never-land, Shangri-la, and fairyland.


----------

