Lightning rod? (appliances, house, contractor)

[chiluvr1228]

Have any of you put a lightning rod on your home? I'm asking because we had a very bad storm here last night and although it doesn't happen often, I don't want to have the house that gets hit and catches fire. If you do have one, who did you get to install it for you and it is very expensive?


Also if you do have a lightning rod do you still need a surge protector or battery back-up for your TV and computer?

[mapleguy]

A lightning rod is simply a metal rod that directs the electrical energy of the strike into the ground. It is usually made of copper which is an excellent conductor. They are usually attached to the tallest part of the structure, with a wire running into the ground. .


BUT , yes you should have a complete house surge protector, which ensures that all of your electrical systems are protected. In my house the surge protector is mounted right on the electrical breaker panel, at the incoming point from the municipal system. Think of it as a gate keeper that shuts the power off if it senses a out of normal situation.


xxx.

[chiluvr1228]

Thanks! Did you need an electrician for the surge protector or someone from your local power company did it?

[wellsme]

I had LCEC my whole house surge protector a few years back. It attaches directly to the meter.
I haven't lost any electronics (couple of routers) since.

[mapleguy]

When we were renovating our house, the electrical panel was replaced , by our contractor and the system wide surge protector was installed at the same time. To me it makes more sense than installing one for a specific appliance or computer.


We also put in a sewer back flush drain valve, to prevent sewage from coming into our basement when we have severe rain storms. The city of Toronto gives a homeowner a $1500 rebate towards the cost of installing the valve which is about $2200 depending on the amount of digging required.


XXXX.

[chiluvr1228]

Thanks everyone.

[westom]

Lightning rod is protection of the structure. 'Whole house' protector is protection of all appliances.

In both cases, only earth ground does the protection. Lightning rod and protector are only connecting devices to earth. Protectors adjacent to appliances do not have a low impedance connection to earth; do not claim to protect from potentially destructive surges. And sometimes can make surge damage easier is a 'whole house' protector does not exist AND is properly earthed.

[Brutusfly]

I installed a whole house surge protector myself a few weeks ago. I bought a 2-pole 50 amp breaker to protect it at a home store for less than $10. The protector was a highly regarded Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA Surge Protection 3Rd Edition at $107. Not hard to connect.
Keep in mind that even electronic devices that are unplugged and stored in a closet aren't completely safe from a direct hit.
Even so, lightning has fried several items in my house each year for the last few years, and this new surge protector relieves some worry. Be sure to put small surge strip or outlet surge protectors on your TV's, desktop computers, and other sensitive devices as well. It's best to have both.

I once read that a metal roof is superior to asphalt shingle in lightning protection—kind of like a huge lightning rod over your entire house.

[westom]

Originally Posted by Brutusfly

I once read that a metal roof is superior to asphalt shingle in lightning protection—kind of like a huge lightning rod over your entire house.

Neither lightning rod nor metal roof provide protection. Those can be connecting devices to what does protection. But if that connection to earth ground does not exist, then neither do protection. Protection is always about where current flows so that hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate.

Same applies to that 'whole house' protector. The protector is trivial. Most attention must focus on what does protection. Again that protector is only a connecting device to what does protection. If that connect to single point earth ground does not exist, then effective protection still does not exist.

Same applies to those 'magic box' plug-in protectors. It has no low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to earth. So it may even earth a surge destructively through an adjacent appliance.

Not one useful reason was provided to justify that expensive and near zero joule, plug-in device. Because again, protection is only as effective as its earth ground. That applies to a metal roof, lightning rod, 'whole house' protector, and near zero plug-in protector.

[chiluvr1228]

So the lightning rod is my best choice?