Lightning Rod For House

A lightning rod us aus or lightning conductor is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike.

Lightning rod for house.

The rod might be an inch 2 cm in diameter. Note that lightning protection systems do not prevent lightning from striking the structure but rather intercept a lightning strike provide a conductive path for the. It connects to a huge piece of copper or aluminum wire that s also an inch or so in diameter. A single lightning bolt carries 100 million to 1 billion volts of electricity.

Without lightning rods also known as finials life would be a much more dangerous place to live especially if you are in a tall building during a ferocious storm. Although it is impossible to know who constructed and erected the first lightning rod it is believed that benjamin franklin was first responsible for the widespread use of. Not every home needs lightning rod protection. The wire is connected to a conductive grid buried in the ground nearby.

How lighting rods work. In areas of the u s. Does my house need a lightning rod. Lightning striking a house could cause structure fires as well as electrical damage to appliances and home electronics.

Where thunderstorms are seasonal problems lightning rods on the house could be practical safety measures. If lightning hits the structure it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducted to ground through a wire instead of passing through the structure where it could start a fire or cause electrocution. Lightning rods and the accompanying protection system are designed to protect a house or building from a direct lightning strike and in particular a lightning initiated fire. Many people believe that lightning rods attract lightning.