Residential Lightning Protection

Humans need food, clothing and shelter, and your home is indeed a shelter from the elements. But it is still vulnerable to catastrophic damage caused by lightning.

The risk of loss increases given the increasing prevalence of electronic equipment inside – everything from security alarms, home entertainment systems, multimedia appliances and home office computers could be severely damaged or destroyed by the extreme voltages of direct or
indirect lightning strikes and electrical power surges.

Several of the risk assessment questions on the Threat of Lightning page are applicable to residences as well as commercial structures. In addition, the chance of a lightning strike is greater if:

Your home sits on a lot of land and is thus isolated from other structures.
Your home sits in close proximity to tall trees.
Your home is in a populated neighborhood but is taller than the homes around it.

Beyond peace of mind, you may be eligible for reduced homeowners’ insurance premiums if your home has a standards-compliant lightning protection system.

Residential lightning protection systems

You can minimize or avert entirely the damage caused by a lightning strike or power surge by
having Lightning Elimination Systems install a lightning protection system at your residence.

Such a system installed at your home comprises:

One or more air terminals such as lightning rods installed on the highest projections of your roof. Air terminals are designed to capture the energy of a lightning strike.

The air terminals are electrically bonded to:

At least two downconductors, installed on opposite sides of your home and at specified distances around the perimeter. These copper or aluminum strips or braided cords run from the air terminals down your home’s exterior sides.

The downconductors are electrically bonded to:

Ground electrodes, more commonly known as ground rods, driven into the earth at the base of the downconductors. Copper grounding rods dissipate energy from lightning strikes safely into the earth.

Protecting items inside your home are:

Surge protectors installed on your electrical panel, home telephone and cable television boxes (if applicable). Surge protectors prevent power surges – caused by direct or indirect lightning strikes as well as fault or switching errors on power networks – from affecting electronic equipment.

Lightning Elimination Systems can also design systems that are aesthetically compatible with
your home’s architectural features. For example, it is possible to conceal downconductors in the walls during construction.

In your home reside your most valuable possessions, including your family. Call Lightning
Elimination Systems to install a residential protection system and mitigate the threat of this
unpredictable phenomenon.