[LeRoySmith]

Originally Posted by spinner1001

And, no, you are wrong that homeowner’s insurance will make you whole if your house suffers a catastrophic lightning strike. You did imply that in your earlier post in this thread. That’s just silly. Insurance will not make one whole for a catastrophic loss. But if you have REAL DATA (as you call it in your post above) to show otherwise, please share that data with us.

The principle of indemnity is a fundamental principle of insurance contracts that aims to restore an insured party to the same financial position they were in before a loss or damage:
Explanation
The principle states that the insurance company will compensate the policyholder for the amount of the loss, up to the amount agreed upon in the contract. The goal is to reimburse the policyholder, not to allow the insurer to make a profit.

[retiredguy123]

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.

There Is one house on my street that has a lightning protection system. Also, the fire station on Moyer Loop has one. These buildings have vertical metal rods on the roof, which are easy to see on the peaks. Since this thread started, I have been driving around The Villages, looking at hundreds of houses, and I have yet to see any house with metal rods on the roof. Am I missing something?

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

There Is one house on my street that has a lightning protection system. Also, the fire station on Moyer Loop has one. These buildings have vertical metal rods on the roof, which are easy to see on the peaks. Since this thread started, I have been driving around The Villages, looking at hundreds of houses, and I have yet to see any house with metal rods on the roof. Am I missing something?

Drive up north to Sunset Pointe, St. Charles and the older areas around there and you will see the exact opposite. The problem is people tend not to do anything about lightning and surge protection until someone near them gets hit or has an event. The homeowners in some of the older sections in the Villages have already lived through many lightning events which is why you see so many installed systems. In the Villages News in the past couple of days reported the pool equipment at the Franklyn Rec center was hit by lightning. Lightning started a fire on the fairway at the Lowlands Executive Golf Course, near the Water Lily Recreation Center, and lightning also sparked a blaze at about 5:30 p.m. Friday at a home on Cabella Circle in the Village of Hacienda North. This is in additon to all the strikes we have been talking about in the past week. You shold take a ride over to Linden where that house burnt to the ground from lightning last year and you will see all the homes around that strike now have systems. I guess it's just human nature not to take precautions until something makes you.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

There Is one house on my street that has a lightning protection system. Also, the fire station on Moyer Loop has one. These buildings have vertical metal rods on the roof, which are easy to see on the peaks. Since this thread started, I have been driving around The Villages, looking at hundreds of houses, and I have yet to see any house with metal rods on the roof. Am I missing something?

What does the one house on your street have if not vertical metal rods?

I have noticed three houses on my walk in the morning that have the rods. There may be more (I lose interest and might have missed some) but not many more. I would believe 2%-3% of the homes in my area have these. With all the focus on this recently I could believe the percentage is higher in the newer sections. EDIT: I will defer to the comment by jrref above about more protection in older sections as that statement is based on better information than I have.

Not all the non-residential buildings (rec centers, fire stations, commercial buildings) have the metal rods. However, if a metal roof can be grounded to function as a large LPS system then it is possible that some of the non-residential buildings are protected in that way.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by rsmurano

I wouldn’t get a metal roof for many reasons:
No cell service inside the house, very loud in a storm, and they do leak over time. They are more expensive than a regular shingle roof.
If you want the best, we had the slate tile roof and these are indestructible. Each tile is 1” think or thicker, each tile is over 11lbs, the roof is built with a double roof so these slate tiles are a few inches above the regular roof so if for some reason a tile gets cracked or if you develop a leak, the underlying roof will prevent any leaks. We had this on 1 of our houses and we loved the looks and quality. The only drawback is the expense and your roof has to be able to support the weight.

I had metal roof for 10 years. Never had leak, only racketball size hail would put small dent in it. They are little louder during heavy thunder storms. If you had metal roof and it leaked it was installed/sealed wrong just like get leaks from shingled roof. Which by The way had several leaking from free roof installations in my area, guess get what pay for. I would never get tile roof just cause the weight or tile. But that’s me. I can from state where actually had severe storms regularly not once in decade like down here in central Florida.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

What does the one house on your street have if not vertical metal rods?

I have noticed three houses on my walk in the morning that have the rods. There may be more (I lose interest and might have missed some) but not many more. I would believe 2%-3% of the homes in my area have these. With all the focus on this recently I could believe the percentage is higher in the newer sections. EDIT: I will defer to the comment by jrref above about more protection in older sections as that statement is based on better information than I have.

Not all the non-residential buildings (rec centers, fire stations, commercial buildings) have the metal rods. However, if a metal roof can be grounded to function as a large LPS system then it is possible that some of the non-residential buildings are protected in that way.

About 20% have lighting rods in my area. Really have look close to see them. But, that’s me I don’t really look up at roofs cause it’s just roof.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Altavia

The LPS is there to keep the house from burning down by giving any lightning strikes a very good low resistance path to ground.

You could think of it as a conductive umbrella over the structure.

Otherwise it moves through the structure potentially damaging/igniting any material in it's path. Things can get really bad if CSST gas line is in it's path.

It also can help reduce the likelihood of strikes from happening by the lightning rods in the air bleeding off some of charge as it builds up.

If I get LPS it will be on out side of my roof.

[PhilR]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

There Is one house on my street that has a lightning protection system. Also, the fire station on Moyer Loop has one. These buildings have vertical metal rods on the roof, which are easy to see on the peaks. Since this thread started, I have been driving around The Villages, looking at hundreds of houses, and I have yet to see any house with metal rods on the roof. Am I missing something?

not trying to sound smart, look closer. I have been engaged in the same excercise, they are sometimes subtle but i do see them

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by PhilR

not trying to sound smart, look closer. I have been engaged in the same excercise, they are sometimes subtle but i do see them

For anyone looking to see an LPS system in the wild, drive down Hillsborough between the Manatee Rec center and Hillsborough Postal Station. Look on the north side of Hillsborough and you should see at least three houses with the little rods on the peaks of the roof.

(and you will see a LOT of houses without rods)

[LeRoySmith]

Does a pool cage act as a lightening rod? Ours is grounded by a very small conductor, maybe 8 gage bare copper and the ground rod its hooked too is not very deep, I think it was 3 or 4 feet long.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

Does a pool cage act as a lightening rod? Ours is grounded by a very small conductor, maybe 8 gage bare copper and the ground rod its hooked too is not very deep, I think it was 3 or 4 feet long.

Not my field of expertise but I would say no, it would not.

1. It was not designed or installed for that purpose. As you note, it is grounded by a very small conductor.

2. Even if it provided any protection capability at all, it would only protect the very small portion of the corner of the roof where it was installed leaving the large remainder of the roof, including the peaks, unprotected.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by PhilR

FWIW I called Triangle and A1

A 1 returned my call last night during dinner. Very nice person apologized for late call. They had 63 calls yesterday alone. The estimator does a route rather than making individual appointments. I will receive a proposal via email and can call back for more info after.

Triangle also very nice. They have all the floor models and use satellite imagery of each home to prepare a bid rather than coming out. He spent a good 20 minutes on the phone w me and said call back if more questions after I receive proposal.

I have heard both firms are good.

Did either one of them say what has to be done when the roof is replaced?

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

Does a pool cage act as a lightening rod? Ours is grounded by a very small conductor, maybe 8 gage bare copper and the ground rod its hooked too is not very deep, I think it was 3 or 4 feet long.

Copper wire is ground for pool lights, that was explained by T&D.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by CFrance

Did either one of them say what has to be done when the roof is replaced?

I answered my own question. I called A1 and scheduled an estimate ($2000 to $2200 for a 3/2 villa). When the roof needs to be replaced, the roofer is not licensed to reinstall the system. A1 will do it for $700.


He's had over 200 calls this week. He's booked into March but is fitting smaller homes in if you don't mind weekend work. Right now we're scheduled for early December.

[LeRoySmith]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Copper wire is ground for pool lights, that was explained by T&D.

My pool lights are grounded to a ground rod next to the pool equipment, the pool equipment is too.

The rebar in the pool and the cage are bonded to a different ground rod next to the cage. They're about 25 feet apart and I don't think the 2 are connected (they could be and I just didn't see it happen).