[jrref]

Has anyone heard about the home in DeLuna that was hit by lightning last Thursday?

Made a hole in the roof, small fire and somehow damaged the water line and driveway.

We are seeing more homes hit recently due to the denser population and severe storms.

If you decide to get a lightning protection system be sure to get a UL certified installer. A1 and Triangle do installations here in the Villages.

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by jrref

Has anyone heard about the home in DeLuna that was hit by lightning last Thursday?

Made a hole in the roof, small fire and somehow damaged the water line and driveway.

We are seeing more homes hit recently due to the denser population and severe storms.

If you decide to get a lightning protection system be sure to get a UL certified installer. A1 and Triangle do installations here in the Villages.

And yet, ANOTHER! If this doesn't convince you of the need for surge protection and lightening rods, I don't know what will! Two homes in one week! The other was in the village of Charlotte and information was posted on this forum.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

And yet, ANOTHER! If this doesn't convince you of the need for surge protection and lightening rods, I don't know what will! Two homes in one week! The other was in the village of Charlotte and information was posted on this forum.

Lightning protection systems are very expensive and not cost effective, especially since the damage is covered by your homeowners insurance.

A surge protector will do nothing to prevent a direct lightning strike to a roof.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

And yet, ANOTHER! If this doesn't convince you of the need for surge protection and lightening rods, I don't know what will! Two homes in one week! The other was in the village of Charlotte and information was posted on this forum.

Total redo of your house by insurance, plus you need to read what that surge protection really covers

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Lightning protection systems are very expensive and not cost effective, especially since the damage is covered by your homeowners insurance.

...

Really?

Have you thought through the impact of your home burning to the ground?

Ever delt with an insurance company after a total loss?

A LPS costs little more than most insurance deductablrs and are very effective at minimizing the risk.

That's why the Villages puts them on key infrastructure buildings.

[mrf0151]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Lightning protection systems are very expensive and not cost effective, especially since the damage is covered by your homeowners insurance.

A surge protector will do nothing to prevent a direct lightning strike to a roof.

If you had an in-depth discussion with Danny at A-1 Lightening, you would have a very different point of view.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Really?

Have you thought through the impact of your home burning to the ground?


Ever delt with an insurance company after a total loss?


A LPS costs little more than most insurance deductablrs and are very effective at minimizing the risk.

That's why the Villages puts them on key infrastructure buildings.

Yes, material items are just stuff, replaceable

Yes family owned insurance agents, with years of experience for total loss.

So does Disney to draw lightning away from the people who don’t or can’t come out of the rain

[jrref]

You can say all you want that insurance will cover the loss but it can take a year or more to re-build your home in the current construction environment. In addition, when lightning hits your home, it will most likely punch a whole in your roof and start ricocheting around the attic and the interior of your home like a bullet looking for ground. If you or anyone in your household gets in the way, the lightning will kill you. I don't think that situation is coverend by insurance. In the strike in this post lightning found ground at the water meter and exploded the meter on the utility side and part of the driveway in addition to making a hole in the roof and starting a fire. Luckily someone was home to call the fire department right away. The people in Linden who's house was hit by lightning weren't so lucky because they were not home and the house burnt to the ground by the time someone noticed the fire and called for help.

A typical lightning protection system costs anywhere from $2,000- $2,500 depending on the size of your home. Larger homes will cost more. Get an estimate from a UL certified installer like A1 or Triangle Lightning Protection. Well worth the cost given the alternatives if you get hit.

As far as surge protection, you are correct it will do very little if you house takes a direct hit but that would be the least of your worries if that happened. The ensuing fire, smoke damage, potential loss of life outweighs your TV or refrigerator burning out from the strike.

What many don't know is even cloud to cloud lightning near your house can cause distructive power surges that can destroy electronic equipment. Even if a single surge doesn't destroy your TV or A/C over time multiple surges will damage electronic devices and appliances. This is why you hear people say their TV or A/C just stopped working without any events. Could have been from power surges over time. So what do you do? Spend the $500 and get Pike or Lenhart or whichever electrician you like and have them install an Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA surge protector at your circuit breaker panel. This will protect surges from entering your home from outside and protect from the ongoing surges from inside your home. This plus point of use power strip surge protectors at you computer, TV, etc.. will give you excellent protection from power surges. If you want to go further you can also add the Seco Meeter Treater surge protector installed at your electric meter but that mainly protects power surges from your power line which is not as common but surge protection is a layered system so the more the better.

I'm part of the Villages Lightning Study Group led by Len Hathaway who gives talks on lightning in the Villages, publishes articles in the Villages News, and who keeps all the data for lightning events in the Villages for the past 15 years.

Getting lightning protection is an individual choice. It's like deciding to get flood or sink hole insurance. Your decision will be based on your tolerance for risk. That said, you need to have all the facts so you can make an intelligent decision and that's what the Villages Lightning Study Group does. If you have any questions please PM me.

You also need to remember, when you see cloud to ground lightning strikes off in the distance, that lightning is hitting the ground somewhere. It could be in an open field, golf course, water or someones house. With the population density in the Villages growing there are vastly more homes now that can and will be hit by lightning which is why we are hearing more and more reports. The home here struck in DeLuna was an open field last year so no one would have known about the stirke.

There is also an excellent web site created by Frank Cristie, another member of the study group here -> Lightning Protection Systems - Lightning Protection The Villages

Click on "More" in the upper right side of the Menu to see all the Information on Lightning Protection Systems and Surge Protection.

[Altavia]

Excellent info and synthesis Jref!

Is there is any correlation and/or increased risk related to metallic gas lines in the attic?

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Excellent info and synthesis Jref!

Is there is any correlation and/or increased risk related to metallic gas lines in the attic?

The risk for the gas lines is when lightning strikes the house or near by there has been evidence of the corrigated gas lines puncturing (getting holes) from the electromagnetic pulse of the strike and the gas igniting. Especially with the older homes north of 466. There have been documentated cases where a home was struck by lightning and a fire ensued from the gas lines in the attic. Fortunately in several of these cases the homeowner was home, called the fire department and shut off the gas and put out the fire. The Villages upgraded the gas lines in the homes south of 44 but they are still of a corrigated type. So if you have a home with gas and you are concerned about lightning then get a Lightning Protection System. The installer will bond (ground) the gas manifold in the attic and the rest of the outside system which will virtually eliminate this issue. But remember, nothing is 100%. The alternative is to replace all your gas lines with solid metal pipe but that's a big expense and may be very hard to do in an older home.

[JudyLife]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Lightning protection systems are very expensive and not cost effective, especially since the damage is covered by your homeowners insurance.

A surge protector will do nothing to prevent a direct lightning strike to a roof.

In my experience lightning protection system (rods) on our 3/2 CYV from Triangle in 2022 was well worth the cost of $1300, especially as we are snowbirds. As far as homeowners insurance goes sure, but I’d rather do what I can in the first place to mitigate a direct hit and resulting damage, repair & upheaval. A well installed LPS is like an ‘additional insurance policy’ but a one-off payment.

[BlueStarAirlines]

Originally Posted by jrref

There is also an excellent web site created by Frank Cristie, another member of the study group here -> Lightning Protection Systems - Lightning Protection The Villages

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say "Here is a link to stuff Frank sells?" Since you started this advertisement thread, are you involved in this business venture as well? While your motives may have started out pure, it seems your intent is to increase fear and drive sales.

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

And yet, ANOTHER! If this doesn't convince you of the need for surge protection and lightening rods, I don't know what will! Two homes in one week! The other was in the village of Charlotte and information was posted on this forum.

LOL you need far better information, neither will help you. 200% guarantee.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by JudyLife

In my experience lightning protection system (rods) on our 3/2 CYV from Triangle in 2022 was well worth the cost of $1300, especially as we are snowbirds. As far as homeowners insurance goes sure, but I’d rather do what I can in the first place to mitigate a direct hit and resulting damage, repair & upheaval. A well installed LPS is like an ‘additional insurance policy’ but a one-off payment.

Do the math. Assume that a lightning protection system for an average Villages house would cost $2,000. So, to protect the Villages, that would be $140 million ($2,000 x 70,000 houses). In my opinion, it would not be worth the cost. The builder could offer it as an option, but I don't think they would get many takers.

[djlnc]

Originally Posted by jrref

You also need to remember, when you see cloud to ground lightning strikes off in the distance, that lightning is hitting the ground somewhere. It could be in an open field, golf course, water or someones house. With the population density in the Villages growing there are vastly more homes now that can and will be hit by lightning which is why we are hearing more and more reports. The home here struck in DeLuna was an open field last year so no one would have known about the stirke.

Since you are effectively bringing the ground potential up over the roof with the grounded lightning rods, wouldn't you be making it more likely to attract a lightning strike?