Lightning Rods

[tomtoolman12345]

I am doing a roof over on a camp up in the Adirondaks. The roof is about 13 square. Not that large. My only question that I have is, I want to put lightning rods on the roof because a few years ago the camp got hit by lightning and fryed everything that was plugged in including the panel box and all the wires. I wanted to put these on the roof. How much and what does it take to put these in? Thanks Tom

 

[inspectorD]

Not usaully a DIY job, you may need a certified company to install.
Depends on what your insurance company says...that is the unfortunate world we now live in.

 

[glennjanie]

Hello TomToolMan:
I agree with "D" on this one. Just one bend the wrong way in the grounding wire can make the whole thing ineffective.
You might try Google for some more leads.
Glenn

 

[cibula11]

I didn't know lighting rods were even still being used. I thought that their effectiveness was a myth.....guess I was wrong

 

[Square Eye]

There is debate over the effectiveness of lightning rods.

Some say they're necessary and some say they're more dangerous than not having anything because of the tremendous heat when lightning does strike them.

Others argue that they're not an effective way to protect anything because lightning capillaries out all over the place when it strikes.

I have no idea. I assume there is some truth in all of these arguments. I have seen melted shingles under the brackets and the connecting wires. I have also seen such poor installations by "professional" installers that they were swinging off of the roof within a few years.

The most effective way to protect appliances and electronics is to unplug during storms.