Originally Posted by Altavia (Post 2452319)

* There is discussion to add LPS to the building code -installation cost would be much lower during construction.

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2452321)

But where would you move to?
- Coastal hurricanes
- midwest tornadoes
- West coast earthquakes
- northern blizzards
- southwest heat

It's just dangerous to be alive these days

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2452322)

Every Villages home that I have parked my car in front of has not been hit by lightning. Every Villages home that has burnt from lightning has never had my car parked in front of it. Coincidence??

Originally Posted by Altavia (Post 2452319)

I have a similar background.

Key factors influencing my decision to install lightning mitigation as a preventative likelihood/risk reduction include:

* Seven homes struck within a 3 mi radius of our home in the 4 years here.

* Fires tend to start in the attic with the homeowner unaware until a neighbor notified them.

* CSST Gas lines in attic acting as lightning rods:

- the CSST manufacturer recommends LPS in lightening prone areas if installed.

- Several strikes appear to have been at the garage corner where the iron gas line enters the attic.

- Nearby lighting strikes can punch pinholes in the CSST tubing resulting in delayed/undetected gas leaks, until something ignites them.

* The Villages installs LPS on critical buildings and infrastructure.

* LPS is required by code for schools, retirement homes and hospitals.

* There is discussion to add LPS to the building code -installation cost would be much lower during construction.

* It takes 2-3 years to rebuild a home here destroyed by lightening.

* For us, the cost was less than our $2K deductable.

Originally Posted by Aces4 (Post 2452324)

Nah, just dangerous to be ignorant. Lightning is an issue and it can be hellacious in this area. Why not put up extra protection, particularly if you have a very expensive home or items in your home you'd like to keep and not have them replaced by insurance. Most of us have insurance on our homes but very few will ever need it, should we cancel the policy?

Originally Posted by Altavia (Post 2452319)

I have a similar background.

Key factors influencing my decision to install lightning mitigation as a preventative likelihood/risk reduction include:

* Seven homes struck within a 3 mi radius of our home in the 4 years here.

* Fires tend to start in the attic with the homeowner unaware until a neighbor notified them.

* CSST Gas lines in attic acting as lightning rods:

- the CSST manufacturer recommends LPS in lightening prone areas if installed.

- Several strikes appear to have been at the garage corner where the iron gas line enters the attic.

- Nearby lighting strikes can punch pinholes in the CSST tubing resulting in delayed/undetected gas leaks, until something ignites them.

* The Villages installs LPS on critical buildings and infrastructure.

* LPS is required by code for schools, retirement homes and hospitals.

* There is discussion to add LPS to the building code -installation cost would be much lower during construction.

* It takes 2-3 years to rebuild a home here destroyed by lightening.

* For us, the cost was less than our $2K deductable.

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2452331)

Not quite the same. But going along for the moment, I don't have flood insurance or earthquake insurance on my home. Both could happen, am I ignorant to not have those?

A LPS system is not insurance, it is a mitigation strategy. When will you be installing an automatic sprinkler system to quickly extinguish a fire in your home? They can't be that expensive, they are required in schools, hotels, and I believe most public buildings. They certainly are less costly than replacing a home. And I believe more homes are lost to kitchen fires than to lightning strikes.

Originally Posted by Aces4 (Post 2452335)

Logic escapes some people. One may skip all the precautions they want, I suppose that leaves more beer money. A conversation with anyone who has lost their home to fire will suffice for the rest of us. Enjoy your game of lightening roulette, to each their own.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 2452337)

There are risks with everything in life. You might never get hit with lightning with your fancy new LPS. And then a hurricane shows up and rips your entire roof off the house.

You might never see a hurricane in your neighborhood. And then a tornado whips through and blows your labradoodle a half mile down the street and into the neighbor's BMW windshield.

Maybe you won't see a hurricane, lightning, or tornado. But the next door neighbor flicks his cigarette out his lanai door and a stiff breeze sets your living room on fire.

And maybe none of these things happen, and the limestone gives out under your house and sinks your bedroom into a ground collapse.

Originally Posted by Aces4 (Post 2452335)

Logic escapes some people. One may skip all the precautions they want, I suppose that leaves more beer money. A conversation with anyone who has lost their home to fire will suffice for the rest of us. Enjoy your game of lightening roulette, to each their own.

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2452342)

Did you mistype or were you trying to make my point?

A conversation with anyone who has lost their home to fire will likely make you think about that automatic sprinkler system. If four deaths and 4,500 homeowner's claims from lightning is significant to you then 77 deaths from 14,000 home fires should really get your attention.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 2452333)

So if you don't have gas OR a garage, your risk is significantly lower than a house that has both.

Good to know. Glad I live in a double-wide.