[Altavia]

Originally Posted by 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.

Before having a system installed, ask to see few homes where they have done work.

An experienced installer is important along with one who has passed the UL certification training/exams.

Some do a better job of hiding view of the cables from the street.


...

[BigVin]

We had a LPS installed on our roof several years ago. It was probably one of the best things we ever did! Living here in the “Lightening Capital of America” it was just an added insurance for our peace of mind.

A few days ago, during the horrible lightening storm, I was cowering at home from the lightening and the non-stop thunder storming. It was truly frightening. I went to window several times (which I probably shouldn’t have) to see the action. The last time I looked, I saw a huge bolt of lightening followed immediately by a loud boom and a tinkling sound. I stepped away from the window and ran around the house to see which window broke. It happened to be a neighbor’s house across the street with a fire on their roof.
Thank God that the fire trucks were there quickly and efficiently putting out the fire tho not without damage to the roof and windows. Thank God everyone was safe!

Long story short, I thank God we installed our lightening rods or else it could’ve been us (it was that close!).

[Kenswing]

A villa home was destroyed last night by a fire caused from lightning.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Very interesting, 16 homes over how many years?

Did these protected home have any induced damage from the EMP?

You probably have better data. But assuming 70,000 homes in the Villages, and 7 home strikes a year, risk is in the 1/10,000 range?

Appreciate the knowledge you are sharing.

The data on the 16 homes with an LPS that believe they were hit is from 2007 to current. The homes all had surge protection to varying degrees. Some had no damage and some had some minor induced surge damage. Surge protection is not 100% and if the induced surge is large enough it can overwhelm the protection devices which is why a layered system gives you a better chance of surviving an significant event. What we have found is when a homeowner installs a lightning protection system they almost always spend the extra money to get Primary and Secondary surge protection. A reputable LPS installer will always evaluate your electrical system and recommend surge protection devices as needed even though they don't do that work.

As far as how many strikes per year in the Villages, Len has the latest data from the fire department and i'll ask him to post it. Its actually more than you would think because some strikes are mis-coded by the fire department and are listed as some other cause even though there were eye witnesses and other indications that the cause was lightning. Also with all the new building going on in the Villages, there are more habitable targets to hit where as before a strike might have been in an open field.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by 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.

Interesting story. So the the Primary Surge protection installed at the circuit breaker panel will protect all the devices you mentioned. In addition, you can get a surge protector installed specifically for your HVAC and pool and spa equipment. This is the layered approach I've been talking about. But installing Primary surge protection at the circuit breaker panel using an Eaton Ultra for example by an electrician like Lenhart and if you get the protector at the meter by Seco, even better along with point of use protectors at your TV, computer, etc, will significantly increase the odds of NOT having any damage from an induced surge.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

A villa home was destroyed last night by a fire caused from lightning.

Was this the one in Charlotte?

[jrref]

Originally Posted by BigVin

We had a LPS installed on our roof several years ago. It was probably one of the best things we ever did! Living here in the “Lightening Capital of America” it was just an added insurance for our peace of mind.

A few days ago, during the horrible lightening storm, I was cowering at home from the lightening and the non-stop thunder storming. It was truly frightening. I went to window several times (which I probably shouldn’t have) to see the action. The last time I looked, I saw a huge bolt of lightening followed immediately by a loud boom and a tinkling sound. I stepped away from the window and ran around the house to see which window broke. It happened to be a neighbor’s house across the street with a fire on their roof.
Thank God that the fire trucks were there quickly and efficiently putting out the fire tho not without damage to the roof and windows. Thank God everyone was safe!

Long story short, I thank God we installed our lightening rods or else it could’ve been us (it was that close!).

Is it possible to PM me the address or tell us which Village this happened in so the study group can log it? We can check the fire department records to make sure it was coded properly.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by jrref

Was this the one in Charlotte?

No. It was up in the Spanish Springs area just south of Rio Grande.

[jrref]

Just wanted to say that this thread has a lot of good discussion and I hope we helped those who wanted to know more about lightning and power surge protection regardless whether they are planning on getting a system or not.

What's important to the Villages Lightning Study Group is that everyon have the facts so they can make an informed decision based on their individual tolerance for risk and based on their specific situation vs someone with no experience saying these systems don't work.

Although our fire and police and other first responders are critical to our safety and great people, they are not all trained in some of these topics. Becasue of this the study group has given presentations to some of our first responders but not everyone is trained so if you have questions please reach out to us and we can provide whatever factual and actual case information that we have collected specifically here in the Villages on the topic.

[Lightning]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

I would like to see a discussion of lightning protection (sharp pointy objects) on your roof, versus the devices SECO uses at some of their substations, these look like a large Dandelion bloom. I worked in this industry and these are designed to DISSIPATE the charge and avoid the lightning strike. Sharpe pointed objects then at ATTRACT lightning strikes. These are applied to ATTRACT the strike to the protective wiring and away from the roof. May point is why not have the devices that dissipate the charge installed?
Looking forward to an interesting discussion.

The national standard on lightning that has been adopted by many states and federal government entities only recognizes tradition lighting systems as addressed in NFPA-780, Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems, 2023 Edition. Non-standard systems based on early streamer, charge transfer, and dissipating array concepts are not recognized. As discussed in Dr. Martin Unman's book The Art and Science of Lightning Protection. there is no evidence that non-standard systems work as advertised.

[Lightning]

[QUOTE=MidWestIA;2344117]My friend had a lightning rod it got hit and started a fire in the attic[/ youQUOTE]
Could provide more details. Where and when did this happen? Was there a failure of the gas line in the attic caused by a direct or indirect lightning strike?. Was the gas line grounded at the manifold and at the entry point into the home? Was the system installed by a UL listed firm that employs Master Installers who have passed the requirements of the Lightning Protection Institute? Was the system maintained as called for in NFPA-780 the national standard on lightning? Was any qualified expert called in to investigate the failure?

[susankchittum@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by jrref

During the recent storm we had Friday night into Saturday morning three homes in the Villages were struck by lightning. One serious with a fire and the other two no fire.

Too see and read the article on the terrible strike in Charlotte Google "lightning-strike-punches-hole-in-roof-of-home-in-the-villages" and click on the first article by the Villages News too see all the pictures.

Lightning is unpredictable and it looks like these people are not going to be living in their home for a while since there are probably not a lot of contractors waiting around to rush and repair this home and it takes a while for the Insurance to assess and pay for the damages. I'm also assuming with a strike this large that several neighbors around this home had major power surge damage to their electronic devices and appliances.

The reason why I'm posting this is because we live in one of the lightning capitals of the world due to our proximity to the east and west coast weather here in Florida. Random lightning strikes is something we need to live with, especially with all the new homes. Last year a lightning strike in one of the new areas would have occured in a field. Today, there is a home there.

The Villages Lightning Study Group has been giving free community service non-commercial educational presentations in The Villages on lightning since 2009. They address personnel lightning safety indoors and out, surge protection, lightning protection systems (LPS), and dispel many of the myths and misunderstandings about lightning.

One of the misconceptions they dispel is that lightning protection systems do not work. Lightning protection systems have been 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. They also suggest that only firms listed by UL with craftsmen who have met the Master Installer criteria of the Lighting Protection Institute be considered when selecting a contractor.

Another reference used in their presentations 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.

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.

Lightning Protection Systems are used world-wide and locally have been installed on all water & sewage stations, every building in Sumter Landing including your former retail store, all the sales centers, the Sharon, Savannah Center, most churches, the new schools, the hospitals, the developer's own homes, and many Villagers have chosen to protect their own residence.

I mention this NOT to sell Lightning Protection and power surge systems but to make everyone aware that there are free presentations being given in the Villages giving the facts so homeowners can make a more informed decision based on their tolerance for risk and their specific situation. Nothing man made is 100% effective but there is a good chance if these homeowners had a Lightning Protection System installed by a certified UL listed company that they may have been spared this unfortunate event.

Our villa in Dunedin was struck by lightning 3 years ago, made a shoebox-size hole in the roof. We were out of state, our neighbor called us, my husband flew in the next day, and the following day a roofer was out to assess the damage and cover the roof until repairs could be made. An electrician came out the same day to replace the thermostat and get the a/c running again. We had NO problem getting contractors to respond in an emergency.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by jrref

Just wanted to say that this thread has a lot of good discussion and I hope we helped those who wanted to know more about lightning and power surge protection regardless whether they are planning on getting a system or not.

What's important to the Villages Lightning Study Group is that everyone have the facts so they can make an informed decision based on their individual tolerance for risk and based on their specific situation vs someone with no experience saying these systems don't work.

Although our fire and police and other first responders are critical to our safety and great people, they are not all trained in some of these topics.

Becasue of this the study group has given presentations to some of our first responders but not everyone is trained so if you have questions please reach out to us and we can provide whatever factual and actual case information that we have collected specifically here in the Villages on the topic.

Very helpful info for a highly complex topic - thanks!


Good idea to help educate first responders. (At an incident near us, a fire fighter was quoted to say lighting rods don't work.)

[Lightning]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

LPS will NOT prevent a strike.

If you have a LPS & you have a strike, you will have damage.

Please provided supporting evidence to back up your statement. Science and the history of lightning protection shows otherwise.

[Lightning]

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.

There was no structural damage reported but some experienced damage to electronics because they did not have complete surge protection. None reported the things you mention.