Lightning rod

Lightning can cause significant damage to buildings if they do not find a safe path to the ground. In the event of a strike, lightning will use any available conductor to find its way to the ground such as power and telephone lines, cables, water pipes and even the building itself. It can jump from object to object by creating side discharges and thus cause fires and explosions.

How can you protect your property?

A lightning rod cannot prevent lightning strikes. They are unpredictable and can hit anywhere, regardless of whether there are taller buildings and trees in the vicinity.

The best protection is to have lightning protection - a lightning rod. Its main function is to "catch" electricity and provide it with a safe path to earth.

Another danger is the secondary effects of lightning. They occur when lightning strikes near the object. This means that even if your building is not directly hit, there is a risk to it. In this case, internal lightning protection (surge protection provided by class-matched arresters cascaded at the main installation points such as main switchboard, sub-panels, etc.) and properly implemented potential equalization can prevent the damage that secondary lightning strikes would cause.

The lightning rod is part of the passive (classical) lightning protection. It has a relatively simple design, but proper design and installation are extremely important to its effectiveness.

What is the history of the lightning rod?

In the past, one of society's biggest problems was related to storms and lightning. No place was safe and protected from them. The bigger the building, the more dangerous it was. People feared for their lives and worried about their livestock and property. Their houses were made of wood, and a single lightning bolt was enough to start a fire and engulf the entire town.

The American Benjamin Franklin was the first to prove that lightning was composed of electricity. His kite experiment was risky, but he managed to prove that it was possible to provide reliable lightning protection. So in 1749, he invented the lightning rod, which is a metal rod placed on the roof of the house and a metal lead to the ground, where it is grounded. Its purpose was to fix the point of impact of the electric charge and lead it safely out of the building and into the ground.

It is an interesting fact that in the last tens of meters above the ground, the leader descending from the electrified cloud causes the formation of a reverse leader from the ground to itself, which, when they meet, form a lightning channel through which the lightning current flows. Usually several consecutive discharges (lightning) are observed through the lightning channel thus formed until the static electricity is partially discharged from the cloud. The lightning rod serves precisely as the point of departure from the ground of the ascending leader, thus fixing the place of lightning strike and its safe discharge into the ground.

Why trust Blitz Guard?

You no longer have to wonder where to find a quality and reliable lightning rod. We at Blitz Guard will offer you an individual solution tailored to the specifics of your building and facility.

Make an inquiry through the contact form on our site or by email: sofia@blitzguard.com