Electronic devices and computers are especially vulnerable.Īdding a protection system doesn't prevent a strike, but gives it a better, safer path to ground. Damage to appliances - Televisions, VCRs, microwaves, phones, washers, lamps and just about anything plugged into an affected circuit may be damaged beyond repair.Damage to building materials - The explosive shock wave created by a lightning discharge can blow out sections of walls, fragment concrete and plaster, and shatter nearby glass.They can also ignite materials such as a gasoline can in a garage. Side flashes - Side flashes can jump across rooms, possibly injuring anyone who happens to be in the way.When lightning follows electrical wiring, it will often overheat or even vaporize the wires, creating a fire hazard anywhere along affected circuits. Fire- Fire can start anywhere the exposed lightning channel contacts, penetrates or comes near flammable material (wood, paper, gas pipes, etc) in a building - including structural lumber or insulation inside walls and roofs.As a result, lightning presents several hazards to any house or building: Lightning usually will follow one or more of these paths to ground, sometimes jumping through the air via a side flash to reach a better-grounded conductor (watch animation above). This may include the phone, cable, or electrical lines, the water or gas pipes, or (in the case of a steel-framed building) the structure itself. Without a designated path to reach ground, a lightning strike may choose to instead utilize any conductor available inside a house or building. This web site is made possible by support from CIS Internet. Do offer fire protection and structural damage protection by preventing a hot, explosive lightning channel from passing through building materials.Most don't offer surge protection for sensitive electronics.Don't and cannot dissipate or prevent lightning by 'draining' a storm of its charge.Contrary to the myths, lightning protection systems: Lightning protection systems - What they do and don't doĪ lightning protection system's only purpose is to ensure safety to a building and its occupants if lightning happens to hit it directly, a task accomplished by providing a good, safe path to ground for the lightning to follow. A full protection setup, given good cable coverage and good grounding, would still work sufficiently without the air terminals. The 'lightning rods' themselves, that is, the pointy vertically-oriented terminals along the edges of roofs, do not play much of a role in the functionality of the system. The conductor cables and ground rods are the most important components of a lightning protection system, accomplishing the main objective of diverting lightning current safely past a structure. The conductor cables are connected to these rods to complete a safe path for a lightning discharge around a structure. Ground Rods - Long, thick, heavy rods buried deep into the earth around a protected structure.Cables are run along the tops and around the edges of roofs, then down one or more corners of a building to the ground rod(s). Conductor Cables - Heavy cables (right) that carry lightning current from the rods to the ground.The funtionality of different types of lightning rods, and even the neccessity of rods altogether, are subjects of many scientific debates. Most are topped with a tall, pointed needle or a smooth, polished sphere. Rods can be found in different shapes, sizes and designs. Rods or 'Air Terminals' - The small, vertical protrusions designed to act as the 'terminal' for a lightning discharge.A lightning protection system is composed of three main components: In fact, the rods may play the least important role in a system installation. Lightning rods or 'air terminals' are only a small part of a complete lightning protection system. Lightning dissipation / elimination mythsĬomponents of a lightning protection system Lightning and Surge Protectors / UPS Devices How a lightning protection system works Lightning protection systems - What they do and don't do Components of a lightning protection system This article will examine why lightning protection is necessary and what the systems can and cannot do. Today, lightning protection systems are in use on thousands of buildings, homes, factories, towers, and even the Space Shuttle's launch pad. Lightning protection systems are the modern development of the innovation pioneered by Benjamin Franklin: the lightning rod.
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