[Captainpd]

Originally Posted by Tom52

Do insurance companies offer a discount to homeowners with lightening rods installed?

Is that part of your decision making process.. I need a discount before protecting my house..

[Indydealmaker]

We paid less than $2000 for ours on an Iris.

[BoatRatKat]

Years ago when we lived in NC we had a badly damaged roof from hail that needed replacement. Since the lightning was scary and frequent there we asked our insurance company if putting a LPS on the roof while getting the new roof would be beneficial. They told us that they do not recommend people add them to their roofs and that they've seen more issues with them than without. I'm not for or against them, just passing along the info given to us from an insurance company 20 yrs ago.

[RoboVil]

Per an AI app, the cost of installing a LPS in The Villages for a 1600 sq ft home was $2050, but some basic systems cost as low as $600. It estimated the cost of LPS for a 2000 sq ft home to be no more than $2500 and a low of $1200. What is typically included: Lightning rods, conductors and ground rods, bonding to gas lines, water pipes and electrical systems, surge protectors. Also, recommended is an UL inspection which is optional. Look for UL-certified installers or those approved by the Lightning Protection Institute. Bonding CSST (corrugated Stainless-Steel Tubing) gas lines is often overlooked but critical. Homes built after 2005 are more likely to have CSST and in newer homes it is very likely.

[Donegalkid]

Originally Posted by Altavia

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.

I agree, well said with real facts. I would add: there are lightning protection systems (LPS) and then there are LPS installed according to the CODE. Big difference. We had a LPS that was not originally installed per the CODE, rendering it near useless. For example, the conducting cables were placed coming down through my gutter downspouts. CODE violation, a great way to set your house on fire. Another example: conducting rods/posts were not placed far enough away from the house and were not deep enough. CODE violation. SAND is not a good conductor and therefore grounding rods/posts need to be placed DEEPER into the ground for energy dispersement. Based on the above, when we had our roof replaced we had A1 Lightning reroute and improve our LPS so it will perform as intended and is accord with the code. A1 does this work for residential, industrial, commercial LPS in this FL area. Great guys. By the way, my neighbor across the street has had TWO lightning strikes on his home in 20 years. He has a LPS (not done in accord with the code) and received partial protection from the strikes. Not catastrophic damage. Rods are still not placed properly though. So, LPS owners — check your systems. Read the code and get professional advice. A1 seems to know what they are doing. Good luck, all in the “Lightning Capital of the U.S.”

[westernrider75]

Originally Posted by Tom52

Do insurance companies offer a discount to homeowners with lightening rods installed?

State Farm does not at this time.

[jrref]

[QUOTE=Altavia;2452473]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

Possibly because the flag pole is not grounded and flashed over to surface ground. The energy jumped from the flag pole to earth and/or your cable


Your LPS has multiple ground rods deep into the earth safely dissipating the charge.

So your experience is evidence the LPS protected the home. Similar to an umbrella protecting you from the rain.

I believe this is exactly what happened. The cable line is a common path for an induced power surge to enter your home. It happens often. There is a cable surge protector that you can get on Amazon which will help with this problem. You install it where the cable line enters your home. If you have fiber internet, no need to worry about this problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Lig...DFPLR3RZ&psc=1

[ChicagoNative]

Originally Posted by BoatRatKat

Years ago when we lived in NC we had a badly damaged roof from hail that needed replacement. Since the lightning was scary and frequent there we asked our insurance company if putting a LPS on the roof while getting the new roof would be beneficial. They told us that they do not recommend people add them to their roofs and that they've seen more issues with them than without. I'm not for or against them, just passing along the info given to us from an insurance company 20 yrs ago.

Curious as to why your insurance company said this.

[fireman]

Do you mind sharing who you used to install your LPS

Thanks

Originally Posted by Altavia

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.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

What is obvious to you is not true at all. I am actively considering a system as soon as we have our roof replaced. The difference is, aI will make my decision based on facts and statistics and not because someone can recommend an installer.

Want to throw out as a fact that 17 homes with LPS have been hit by lightning with little damage? Okay, then explain to me why, with an observed ratio of 1:20 LPS to unprotected, there haven’t been over 300 homes burned to the ground in the same period. Either LPS homes are being hit disproportionately or non-LPS homes are being hit with no damage. Either way the statistics give me something to consider before giving up the next cruise (are they really that inexpensive?).

You are doing the right thing. If your roof is going to need to be replaced soon, it's probably best to change the roof then install a LPS.

As far as statistics are concerned, you can argue this point "till the cows come home". The point is, regardless of the statistics, we live in an area where we get the most lightning strikes in the country. This means the probability of your home getting hit by lightning is one of the highest in the country. Given we now see about 5-6 homes destroyed every year here in the Villages, maybe more this year, there is a probability of your home getting hit. The probability is low but it's not that low where you don't need to think about it. Homes are getting hit and some destroyed so as I said before, if your tolerance for risk is high and you like to gamble and take your chances based on statistics, do nothing. No need to comment here anymore. Chances are you may never get hit and you can come back here and tell us about it. If you do get hit and your home burns to the ground, enjoy that life changing experience. Or, take one less cruise and get a system and sleep well and don't worry about it anymore. I got a system as soon as I moved in because I came to the Villages to relax and enjoy myself. If my home got hit by lightning and was destroyed, all that would end and the stress of the ordeal may shorten my lifespan, who knows?

Everyone has their own tolerance for risk and you need to figure out if you want to spend the $2,000-$3,500 depending on the size of your home for some piece of mind or take yet another cruise and have this worry at the back of your mind forever. Everyone's decision will be different.

[Southwest737]

We live in lightning capital USA. It is a no brainer to have lightning protection.

[Villager24]

Call me superficial, but I just don’t like the look of cables running all over the roof. Are there some lps that run the cables inside?

[jrref]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I'm not worried about it at all, not even a tiny smidge. We won't be getting a LPS. Our home is grounded. Metal roof, metal frame, low risk of damage from a strike (potentially increased risk of a strike, but damage would be minimal).

In your particular case, you are basically right in your assumptions but I would still consult with a lightning protection professional like A1 to see what's proper for your metal home. Typically, they put aluminum rods in a much less complex arrangement and a lot cheaper, so if lightning strikes it hits the rods and the charge is sent safely to ground instead of a random part of your metal structure. In your case without the rods, any part of your metal home could be the end point of a strike, and potentially damage the metal structure of your home since it's not designed to withstand that kind of event. Even though your home is grounded, there is no guarantee that every part of your metal home is making good electrical contact to send the charge safely to ground. If you look closely, most homes and businesses with metal roofs have aluminum rods that are grounded. A LPS system in your case may be cheaper than you think.

[ByebyeMichigan]

Please stop with the fear mongering……there’s 75000 homes here and a handful have been struck by lightning over the last 40 years. Act of God……I’ll take my chances without a lightning rod ……( let me guess, you sell lightning rods for a living ).

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by RoboVil

Per an AI app, the cost of installing a LPS in The Villages for a 1600 sq ft home was $2050, but some basic systems cost as low as $600. It estimated the cost of LPS for a 2000 sq ft home to be no more than $2500 and a low of $1200. What is typically included: Lightning rods, conductors and ground rods, bonding to gas lines, water pipes and electrical systems, surge protectors. Also, recommended is an UL inspection which is optional. Look for UL-certified installers or those approved by the Lightning Protection Institute. Bonding CSST (corrugated Stainless-Steel Tubing) gas lines is often overlooked but critical. Homes built after 2005 are more likely to have CSST and in newer homes it is very likely.

This is about right, we paid $1,400 five years ago.

Installation is not rocket science for Villages homes. Attention to detail planning and optimizing the installation is key. Look for someone with the UL training and certifications and at least 5 yrs experience.

Suggest asking for references to look at 2-3 homes they have installed. Ask if the cables can be routed not visible from the street where possible.

Metal bird cages should be part of the protection package.

More info here:

Lightning Protection Overview - Lightning Protection Institute.