Quote:
Originally Posted by l2ridehd
There are over 5 million homes with gas in Florida. Most have gas lines run through the attic. And yes when a home with gas is struck by lightening this can cause a problem. Their are things you can do to mitigate the issue. Keep a spanner wrench hung by the garage door so in the event you are hit, run around the corner and turn the gas off at the meter. Install a good LPS system. Keep a large fire extinguisher handy. Eliminate any flammable items in the attic near those lines.
Gas is our most abundant energy source available today. Gas cooking, heating, cloths dryer, fireplace, pool heaters, is our most efficient way of supporting these types of energy hogs. However any home that takes a direct hit by lightening is going to sustain severe damage. Is there a higher % risk of a gas home suffering more damage? Probably. Based on 5 million homes with gas lines in the attic, less then .0001 % being struck by lightening every year, I will continue to use and prefer to use this available, abundant, and low cost energy. If my number is punched and my ticket about to expire, so be it.
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You make very good points. I have an adjustable wrench out on the counter for just such an emergency!
I guess what baffles me is the apparent confusion around having or not having gas. It seems almost like people in all-electric homes think that not having gas means they can't be struck by lightning. While the damage may be less severe, it's still likely to be pretty messy. A house backing onto Canal St last year (or the year before) had a 4 ft hole blown through the roof. No fire, but a huge hole nonetheless. I'd still get the LPS, even with an all electric home..