Lightning Rods??

[Figment22]

Does anyone know anything about installing lightning rods on your house? While we were on vacation in FL, our neighbors across the street had all the electronics in their house damaged by a lightning strike. We've had SO much lightning lately that we've been thinking about lightning rods. I've seen a couple of houses in our area that have them. I've been looking at some websites that show how to do-it-yourself. (DH is excellent with this kind of stuff, not me!)

Has anyone had them installed on your home or better yet done it yourself? And, is it worth it?

 

[ducklite]

We added them as an upgrade when we built our home. We are one of the highest points in the state of FL so the potential for a strike is significant. About half the houses in my neighborhood have them, and a couple of houses that don't have taken hits which caused more damage to electronics than it would have cost to put in the rods to begin with.

Sorry I can't help with the installation. Just wanted to tell you that if you are in an area prone to lightning, I think you're being very wise.

Anne

 

[Cruise04]

My grandpa was an electrician and we had them on both houses we lived in and he had them on theirs. We have never had our house hit by lightening that did any damage and yes, they were helpful. My grandpa was probably rolling in his grave when we purchased our house and it doesn't have lightening rods (it took me a long time to feel safe in the house with lightening storms also).

 

[Disney Enthusiast]

We are toying w/ the same issue. We live on top of a mtn and get horrible storms. Our Satellite, FAX machine, phones and security system got fried a couple years back and so we run around the house like nuts unplugging everything before each storm we get. When we go away, we must unplug our Satellite and running machine for fear we will get a strike while we are gone. We priced it out and it would cost about $3000+ for us to install a lightning rod system. But if we don't install and get hit again, our insurance won't cover us. So I guess we'll end up doing it eventually. We just don't like the idea of "attracting" the lightning to our home. Yikes.

 

[chadfromdallas]

We priced it out and it would cost about $3000+ for us to install a lightning rod system.

$3,000 for a metal rod and some wire?!?!?!!?

 

[ducklite]

$3,000 for a metal rod and some wire?!?!?!!?

I just looke dit up, we paid $2400, my guess is that it's easier to do when you are building then retrofitting. It's more than one rod, we have a dozen or so on our roof. My guess is most of the cost is the labor.

Anne

 

[Disney Enthusiast]

$3,000 for a metal rod and some wire?!?!?!!?

Yes. I looked just like that Mickey when I found out. But there is a whole system of rods, wires, and diverters to "take" the strike to the ground on your property or something to that effect. When you think of having $1500 in damage or so from the last strike, it's worth the cost. But it's the whole, "I'm over here, strike me!" that gets a little squirly. I know logically that rods are a great thing to have, but my emotional side says we are bringing attention to our home instead and attracting the strikes.

 

[Figment22]

But it's the whole, "I'm over here, strike me!" that gets a little squirly. I know logically that rods are a great thing to have, but my emotional side says we are bringing attention to our home instead and attracting the strikes.

See, this is my fear also. Then, I read this article and it made me wonder even more as we live in South Carolina, not too far from the coast.

I know we can bring the cost down substantially as my husband would do the installation. I've already gotten good info from a few websites and it's not really that difficult. But, I'm still concerned...

 

[Disney Enthusiast]

See, this is my fear also. Then, I read this article and it made me wonder even more as we live in South Carolina, not too far from the coast.

I know we can bring the cost down substantially as my husband would do the installation. I've already gotten good info from a few websites and it's not really that difficult. But, I'm still concerned...

Thanks for the link. I printed it out for my DH to read. It was very interesting. We are VERY rocky up here and have little soil. I wonder if rocks mess w/ the current as well.

 

[GeorgeG]

Electricity (lightning) will follow the path of least resistance. Hence the lightning rods for giving it an easy place to strike and the heavy ground wires to channel it down to the ground rods and, supposedly away from your home. Like the article indicates, the ground rods must be in soil that will absorb the force of the lightning. Being a Yankee, Ben Franklin had soil high in mineral content (iron) that would provide plenty of mass for the electricity to dissipate. Sandy soil will not do that and the strike will seek out the nearest conductive path, which would be in your house (wires and pipes).

Even in a perfect environment, lightning can often have more force than the best protection system can handle. I've worked for a utility for 37 years and our systems have all kinds of lightning protection and plenty of iron in the soil, but you just can't fool Mother Nature, at least not all of the time. Sometimes a lightning strike will blow equipment, including the lightning arrestors, right off the poles. Nasty stuff, lightning!

I suggest doing plenty of research for what works best in your area. In any case, it's best to unplug as many appliances as you can during lightning storms and if you suspect you've been hit by lightning have your house inspected right away.

I'll be moving to Florida in about three months and I'm inclined not to have lightning rods. If I were building a house on a large piece of property where I could have a massive ground grid installed, and I could afford it, I might consider it.

 

[Feralpeg]

I considered lightening rods when I built my house in Florida, but decided against it. Yes, we could get hit, but the vast majority of houses in the Orlando area don't have them. Instead, I'm on a plan with Progress Energy. If I should take a hit and it would damage my appliances, Progress Energy will pay for them. It costs me $5 a month for this plan.

 

[froglady]

I'm in FL, and have a whole house surge protector which was installed by the electric company. It won't protect the house from a direct hit, but will protect the appliances from being fried during a surge caused by a hit nearby. I also have secondary surge protectors on my electronics.