Everyone learns about lightning rods in grade school.
Why do we have lightning rods.
It is better stated to say that lightning rods provide a low resistance path to ground that can be used to conduct the enormous electrical currents when lightning strikes occur.
They do not decrease the likelihood your home may be struck but provide a direct path to ground preventing damage to your home from fire explosion and electrical surges that can result from lightning strikes.
A lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike.
Lightning rods intercept this voltage providing a safe path for lightning current into the ground.
Many people believe that lightning rods attract lightning.
The purpose of lightning rods is often misunderstood.
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.
Lightning rods and grounding.
How many homes have lighting rods.
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.
People can install lightning rods which conduct the charge be conducted to ground through a wire instead of passing through the structure where it could start a fire or cause electrocution on.
In a lightning protection system a lightning rod is a single comp.
Lightning or electricity is searching for the quickest route to the ground.
If it does not have an easy route it may strike anywhere and seeks out things that are tall to find the fastest route to the ground.
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 harmful electrical discharge to follow the appropriate ul listed copper or aluminum cable and disperse the energy safely into the ground.