[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by kbrkr

I'm curious to know how many more homes have been hit by lightening in the southern part of the Villages as opposed to the North. The North has taller Oak trees which can attract more lightening before it hits a home. The southern homes do not have as many mature trees.

Do you think this makes a difference?

I doubt the trees make much of a difference but if you gather information about both trees and homes then maybe something would stand out.

Odd things about weather:
- In the Finger Lakes region of NY State, storms seem to often stay on one side or the other of I90. In particular, lake-effect snow seems to stay north of I90. Just the way the weather works there.

- In the mid-atlantic states, weather seems to stay east or west of I95. Again, just the way it seems to work there.

- In Central Florida it often seems like lighting and rain approaches the Villages but then breaks up as it gets to this area. I don't know how many times I've seen the heavy area of precipitation break up as it approaches the Villages and go around.

All this might just be my imagination weighted by confirmation bias but on the other hand, if there is something true about those points above, then it could also be true that the heaviest lightning stays south of 44. This area has always had lightning but before there were homes south of 44 the lightning hit trees or swamp. Now there are homes and lightning strikes. The number of lightning strikes may not have changed, but the likelihood that there would be a house underneath one has increased a lot.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

I doubt the trees make much of a difference but if you gather information about both trees and homes then maybe something would stand out.

All this might just be my imagination weighted by confirmation bias but on the other hand, if there is something true about those points above, then it could also be true that the heaviest lightning stays south of 44. This area has always had lightning but before there were homes south of 44 the lightning hit trees or swamp. Now there are homes and lightning strikes. The number of lightning strikes may not have changed, but the likelihood that there would be a house underneath one has increased a lot.

You are exactly right. This is why we are seeing a lot more strikes hitting homes in the South of the Villages and more strikes overall.

BTW, tall trees don't make a difference as you know by the pictures I've posted. Lightning "connects" to the point on the earth that has the highest positive potential during a storm and that might not be the towering tree over your home.

[Duck*Soup]

Originally Posted by thelegges

But you posted “they look like a Legit” company. The VLSG would like to Go See One Of These Installations.

The lightning damage was on a home that didn’t have an install. So why does the group want to inspect an installation with no one certified as an Inspector?

Wouldn’t it be beneficial to use a certified inspector if the group has questions about certain companies?

After all the cost of inspection would be appropriate with any company after a $2-4,000 price tag

I am perplexed by the repeated warnings regarding inadequate installers from individuals who appear to lack the certifications/ expertise to discern improper installations.

Instead, they have solely recommended the same two local companies.

A Google search will reveal other options in Tampa and Orlando.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by jrref

As stated, we are not certified to conduct inspections of a lightning protection systems. There are UL and LPI certified inspectors that do this work one of which lives here in the Villages and advises our group. But, we have seen installations installed by some "unknown" companies that clearly violate some of the NFPA 780 installation standards which is why we make people aware of LPI and or UL certified installers.

Did the “Certified” inspector note the installers clearly violated standards? If so wouldn’t the inspector advised homeowners, there was clearly install violation? And what action should follow?

The homeowner after spending a few thousand would definitely have company name, so “unknown” should not be a factor.

Or has the group just noticed homes, looking at installs, without owner knowledge,

” noticed standard install violations”, and the “Unknown” is no communication with homeowner for installers company name?

My hope is if the club notices installer violation standards, the homeowners would be thankful for the information. Or at least warning that an installation violation has clearly been noted by the Club. Your next action should be_________________.

Just trying to understand how the club finds the NFPA 780 violations, as posted.

The club would be doing a great community service to give notice of violations to homeowners

[Ignatz]

Originally Posted by ResQme

I have "attached" the photos.

Thanks for the pics!

I was curious about what the damage would look like.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Duck*Soup

I am perplexed by the repeated warnings regarding inadequate installers from individuals who appear to lack the certifications/ expertise to discern improper installations.

Instead, they have solely recommended the same two local companies.

A Google search will reveal other options in Tampa and Orlando.

You are missing the message regarding installation.

In order for a lightning protection system to work properly and reliably, it has to be installed properly. This means the air terminals or rods have to be installed in the proper places to insure coverage, the ground rods have to have a resistance to ground less than 25 ohms, the cables coming over your eves have to be a certain arc and not 90 degree angles, every air terminal has to have at least 2 paths to ground, all metal "objects" on your roof have to be grounded, etc.. The Study Group has an in-depth knowledge of what needs to be done but we are not certified by LPI or UL to conduct these inspections. Can any of us see obvious issues with an installation, yes but that's not what we do. We create awareness on the subject so Villagers can make informed decisions on whatever they decide is best for them.

Installers that are LPI and or UL certified such as A1 and Triangle, will install residential systems the same way every time according to NFPA 780. But as mentioned several times, you can go to the LPI web site and look for installers here -> Find a Contractor - Lightning Protection Institute

So, does all this mean you shouldn't use a non-certified installer? That's up to you. Many may do excellent work, some may not. There is no way to tell 100% for sure. For example, we were invited to look at a home recently that was hit, a small strike, no fire and while we were there we noticed the next door neighbor had a LPS installed and one of the copper cables comming off the roof was physically "nailed" (attached with roof clamps) to the aluminum siding trim from the peak to the gutter right on the face of the metal trim. Clearly wrong. Although this deviation was obvious, correct grounding may not be and require special equipment. If I personally, were to use a non-LPI and or UL certified installer, I would ask for a report showing the earth grounding test results. I would make sure they had a good business record without complaints. If the company is installing a lot of systems, eventually some homes would eventually get hit and if the system didn't work there would be something written about it. I would make sure I got as much information ahead of time on what they were going to install such as a copper system with UL certified components, how deep and what length will the earth grounding rods be installed, how many air terminals and where will they be placed, insure that they will have two paths to ground for every air terminal, if you have those metal circular vents on your roof, make sure they are going to ground them, make sure they will "bond" (ground) your outside HVAC, pool and spa equipment, make sure they ground the LPS ground circuit to your utility ground and when comparing prices if the price was significantly lower than everyone else's price, I would be concerned.

BTW, you can also get an aluminum system at a cheaper price but copper is reusable when you change your roof where aluminum is not and if you have a white or silver colored roof, aluminum will look better so you have a choice.

Hope this helps.