[jrref]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

LPS will not DRAW a strike either. LPS are there to provide protection in case a strike occurs.



"Will have damage"? Is that speaking from experience or skepticism? Is the damage that "will" occur when lightning strikes a house with an LPS of the same magnitude as the damage that occurs when lightning strikes a house without an LPS?

There is an article from 2021 in the newspaper that shall not be named with the statement, "Over a dozen Villagers, with an LPS, have reported that their home was struck by lightning and in no case was there any fire or structural damage." No, that doesn't say there was no damage at all but I will take some singed shingles or burnt rods over the hole in the roof that was recently pictured in the same paper.

Thanks for referencing this article. What most people miss is usually the cause of major damage to your home from the lightning strike is from the fire caused by the strike. In many cases the homeowner was home and was able to call the fire department quickly and or take measures to mitigate it. In other cases where the home burned down it's usually becase the home was unoccupied and by the time neighbors saw the fire, it was too late. In the last storm we had, as mentioned, the home in Charlotte was significantly damaged where the other two strikes not as much. This is usually because lightning struck the home and any fire was extinguished by the heavy rain occuring at the time. This happend in a lightning strike in Fenney last year.

[spinner1001]

Originally Posted by jrref

Actually, much is known about lightning and the effectiveness of lightning protection systems.

One of the misconceptions is that lightning protection systems do not work. They have proven effective for over 200 years and they do work if they are designed, installed, and maintained according to the National Fire Protection Association-780, Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems, 2023 Edition. The Principles of Lightning Protection are discussed in Annex B.

Another reference is The Art & Science of Lightning Protection Systems, by Dr. Martin Uman, from the University of Florida who has been studying lightning for over four decades.

Also over the years there have been may studies that have proven the advocacy of LPS. One such study was conducted at the University of Florida's International Center for Lightning Research & Testing at Camp Blanding.

There are many other references and data.

As far as the newer systems which try and prevent a lightning strike, as some have commented, yes these devices are currently installed and being evaluated for their effectiveness. NASA has an elaborate setup at the cape.

You are talking about whether there is an effect of LPS. I am talking about the effect size of LPS. Knowing an effect and knowing an effect size are very different. For instance, do LPS lower the average likelihood of a lightning strike on a single-family home by 10% or 90%. This is an important question for insurance companies, mortgage lenders, home owners, and so on.

Effect != Effect size

If you have references to empirical evidence about the _effect size_ (i.e., magnitude of the effect) of LPS on structures in any quality scientific journal, please provide the references (i.e., name of journal, volume, issue, author, date) and I will read them. (A book is not a quality scientific journal.)

I don’t doubt there is an effect of LPS. I have a LPS. I would like to know the empirical evidence of the effect size of LPS on homes. I am skeptical strong evidence of the effect size exists.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Sometimes size does matter. In the case of a home getting hit by lightning with and without an LPS, size matters a great deal.

Mr. Bill.....................you seem to arguing with yourself.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by spinner1001

You are talking about whether there is an effect of LPS. I am talking about the effect size of LPS. Knowing an effect and knowing an effect size are very different. For instance, do LPS lower the average likelihood of a lightning strike on a single-family home by 10% or 90%. This is an important question for insurance companies, mortgage lenders, home owners, and so on.

Effect != Effect size

If you have references to empirical evidence about the _effect size_ (i.e., magnitude of the effect) of LPS on structures in any quality scientific journal, please provide the references (i.e., name of journal, volume, issue, author, date) and I will read them. (A book is not a quality scientific journal.)

I don’t doubt there is an effect of LPS. I have a LPS. I would like to know the empirical evidence of the effect size of LPS on homes. I am skeptical strong evidence of the effect size exists.

I'm not aware of any studies that claim their results showed having a LPS lowed the average likelihood of a lightning strike on a single-family home by "X" percent but it's a good point and will look into it.

Since lightning is unpredictible and you would have to have some system installed to monitor when a home with a LPS was actually hit, my "guess" is there is little data on this. The current "thinking" is that a LPS will limit or prevent significant damage to the structure if a lightnig strike occurs vs preventing a strike. As mentioned there are studies underway on systems to "prevent" lightning strikes as well.

Len Hathaway, the founder and leader of the Villages Lightning Study Group has a device installed on his LPS that will trigger when lightning strikes his system. No hits recorded yet. Unfortunately this device is expensive. Also, when a home with an LPS is hit, a thorough investigation would be needed to make sure the LPS was installed and maintained properly to weed out any faulty installations. As part of the maintenance, you need to check the validity of the grounding system on the LPS. I have a meter to check this. Typically, an LPS ground rod is driven 10-20 feet into the earth to get a good ground meaning a ohm rating low enough as specified by UL. In my home, Triangle had to drive the ground rods down 30 feet to get a ground that was in tolerance with the UL specification. Fortunately, the certified installers will do what is needed to get a good ground or the system will be ineffictive. We do have a case where a ground rod lost it's effectiveness for some unknown reason and had to be replaced. Fortunately, three to four ground rods are typically installed and every air terminal (lightning rod) has two paths to ground.

[backhoeken]

When and where will the next presentation be, and is the paper or detail finding of the study available for reading, or is this based off the 2021 study and related paper presented by Univ. of Central Florida

Thank you
Ken

[Slakeforest]

Is there a contractor that is recommended for lightning rods installation?

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Slakeforest

Is there a contractor that is recommended for lightning rods installation?

See Post #44

[jedalton]

thanks

[Gettingoutofdodge]

Originally Posted by justjim

I don’t believe there are any lightning systems installed in my immediate neighborhood. Most do have some type of surge protection. Maybe they are too expensive to install and maintain?

Last year a house was hit by lightening at 5775 Henry Loop in the Village of Linden Isle and it was totally destroyed. A few other houses were damaged by lightening but the damage was mainly to their electrical system. You can google this and see the damage.

I purchased lightening rods, had SECO put on a surge protector and added surge protector strips to my TVs and computer.

I went to the POA meeting on lightening and followed their advice. They recommended three companies. I went with A1. The lightening rods were $1600. The costs depends on your roof, added extensions and if you have gas. My friend had a gas pipe on her roof and that required an additional rod. Her cost was $2400. It is well worth the cost.

I live in Charlotte, a few blocks away from the house that was hit. The lightening that night was the worst I’ve ever experienced here. My heart goes out to these people.

Try to look up the POA meeting from last year or find the bulletin. Don’t believe rumors like if your neighbors house has rods, you’re protected. Get expert advice.

I felt safe knowing my house was protected. That protection was worth every penny.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Gettingoutofdodge

Last year a house was hit by lightening at 5775 Henry Loop in the Village of Linden Isle and it was totally destroyed. A few other houses were damaged by lightening but the damage was mainly to their electrical system. You can google this and see the damage.

I purchased lightening rods, had SECO put on a surge protector and added surge protector strips to my TVs and computer.

I went to the POA meeting on lightening and followed their advice. They recommended three companies. I went with A1. The lightening rods were $1600. The costs depends on your roof, added extensions and if you have gas. My friend had a gas pipe on her roof and that required an additional rod. Her cost was $2400. It is well worth the cost.

I live in Charlotte, a few blocks away from the house that was hit. The lightening that night was the worst I’ve ever experienced here. My heart goes out to these people.

Try to look up the POA meeting from last year or find the bulletin. Don’t believe rumors like if your neighbors house has rods, you’re protected. Get expert advice.

I felt safe knowing my house was protected. That protection was worth every penny.

We just did a presentation at the last POA meeting. Although they didn't record it, they did record the presentation we made last year and you can see it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJMLyywdB0A
The presentation starts at 30:00.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Slakeforest

Is there a contractor that is recommended for lightning rods installation?

A1 Ligthning Protection Services
Triangle Lightening Protection

Both UL Certified and LPI trained.

Just FYI, both companies will do the same quality work. A1 will come out to your home for an estimate, Triangle will do it over the phone by looking at your home using google maps or some similar system. Both companies have a long track record doing installations here in the Villages and both highly recommended because of their certifications, training and service to the community.

For primary surge protection, you can call Lenhart Electric and if you attended or viewed the presentation on lightning protection or found them here on ToTV, let them know and they will give you a discount. I'm not sure how much longer they will be offering the discount.

Hope this helps.

[Switter]

The house I bought was hit by lightning at some point while it was sitting on the market. It fried the control board in the furnace/AC unit.

I had the whole home surge protection installed when I moved in but I realized this is no guarantee of protection. When there is a storm coming, I unplugged my expensive things such as washer, dryer, and the two power strip that has all my electronics on it (entertainment center and computer desk). If it's really bad lightning, I will flip the switch on my furnace. Unfortunately, that still leaves my refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, and stove plugged in. I'm not even sure that flipping the light switch for my furnace will completely prevent it. Can it arc across an open switch?

Someday may have a system installed so this is very good information being posted.

[Topspinmo]

Anybody hear the BIG boom lightning strike last night about 11 or so. It was close to me flash and bang was almost simultaneously. Looked on strike map had hit on CR42 in from of Phillips entry.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Many people talking about lightning strikes saying the odds are low, it won't happen to me, it won't be that bad, my home insurance will cover it, an LPS is expensive and won't prevent a strike anyway, etc.

Here's another way to think about it.

I have paid tens of thousands of dollars for homeowners insurance over the years and made only one claim. It was about 30 years ago and it was for damage from a lightning strike.

I have paid tens of thousands of dollars for car insurance over the years and can remember only two claims and one of those was for a broken windshield.

I have paid tens of thousands of dollars for health insurance over the years and other than regular doctor and dentist visits I have used very little of that.

A one-time $3,000 investment for an LPS to minimize the chance of being displaced by significant lightning damage seems like a much better deal than any of the other insurances I buy.

(DISCLAIMER: I do not actually have an LPS - I need to do something about that)

We're on the same page except I've had a system installed :-)

As mentioned earlier The Villages installs LPS on critical infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, key buildings in the squares, fire stations, pump stations, etc. We all know they don't spend a dollar unnecessarily. ;-)

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

Anybody hear the BIG boom lightning strike last night about 11 or so. It was close to me flash and bang was almost simultaneously. Looked on strike map had hit on CR42 in from of Phillips entry.

The recert house jarring lightening here is the worst I've experienced.