[Bilyclub]

Originally Posted by Altavia

...

Part of my justification is the Developer installs then on critical infrastructure, pump houses, fire stations, buildings in squares, etc.

The state of Florida, whose building code requires Lightning Protection Systems to be installed on all newly constructed Schools, Hospitals, and Nursing Homes. This is the only such mandate in the US.

Don't remember seeing any at Brownwood. Must have stopped installing South of 466A.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I understand that a lightning protection system may save your life, but homeowners insurance will cover the damage shown in the photos.

Right, but it can be a life altering event if you have major damage. First you need to deal with your insurance company. Many people who were hit by lightning have related experiences where the insurance doesn't want to pay for all the damage and its a major job getting through that phase. Secondly, there aren't contractors and repair people just waiting on the side-lines to re-build your home. Typically it can take up to 1 to 2 years to rebuild. Finally, the insurance company is not going to be able to replace your personal family belongings. Pictures, furniture, files, etc., will be gone forever.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

Don't remember seeing any at Brownwood. Must have stopped installing South of 466A.

They are there, just need to look.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by jrref

At the end of the day, Lightning is unpredictable. There is no way to anticipate if your home is going to be struck, damaged or destroyed. The Villages Lightning Study group documents lightning strikes here in the Villages. We have data to show many strikes happening to homes near golf courses or in a general areas when you look at the strikes on a map. This data is not definitive but interesting to look at.

Attached are some pictures of recently destroyed homes to put things in perspective.

Your statement of “We have data to show many strikes happening to homes near golf courses “

I would think the villages lightning study group has Exact numbers, than the use of “Many”

Next the pictures you posted I don’t see any golf courses? Are they close, a mile, more than 5 miles? Data that would give a better idea than a general golf course strikes.

Data is not definitive, but interesting? Unsure how to interpret.

Date of the pictures would also peek interest in your meetings, if that what the group is seeking

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

Don't remember seeing any at Brownwood. Must have stopped installing South of 466A.

We were at the large Brownwood Medical Center the other day. We were on an upper floor able to look at another section of the building at roof level. There were clearly lightning rods and the associated cabling all along the roof.

[Karmanng]

Originally Posted by crash

The systems don’t really stand out much for you to see them unless you look closely. I believe A1 told me they have installed over 3000 systems. If you have gas and the distribution header is in the attic in the garage strongly suggest you rethink not having lightning protection.

I dont understand WHY the builder put a gas line in the roof when there are tons of STRIKES here that can cause fires !!!! Do you kno why it is built that way? IF I knew this 2 years ago before I bought I would NOT have bought here at all...........

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Because?

Much of the energy for a high frequency/rise time transient event is carried in the electric field around the wire. This is one of the reasons they use braided cable as it will present the minimum impedance to the event.

The UL approved aluminium cable is sized to handle the same transient currents as copper cable for lightening suppression applications.

As far as I know, there should be no electrical difference between these two for a properly installed system.

The key is 'properly installed', aluminum got a bad rep when it was allowed for house wiring and then it was not properly installed. I worked in the electrical power industry, and they use aluminum cable all the time with very specialized antioxidants and compression connections and even these fail occasionally. So I will agree with you if aluminum conductors are properly installed these would be acceptable, but my first preference would be copper.

[retiredguy123]

When a house with a lightning protection system is hit by lightning, isn't there evidence that the lighting travelled through the cables and caused no damage? To me, that would be data worth seeing to prove the value of an LPS system. But, I have never seen such data.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by thelegges

Your statement of “We have data to show many strikes happening to homes near golf courses “

I would think the villages lightning study group has Exact numbers, than the use of “Many”

Next the pictures you posted I don’t see any golf courses? Are they close, a mile, more than 5 miles? Data that would give a better idea than a general golf course strikes.

Data is not definitive, but interesting? Unsure how to interpret.

Date of the pictures would also peek interest in your meetings, if that what the group is seeking

I wanted to point out that lightning is unpredictable so you can't say my neighbor has a system or I have large trees near my home or I live near a lake or pond or things like that because lightning strikes do not work that way.

Yesterday was the first time I saw all the lightning strikes that we tracked marked on a map and while lightning is unpredictable, there may be some patterns with the strikes here in the Villages. My first observation was several were near golf courses such as the recent one in Osceola Hills and St. Charles. There are other's as well that were hit over the years. I'm not an expert in this area and I'm not saying because you live near a golf course or a pond or whatever you are more susceptible, but it's something I personally would like to investigate just for curiosity. When I do more research and can talk facts, we can consider sharing the data if its helpful.

The Villages Lightning Study Group makes presentations on the facts of lightning and lightning and surge protection systems, dispelling the myths so Villagers who are interested can get the information and make an informed decision. We haven't done any analysis on the data but now that we have more data, as I mentioned it would be interesting to take a deeper look and see if we can learn anything from the confirmed strikes.

[craarmy]

Originally Posted by jrref

At the end of the day, Lightning is unpredictable. There is no way to anticipate if your home is going to be struck, damaged or destroyed. The Villages Lightning Study group documents lightning strikes here in the Villages. We have data to show many strikes happening to homes near golf courses or in a general areas when you look at the strikes on a map. This data is not definitive but interesting to look at.

So here is the deal. Getting a system or not is totally dependent on you tolerance for risk. The typical cost for a system is $2,000 to $3,500 depending onthe size of your home and the number of peaks, etc.. If you feel it's worth taking the risk of loosing all your personal belongings and maybe even your life, then do nothing. If you have the money or can plan for the expense then get a system to significantly lower your chances of a life altering event. Also, since the address of the recent strikes in Sunset Pointe and St. Charles are listed in the Villages News, I strongly suggest taking a ride to take a first hand look at these now destroyed homes. Attached are some pictures of recently destroyed homes to put things in perspective.

Thanks for the pictures

[dougawhite]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Correct from a DC current perspective.

But is the current induced by lightening:

1. AC
2. DC
3. Both
4. Neither

Technically, lightning is DC, just electrons moving in one direction from source to ground. However, because lightning is an extremely short and powerful pulse of DC current, it creates a very strong electromagnetic field that contains a very broad spectrum of 'radio' waves. That's why you can hear lightning on an AM radio. So, that 'radio' energy doesn't just travel cleanly on a wire to ground, it surrounds the wire for some distance, and can impact nearby electronics.

[gmdds]

Let’s hear some of the quotes. I have no idea what an average Designer house here would cost, to get a lightning protection system.

[sknigh01]

Danny with A-1 installed ours in December 2023 for $2500. The home is a 2100 square-foot designer.

[Donegalkid]

Originally Posted by TedfromGA

We used Danny Mack with A-1 Lightning Protection 352-465-0620. A-1 is UL qualified and local. He is one of the several respected companies that install lightning systems in the villages. I recommend you call him for an estimate and explanation. You also can see many of his installs on homes in the villages.

I agree. Danny — A1 Lightning. Has done hundreds of TV homes; also
does commercial buildings in the area. He did mine according to the CODE. Get it down right with a pro; minimal impact to the roof. No leaks when done right. The rods are ugly, no way around it, but the dragonflies like to rest on the points.

[DrMack]

Originally Posted by dougawhite

Technically, lightning is DC, just electrons moving in one direction from source to ground. However, because lightning is an extremely short and powerful pulse of DC current, it creates a very strong electromagnetic field that contains a very broad spectrum of 'radio' waves. That's why you can hear lightning on an AM radio. So, that 'radio' energy doesn't just travel cleanly on a wire to ground, it surrounds the wire for some distance, and can impact nearby electronics.

Alternating and Direct currents are man made. Frequency from AC is key to its manufacture where you have copper moving through a magnetic field without any contact between the two. Direct current is called that because you have brushes that touch a broken commutator before current is dispensed for use. Both can have benefits, but DC is considered safer.

Lightning is not manufactured by either method. It can go cloud to cloud or cloud to ground. It’s static electricity caused by electron build up and discharge once conditions are correct.

I would believe lightning does not fall under either condition of AC or DC. Voltage can be up to 1 billion volts and carry up to 7 gigajoules of current potential.