What Is A Lightning Rod And How Does It Work?

Does Lightning Rod Attracts Lightning In Murrieta?

A lightning rod is a metal strips or rods, usually made of copper, used to protect buildings or structures from a violent lightning strike. In a lightning protection system, a lightning rod is a single component of the system. The lightning rod is connected with a cable to the earth below, where it can channel the charge to a safe place.

 A lightning rod is placed where wires enter a structure, preventing damage to electronic instruments within and ensuring the safety of individuals near them.

Lightning Rods and Lightning Protection Systems-Should You Have One?

Though summer is the peak season for lightning, it does strike year round. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur in the United States each year. Generally speaking lightning strikes are geographically concentrated in the southeast, south and mid-west. Until we moved to Virginia (with an annual average of 344,702 lightning strikes a year) from California, I had not thought much about lightning.

Texas is that state with the most lightning strikes a year averaging almost 3 million a year and much smaller Florida 1.4 million strikes a year! The creation of lightning is a complicated process. According to NOAA we know what conditions are needed to produce lightning, but there is still debate about exactly how lightning forms. The exact way a cloud builds up the electrical charges that lead to lightning is not completely understood. A channel of negative charge, called a step leader, shoots to the ground in a zigzag of roughly 50-yard segments in a forked pattern.

As it nears the ground, the negatively charged step leader is attracted to a channel of positive charge from the earth reaching up, a streamer, normally through something tall, such as a tree, house, or telephone pole. When the oppositely-charged leader and streamer connect, a powerful electrical current begins flowing. A flash can consist of one or as many as 20 return strokes. See more here.

A lightning rod is one component of a lightning protection system that is designed to conduct a lightning strike to earth, thus protecting the building structure.

All You Need To Know About Lightning And Lightning Rod

Today, every building is equipped with many sensitive electronic system thus they need to be protected from any unforeseen damage such as a lightning strike. This is the reason more people are installing lightning rod than ever before. And as every structure is vulnerable to lightning damage, a lightning rod is installed on the roof of every building – schools, hospitals, health care facilities, airports, shopping centers, office buildings, manufacturing units, etc.

Lightning And Lightning Rod

A lightning rod is erected on the roof of a building and it is connected to a conducting channel to take the huge discharge of electricity into the ground. It is a very common misconception that a lightning rod attracts lightning. Let us understand it this way. The only aim of a lightning strike is to neutralize itself with the ground. And a lightning rod provides the most easy and adequate pathway thereby preventing the lightning strike from damaging any other asset within the area.

So it does not attract lightning but just provides the most convenient pathway. Another very common misconception is that an electrician can take care of installing a lightning protection system. Only a professional company adhering to international standards and government norms should be hired for such installations. See more here.

A lightning rod is connected via a low-resistance wire or cable to the earth or water below, where the charge may be safely dissipated.

The Importance of Lightning Protection on Roofs

Winter snow storms are slowly coming to an end, which means the next weather we have to face is spring rain and thunderstorms. Lightning protection systems can be very important during storm season, especially if you live in areas where lightning storms can be a regular occurrence.

Lightning protection system myths:

• They do not attract lightning
• They cannot prevent lightning
• Most do not offer surge protection
• They do, however, offer fire protection and structural damage protection by preventing a hot, explosive lightning channel from passing through building materials

When a bolt strikes a building without lightning protection, it can utilize any conductor available on the building. This means it could surge through phone, cable, or electrical lines, water or gas pipes, and even the building itself if it is a metal structure. If this happens your building is at risk for fire, side flashes, damage to the building – shatter glass/crack concrete, and can damage appliances. Read full article here.

Lightning Protection System: Lightning Rod

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