We always think that the bad things happen only to others, never us. Those tragedies you hear on the news seem so far away and distant but in some cases it’s better to be safe than sorry. One of these things that seem so unlikely are lightning strikes but it’s also the one thing we can protect ourselves from. Have you ever thought about Lightning Protection System LPS (hereinafter referred to as lightning conductor) for your house? Well, maybe you should consider?
To sort through various options can be quite overwhelming for a non-specialist and you should definitely seek professional’s help when making these decisions. Here I’m going to try to lay out some basics about two most commonly used options and give you an overall picture about what is important when installing lightning conductors.
Franklin Rod lightning conductor
This is one of the most conventional or so called passive lighting conductors. Basically it contains these three things:
- Air terminals at appropriate points on the structure to intercept the lightning,
- Down conductors to carry the lightning current from the air terminals toward the ground,
- Grounding electrodes to pass the lightning current into the earth.
ESE lightning conductor
This one on the other hand is more active protection – an ESE terminal is equipped with a device that increases the probability that an initiated upward streamer will connect with a downward leader. Increasing this probability means that lightning is more likely to strike the terminal rather than unwanted areas.
It contains:
- A discharge trigger on the top of the building,
- Down conductors to carry the lightning current from the air terminals toward the ground,
- Grounding electrodes to pass the lightning current into the earth.
It’s quite similar to Franklin Rod lightning conductor, the biggest difference being the range in which the system can intercept lightning.
Installing lighting conductors
Franklin Rod:
A metal wire mesh and catch rods are mounted on the roof, along the facade there are conductors that detect the lightning charge transmitted to the ground plane. The ground loop is buried in the ground by the perimeter of the building or separately at the drain points.
ESE:
At the highest point of the building, a mast is fitted with a receptacle head and a conductor is placed along the facade, which sends the detected lightning charge to the ground plane.
So, do your research, choose the best option for your property and protect everything you hold dear.