Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - To all retired electricians and electrical engineers. Do Lightning Rods work?
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Old 08-06-2021, 06:45 AM
jbrown132 jbrown132 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl View Post
Do Lightning rods, properly installed, safely direct lightning strikes that hit your home down into the earth near your home?

Or is this a scam?
I do not know if this is a scam but I do believe they are not effective. In order to be effective the have to be tall enough to provide a cone of protection to your house. For example if you want a 60 degree cone of protection the lightning rod would have to be installed on the highest point of your home and be tall enough that if hit at the top would provide 60 degrees of protection for every thing under and within that cone of protection. One foot lightning rods do not provide any type of a cone of protection. If you can find access to the FAA document FAA-019B this will give you a better understanding of lightning protection. This document may have been updated since I retired 10 years ago, but it will provide you with a better understanding of how lightning strikes.