Lightning Rods
 

Am moving to Mallory Square in a CYV, and am interested in placing a lightening rod system in from A1 Lightening (which I read of this forum to be a reputable UL company.) My question is do I need permission from anyone before going ahead and installing this system? It sounds like many people have it and allot of the commercail buildings in the Market Squares are equipped with it too.

jimbo:

So far as I know, no permissions/permits required!

SWR
:beer3:

I don't think permission is needed. Advanced Lightning Protection installed my system and I had it UL certified (extra fee.) All went well and the certificate was issued with no problem. Hopefully, it will NEVER have to do what it does....though we've had a strike in the neighborhood.....hit a utility box and phone and cable went kaput for a bit!

Anyone willing to share info on approx costs of installation?

Depends on the size of your house and number of rods needed. We paid around $1500.

If you make an appointment with A1 they will come to your home and explain the system ..... without any obligation. They will also provide you with a quote. I had them install the protection system and was pleased with their work.

Thanks Midge and Pooh...I will give them a call.

Five rod installation $800.

Do we really need lightning rods? Are there any stats?

Trogg

No you don't really need them. It's sort of a crap shoot...your home might or might not get hit. If it does, the rods will direct the strike to the ground. There's lots of lightning in this particular area of Florida and it does hit things. Saw a tree on one of the golf courses that was hit...tree was pretty damaged. Saw a palm tree that had been hit, top was all burned. My friend who lives on the golf course, has seen it hit the ground. It hit the utility box not far from her house and that was a hit heard extremely loud and clear by our neighborhood. It was so loud I felt we had been hit! Cable went out, phone went out. Telephone service was out for some for almost a week, lots of underground wiring had to be replaced. Having the system makes me feel better, but I have not idea if it will ever have to do what it's designed for.

Having a lightning rod system installed is like having something insured: A complete waste of money............until you need it. Then if you don't have it, you'll be kicking yourself!

Bill

Central Florida is the 'lightning capital" of the world .... 'if you plan to live and stay here ..........'

Lightning Issues
 

I am a volunteer member of the Study Group on Lightning that has no commerical affilation to any firm in the lightning/surge protection industry. The purpose of the group is to serve as a resource to Villagers seeking fact- based info on making an informed decsion on their lightning risk here in the "Lightning Capital of the USA". Our formation was motivated by many of the myths and misunderstanding about lightning. Our major resouce is the research conducted by the University of Florida and Dr. Martin Uman's book, [I]The Art and Science of Lightning Protection. We have given 41 Power Point presentations to Vilage clubs over the last two years. We also author a column, Lightning Matters in the monthly POA Bulletin.
There is no governmental oversite on the installation of a lighting protection system (rods) and therefore it is a buyer beware marketplace. We sugges using only installers "listed" by both Underwriters Laboratories and the Lightning Protection Institute. The cost will be more but you have greater assurnace that the installation conforms to the national standard on lightning, NFPA-780.

Yes, lightning rods are something to think about. I think the current total of TV homes destroyed by lightning, (bolt hits roof, burns small hole, small fire ignites the gas flex line in attic, house is gone in minutes), is now 7.

At much higher risk is your home's electronic equipment, virtually everything that's plugged in. I'd love to know the stats on this, but I am always hearing about people having to replace a bunch of expensive electronic appliances after one of our many storms. My priority lightning protection is a whole-house surge protection system. You can buy them from SECO, with a one-time or monthly payment, or have them installed by reputable electrical contractors.

The installation of a lightning protection system (rods) is an unregulated business and a buyer beware marketplace. You should choose a firm that is listed by UL and the Lightning Protection Institute. A-1 Lightning is one of three UL and LPI listed firms known to be working in The Villages.

You are correct; 7 homes destroyed by lightning in 7 years. All had CSST gas lines. However, in NO case did the fire dept report state that gas was a contributing factor. The Study Group on Lightning (volunteers) have talked to 6 Villagers who experienced indirect lightning (nearby but there may be no physical evidence of a strike) that engerized all piping leading to a pin hole leak in the CSST gas line and fire. All homeowners were home, went to attic to investigate, found fire burning, called the FD or shutoff the gas and the home was saved.

Indirect lightning impacting sensitive electronic equipment is more common (there is no known source of stats) but less severe than a direct strike that can destroy your home. In this case you may wish to consider PRIMARY protection on the incoming electric service (SECO/Progress Energy) on your meter or a surge protection device (SPD) on your electric panel by a licensed electrician. Then for surges that come into your home through other systems (telephone/cable/induced into electrical system) you should consider SECONDARY protection for your sesitive electronic equipment (computers,TV,microwave, irr controlers, garage door operators, etc) in the form of SPD that you plug into a 120 v outlet.

According to NOAA, Centrla Florida experieces on average 80 thunderstorm days per year while the Tampa Bay area experiences 100. This makes Florida the Lighting Capital of the USA but not the world. There are places in the world that experience twice as much as Florida.

Lightning Protection Systems (LPS) commonly called lightning rods are not inexpensive if they are designed, installed and maintained according to the national standard on lightning and installed by an Underwriters Laboratories and Lightning Protection Institue "listed" installer.

The following are estimates that The Study Group on Lightning use in our Power Point presentations: Villa $1300-1700; Ranch $1800-2100, Designer, $2000-3000, Premier $2500-3500. There are firms working in The Villages that will charge far less but you do not know what you are getting in a buyer beware market place. Always get at least two bids and ask for evidence of general liability and workers comp insurance.

lightning
 

Many years ago The Daily Sun interviewd Chief Tucker reagarding the installation of the rods etc and he felt it was not necessary....then I drove by one of the fire houses and saw them installed on the roof....I chuckled.

Lightning, you are an expert in this field...do you have them installed?

Lightening... Thank you for the information.
 

Lightening, your posts have been enlightening and I am glad our house doesn't have gas and I worry about the homes that do have gas.

I think that I heard that there will be nothing but all electric homes from here on in and Hadley was one of the first villages to be all electric.

I know that the danger of a fire still exists in an all electric home and the danger of a lightening strike is there too.

Could you tell us if you had lightening protection installed? And could you PM me as to who who chose?

My best friend is an electrician from NY and he said the secret is to have your neighbors put lightening rods on their homes. He said, who would want to attract lighting to directly hit their home and for that reason he does not have the rods on his home. Does that make sense?

Of course, but first take a measuring tape and make sure that the distance from your roof tip is further away from the storm clouds than your neighbor's is! :a20:

Ground Rods
 

Does anyone know if the installers "meggar" the ground rods to 25 ohms or less? Less than 25 ohms would give your best protection. Most utlity Co use this standard for their grounding needs.

Our home inspection showed we have CSST gas pipes and they are properly grounded with a copper clamp to the outside ground. I am still in the mind to put lightning protection in as, overlooking the 7th on Stirrup at Glenview we seem to be a "high point" in the area. I was thinking of putting and old 1 iron on the roof because "even God can't hit a 1 iron"

Sir Lightning please advise. We would spare no expense and make sure it is UL and all....

We definitely will be installing surge protection at the main box and inside. Anything else to ease our feeble minds?

Thanks

Lightening Rods
 

My brother world for LIPA (Long Island Power Authority) and said the exact same thing. A big thanks to our neighbor for installing them
:agree:

From the Discovery Channel
 

"As you can see, the purpose of the lightning rod is not to attract lightning -- it merely provides a safe option for the lightning strike to choose. This may sound a little picky, but it's not if you consider that the lightning rods only become relevant when a strike occurs or immediately after a strike occurs. Regardless of whether or not a lightning-rod system is present, the strike will still occur."

OK folks do what I did and google the question "lightning rods, do they attract lightning". I finally got tired of the true experts saying no way and wanted you all to see for yourselves.

The bottom line is "if ligtning is heading for your structure the rods act as a path of least resistence and will safely take the million or so volts away from structurs, wiring etc."

9 out 10 dentists agree the 10th guy doesn't know squat.....

:boom:

Lightning Protection Systems (LPS)
 

Thanks for your comments. I am pleased that you found the information to be of value in your decision making for your home.

True, the new homes north of 466A are all electric. However, gas pipes have been instaled in 466A and it appears that gas may be used when home contruction begins south of 466A. We have no idea if CSST gas pipe will be installed in the attics.

You are also correct that the chance of lightning striking an all electric home is no different than a home with gas.

I did my due dilligence following the destruction of two homes near me in 2006 and had a LPS installed by a UL "listed" contractor. In my case I got $1000 from the 2007 CSST gas pipe class action lawsuit to offset the cost of the installation.

To learn more about this and related subjects see the back issues of the the Lightning Matters columns in the POA Bulletin that can be found on line at the POA web site.

I don't if Google brought up University of FL professor Dr. Martin Uman's book, The Art and Science of Lightning Protection but you can get the book in The Villages Library and see page 17. Lightning rods do not attract lightning - they give lightning a safe path to ground. They have been around for 259 years and used on nearly every building at Sumter Landing, every building at Disney, and by the FAA, NASA, and many others.

Great observation about lightning rods on fire headquarters on Bonita! We understand that the contract also calls for LPS on the new fire headquarters currently under construction south of 466A.

Yes, I have a LPS and Primary and Secondary surge protection as discussed in my other posts.

This is a common myth about lightning rods. According to Dr. Martin Uman who has studied lighting at the University of Florida for four decades, lightning rods DO NOT attract lightning they merely give it a safe path to ground. His latest book, The Art & Science of Lightning Protection, can be found in The Villages Library. See page 17.

Lightning Strikes
 

This week (March 27-31, 2011) there was considerable lightning in our area. Does anyone know of any direct lightning strikes impacting people or homes or indirect lightning strikes impacting appliances/electronic equipment? The Study Group on Lightning is always interested in learning from experience. Lightning events are not being reported in the newspaper.

bumping this thread

Have you ever noticed that just about all commercial buildings in central Florida have lightning protection? And that includes The Villages. Do you really think the developers would invest in lightning protection if there wasn't sufficient reason? I don't, and I put a system on my house...and sleep a lot better having done so.
There are a whole lot of places to research this topic on-line. Spend a few hours with google if you really want to know more than just amateur opinions. Then make up your own mind.

Lightning rods will attract the strike. Sometimes that is away from your attic vent and sometimes away from your palm tree. It is a crap shoot.

We are moving from Miami --lots of vertical lightning-- lived in Tampa, the lightning capital of the world, I think --never knew anyone who installed lightning rods on individual homes. I suppose anything is possible no matter how unlikely. Just stay away from the golf course during lightning storms --that's actually where the possibility of your suffering lightning damage is more likely to occur.:spoken:

A common myth is that FL. is the Lightning Capital of the World. FL is the lightning capital of the USA but not the world. There are countires along the equator that receive twice as much lightning as does even the Tampa Bay area in this state.

There are several humdred homes protected with a lightning protection system (LPS) commonly called lightning rods. About 800 LPS were installed under the CSST gas pipe class action lawsuit in 2006 alone.

You are right. The combination of lots of lightning and CSST gas lines are a very good reason for protection. As I said in earlier post, if you are really interested in the pros and cons (if any) of purchasing a LPS for your home do your own research. There are a lot of opinions expressed here and elsewhere about lightning, but most are only that, opinions. And many offering those opinions have no idea what they are talking about.

Here's a question for those who think there is no need for LPS here. Why do The Villages no longer offer gas in new housing? (They quit after Hadley, I think) Think maybe it could be because of the CSST issue? Hmmmm. Research, and pay attention to the credibility of your sources! :wave:

I will will accept The Villages explanation that there was a TECO supply issue for not offering gas to the new areas and not the CSST gas line fire- safety issue. The latter continues to be in my opinion an unresolved fire-safety issue. Last year a phase one report was issued by the reseach arm of the National Fire Protection Association. It is a 264-page baseline study. It calls for a series of tests in a follow on phase two study. Hopefully, this will be undertaken this year so we can determine how this product can be safely used under lightning conditions.

Lightning,
There have been enough links between CSST, Lightning and fires to convince me to install LPS. Here are two (of many available) informative links that may spark your interest on the topic:
http://hawkeyehomeinspects.com/docum...ST-DANGERS.pdf
CSST Settlement - Frequently Asked Questions
And if in your opinion it is an "unresolved issue", okay for you. It is certainly not an absolute cause and effect issue, but there are enough pointers to make a case for installing an LPS in a home with CSST.