Here at First Choice Electric, we often get emails & calls from clients looking to secure their homes' electrical safety. Specifically when it comes to lightning strikes and the damages & hazards caused by them.
Hopefully, this article can clarify what makes the home at risk vs. safe. What "lightning rods" are and some of the misconceptions that come with them, and how to protect your electrical system inside the house to the best of your ability.
Let's start with the widely misleading idea that lightning strikes only metallic objects. The FACT of the matter is that lightning strikes metallic and nonmetallic objects with the same frequency. Lightning strikes elevated points instead, things like trees, buildings, utility lines, and human bodies. These strikes cause, on average more than 100 deaths, 250 injuries, and billions of dollars worth of property damage in the United States each year. In addition, lightning bolts carry upwards of 30 Million Volts and 20 Thousand Amps, the chaotic power that can cause tremendous damage to everything it comes in contact.
PROTECTING HOMES AND BUSINESSES FROM LIGHTNING STRIKES
So how do we protect ourselves? One of the fastest and most cost-effective ways is to install "lightning rods" on the home. Lightning rods divert the power of the lightning strike around the house through the proper conductors and into the earth. Having lightning rods attached to your home or business protects the structure from catching fire if struck by lightning. However, this does not protect the homes' electrical system; many appliances and electrical equipment in and out of the house will still be damaged or destroyed.
PROTECTING YOUR ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT IN AND OUT OF THE STRUCTURES YOU OWN
What if we don't want our electrical equipment attached to our electrical systems to get damaged and destroyed? Well, we have solutions for that too. You may already be using surge protectors on your outlets to plug different fixtures in and use them "safely." However, your main electrical Meter and Panel can be surge protected when you hire an experienced and licensed electrician to perform the installation. Surge protection at the home or business' electrical service gives the abundance of voltage and current entering the house from a lightning strike is an alternative place to go. Keeping your electrical equipment and loved ones a little safer.