What are those antenna like things on the houses?

[Nicolerep]

I drove around the area a couple of weeks ago and noticed some houses have what looks like antenna's all over the rooftops. I'm curious to know what this is?

[TheMilkyWay]

Big Brother is WATCHING all of us.
Naaa, only kidding Do you mean those antenna satellite dishes for cable TV?

[bkcunningham1]

Lightening rods maybe? Dunno what else it would be.

[Nicolerep]

Not the satellite dishes. These are short metal poles (very thin) and are are placed on different parts of the roofs. Maybe 10-20 of them.

[Nicolerep]

Lightening rods maybe? Dunno what else it would be.
I thought so too at first, but they are real thin and short. Maybe lightening rods. Not sure.

[swrinfla]

If they're roughly a foot high and, upon close inspection, are connected by cable, they are lightning rods.

Even the guy who sold them to me and sevral others on our street emphasized that they cannot guarantee that the house won't be hit by lightning, he ensured our better peace of mind! Especially after several hits in the neighborhood last year.

SWR
:beer3:

[getdul981]

Did installing them reduce your insurance premiums? I checked into installing them on our current home about 15 years ago, but the insurance agent told me it wouldn't affect the premiums, so we didn't have it done.

[Indy-Guy]

I have been told that if your neighbor has lightning rods that it will draw the lightning to his house and away from yours. Does anyone know if this is true since it is said that lightning goes to the highest place in the area.

Anyway I keep telling my neighbor, who is a worry wort, that he should get lightning rods. He had heard the same as stated above and just laughs at me and then we both laugh.

[mac9]

Lightning rods do NOT attract lightning. They dissipate the strike into the ground if your house is hit. Whether or not your neighbors have rods means nothing for you.:read:

[actor]

I have been told that if your neighbor has lightning rods that it will draw the lightning to his house and away from yours. Does anyone know if this is true since it is said that lightning goes to the highest place in the area.

Anyway I keep telling my neighbor, who is a worry wort, that he should get lightning rods. He had heard the same as stated above and just laughs at me and then we both laugh.

There's obviously a lot of misinformation out there about lightning rods. This is a good example.

[Talk Host]

Those are aliens and the antenna are for them to talk back to the mother ship.:what:

[Pturner]

E.T. phone home.

[JimJoe]

Lightening rods dont attract lightening!! Now I can go golfing in the next lightening storm!! Ya hoo!

[NJblue]

If they're roughly a foot high and, upon close inspection, are connected by cable, they are lightning rods.

Even the guy who sold them to me and sevral others on our street emphasized that they cannot guarantee that the house won't be hit by lightning, he ensured our better peace of mind! Especially after several hits in the neighborhood last year.

SWR
:beer3:

Was your installer able to provide you UL certification. According to Fire Chief Tucker, there is only one company in the area that provides this. He said that to install non-UL approved systems will actually increase the threat to your house. For what it's worth, Chief Tucker does not value the lightning rods enough to have them installed on his own house.

[bike42]

Was your installer able to provide you UL certification. According to Fire Chief Tucker, there is only one company in the area that provides this.

Did he give you the name of the UL certified installer?

[Hawkwind]

When you drive around TV take a good look at lightening rod installations and see how they very. I was driving around Bonnybrook and noticed on one home that the highest rod was lower than any of the metal vent pipes on the roof and in some cases a foot or two lower. After seeing this I started to look at other homes and see how they were installed and things varied a lot.

[NJblue]

Did he give you the name of the UL certified installer?

I don't recall. This was at a presentation that he did last summer. I'm sure that if you call and ask any of the companies that do this that they will tell you about their UL status.

[swrinfla]

As to the qualifications of my installer:
He works on most commercial properties in TV and Lake County, where he's based.
His card reads: "Members of Underwriters Laboratories, National Fire Protection Agency, Lightning Protection Institute,Certfied Master Installer/Designed"
Couple neighbors hired an Underwriter professional after the installation; the work was completely blessed.

It's true that Mike Tucker is cool to lightning rods. But, that doesn't ease my peace of mind! :smiley:

SWR
:beer3: