Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages PL
The odds against being struck by lightning are 606,944 to one.
The odds against being killed on a motorcycle are 1,250 to one.
I didn't make this up, this is the way I found this information.
Note: There was nearly a full page of warnings about lightning in the Daily Sun but no warnings about motorcycle riding.
Good luck to those who seek to protect their homes with lightning rods etc.: A lightning strike discharges from 10 to 100 million volts of electricity and the air temperature around lightning is about 6 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Therefore, since lightning rods don't attract lightning, a massive lightning strike can hit your house anywhere it chooses and still cause a fire.
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I think the main thrust of OP is to question whether or not lightning rods work. It is a good question because there really hasn't been a lot of research on it. The current standard of thought by the experts seems to be that having lightning rods may improve your chances of having your house survive a strike without damage, but is no guarantee. Current U.S. lightning protection standards are embodied in a document published by the National Fire Protection Association known as NFPA 780. First issued in 1904 and updated periodically since, NFPA 780 codifies the traditional lightning rod installation, in which sharpened metal "air terminals" known as Franklin rods are connected to an earth ground by means of heavy conductors. A lightning bolt strikes a Franklin rod and is carried harmlessly to earth by the grounding apparatus, sparing lives and property. Though technically voluntary, NFPA 780 has been adopted by many local jurisdictions and government agencies and is the de facto national code. As stated by OP, the lightning can hit anywhere on your house. But if it does hit the highest point of your house that is protected by properly installed rods, then the current will pass through the rod and wire and into the ground.