Lightning rod ideas

[rogerius]

Just thinking at the last details for my barn project and praying for the 2ft snow to melt and one item crossed my mind: how I can protect the barn from lighting. I had last year a tree located at 20 ft from the future location of the barn hit by the lightning strike and I don't want to see that again. What are you guys using as a lightning rod on your barn or really I need one?

 

[Ted Summey]

I have lightning rods on my house, garage and shop. My FIL put lightning rods on his barn to protect it and his cows.

 

[MacLawn]

Do those things really work?

 

[tcreeley]

Do those things really work?

That is a great indigo bunting! Once every few years I'll see one up around here!

 

[Ted Summey]

The idea behind lightning rods is that if lightning strikes, you have a better chance of it going to ground through a ground cable and rod than to ground through your house or barn. Our house sits in a ridge above most everything else within a mile or so, I am sure the lightning rods have saved my property more than once. Some believe they attract lightning, even so, when lightning strikes, it goes to ground.

I have a strong background in electricity and electronics - based on that, I am a firm believer in giving lightning better opportunities to get to ground safely through lightning rods than through the house or its systems.

We used professionally installed lightning rods.

 

[PILOON]

They say lightening never strikes same place twice. (I hope!)
My house is on a lot that was cooked by lightening but then the hydro ground was not properly done so that did not help.
I have assured myself that my grounds (2) are deep and well bonded. Also my TV tower is additionally grounded and I use protectors on all my electronics.
Still with all that my computer got fried via the phone line once. ( I am now wireless on the puter)
Twice I have been in homes where I saw lightening dance down hanging ceiling lamps, and that's scarey!.

 

[MacLawn]

tc, I don't see many of those indigo buntings, but love them!

Okay, maybe I need to get lightening rods at my place. I lost a wifi router last year by lightening - came via Ethernet cable.

 

[cqaigy2]

I think it would be better if your neighbor had a lightning rod, to attract it away from your house.:laughing:

 

[schmism]

have lighting arrest system installed. eg spikey bits on your roof connected with weird looking braided wire connected to the ground.

 

[zzvyb6]

Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' ...