Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)
-   -   To all retired electricians and electrical engineers. Do Lightning Rods work? (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/all-retired-electricians-electrical-engineers-do-lightning-rods-work-322521/)

fpmoravcik 08-06-2021 12:38 PM
So I need to understand what you are saying. Don't spend the money for rods if you have insurance? Wow.!

fpmoravcik 08-06-2021 12:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 1984312)
They work, but they are not worth the cost. Your homeowners insurance will cover lightning damage.
So I need to understand what you are saying. Don't spend the money for rods if you have insurance? Wow.!

GrumpyOldMan 08-06-2021 12:51 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fpmoravcik (Post 1984819)
So I need to understand what you are saying. Don't spend the money for rods if you have insurance? Wow.!
They are saying it is not cost-effective in many (most?) situations.

If it were cost-effective every home would come with them built-in

On the other hand, you could think of Lightning rods as a form of prevention - sort of like vaccinations...

(ducks and runs)

Boilerman 08-06-2021 03:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1984309)
Do Lightning rods, properly installed, safely direct lightning strikes that hit your home down into the earth near your home?

Or is this a scam?
Yes they work. The real protection they provide is to prevent your house catching fire and burning to the ground. Insurance may cover your loss but not the aggravation or loss of irreplaceable items.

No, they don’t attract lightening to your house.

Yes they need to be installed by a reputable contractor. If they are, they are not a scam.

The odds are getting hit in the Villages are probably about 1 in 15,000 to 20,000 each year. That’s based on about 3 to 4 houses getting hit every summer here.

Because they are expensive and the odds are in your favor of never getting hit, it’s probably not a good investment. Others like the piece of mind knowing they are protected.

I think of a direct lighting strike similar to sinkholes. It can happen, probably won’t, have insurance in case it does and know the odds are overwhelming in my favor. Therefore, we don’t have a lightening protection system.

dewilson58 08-06-2021 04:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boilerman (Post 1984919)
Yes they work. .
Maybe.

GrumpyOldMan 08-06-2021 04:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boilerman (Post 1984919)
Yes they work. The real protection they provide is to prevent your house catching fire and burning to the ground. Insurance may cover your loss but not the aggravation or loss of irreplaceable items.

No, they don’t attract lightening to your house.

Yes they need to be installed by a reputable contractor. If they are, they are not a scam.

The odds are getting hit in the Villages are probably about 1 in 15,000 to 20,000 each year. That’s based on about 3 to 4 houses getting hit every summer here.

Because they are expensive and the odds are in your favor of never getting hit, it’s probably not a good investment. Others like the piece of mind knowing they are protected.

I think of a direct lighting strike similar to sinkholes. It can happen, probably won’t, have insurance in case it does and know the odds are overwhelming in my favor. Therefore, we don’t have a lightening protection system.
Very good and clear answer - thank you

montysl 08-06-2021 05:45 PM
There MIGHT be value
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1984309)
Do Lightning rods, properly installed, safely direct lightning strikes that hit your home down into the earth near your home?

Or is this a scam?
Lightening is, as most have noted, opportunistic. If the opportunity exists for it to take your gas pipeline (often located in your attic), it will do so. This is a source of many fires in TV and, typically, much more destructive than a “standard” lightening strike. Rods might be effective in routing the strike away from these gas components.

Marcojb 08-06-2021 07:39 PM
Its worth the protection
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1984309)
Do Lightning rods, properly installed, safely direct lightning strikes that hit your home down into the earth near your home?

Or is this a scam?
As a Massachusetts electrician, we are required to install 2 ground rods for all new electrical services. Lighting comes into the house through the power lines ( underground or overhead) so we also install surge supressors at the main electrical panel. In Florida they install ground faults at the electric meters so yes its worth it to protect your expensive electronics

retiredguy123 08-06-2021 07:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fpmoravcik (Post 1984819)
So I need to understand what you are saying. Don't spend the money for rods if you have insurance? Wow.!
Yes, the potential benefit is not worth the cost. It is a simple benefit/cost calculation. That is why very few houses have lightning protection systems. And, if you are concerned about your personal safety, then move out of central Florida, because when lightning strikes, you may not even be in your house.

butlerism 08-07-2021 07:05 AM
Yes and no.

Yes they do work, but some knowledge is required.

The integrity of the ground stab and how well it is "earthed" is the primary concern.

If the ground spike is not properly conducting to Earth.
Your Lightning Rods will be useless.
Like a bird on a wire, no current will flow.

OhioBuckeye 08-07-2021 07:15 AM
Ohiobuckeye
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan (Post 1984678)
The odds of your house or you being hit by lightning are very low.

VERY LOW.

If you have a properly designed, installed, and maintained lightning control system, the odds of a direct hit on your house are pretty close to zero. Well, actually ZERO for most purposes.
You’re exactly right but the first yr. we lived there we saw a house that took a direct hit & it was severely damaged before the Fire Dept. got there. Also your chances of having Lighting Rods put on your house & getting hit by lighting is also close to zero. Everything you said is true, but I was just answering the question about Lighting Rods. They’re expensive for the odds of your chances of getting hit. Thanks for your opinion!

snbrafford 08-07-2021 08:59 AM
Insurance coverage on lightning strikes
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 1984312)
They work, but they are not worth the cost. Your homeowners insurance will cover lightning damage.
I did not find the cost all that prohibitive and you may be able to get a discount on your home owners insurance but need the right installer (certified). Lightning may cause a fire and a TOTAL loss of your home and possessions - some of which money can't replace. Remember there is a deductible on insurance which would go a long way in covering the cost of lightning rods. The one thing to remember is that once installed - there will me additional costs in the future IF roof needed replaced as the rods will have to be properly removed and reinstalled - preferably by a certified "rod" guy and not by some roofer that just says he can do it. I used A1 that is certified and had some large corporate contracts.

Quixote 08-07-2021 11:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oneiric (Post 1984470)
Our lightning rod system was put in by A-1 with a good surge protector on the electrical box. We also have small individual surge protectors on all of our electronics and appliances. Had a strike several years ago and had no damage to anything. Although we have a grounded gas line running through the attic, we felt the cost was worth avoiding any hassle/and or fire.
Our outdoor pool control box though, was toasted once by a ground strike near a neighbor, so make sure your pool electronics has its own separate grounding.
We could have written this; I'm in complete agreement. Our system was put in by A-1 as well at a cost of $1,200 (which included an additional $100 for grounding our bird cage). For us, this is a nominal amount for the protection we are convinced that it brings.

However, the primary reason we put the system in was because we have natural gas with the distribution lines in the attic, as has been mentioned already. The gas lines are relatively insubstantial when compared with the black pipe that was a requirement for gas lines—at least where we were—up north. The gas distribution panel has its own heavy grounding wire.

We also rent a whole house surge suppressor on our electric meter which is owned by SECO, as well as additional small ones in appropriate places in the house. We have had lightning strikes so close that we can feel the Earth shake (as well as the house...) and have NEVER had any damage. That's good enough for us!

flsteve 08-10-2021 09:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lightning (Post 1984586)
Lightning Protection Systems (LPS) commonly called lightning rods have been credited with saving lives and property since they were invented by Ben Franklin in 1752. However, the installation of LPS is a specialty offered by firms that are listed by UL and employ craftsmen that are qualified as Master Installer by four closed book proctored exams offered by the Lightning Protection Institute. Typically, electrical engineers and electricians are skilled in the National Electrical Code and the safe use of electricity in your home and other structures and that does NOT include lightning. Please note the wide use of lightning rods around The Villages - all buildings around the square at Sumter Landing, all pumping stations, fire department headquarters, nearly all churches, hotels, and in some neighborhoods as much as 15% of the homes. For more information research recent issues of the VHA Voice, POA Bulletin, **************.com, and University of Florida's Dr. Martin Uman's book at the Belvedere Library, The Art and Science of Lightning Protection. Beware of myths and misunderstandings found elsewhere on this subject.
Most accurate post here yet!

They DO work. However, they MUST be inspected after installation to verify that the bonding between all components and then the final grounding to earth. These verifications should be re-performed probably annually as a minimum. Without the proper minimum resistance to earth, your LPS is useless. NFPA 780 lists lightning mitigation requirements to be followed, kind of like NFPA 70 known as the National Electrical Code does.

IF you are looking to have a system installed, know that you should have a certified DESIGNER as well as a certified INSTALLER. Having a UL inspection on the completed installation is a good idea. This is the proper way to do it. I agree that LPI is very much recommended as a source to START from in choosing local representatives.


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