In elementary school in the late 1940s, we learned how lightning rods worked and how essential they were to protect houses from lightning fires. And sure enough, back then every house had a lightning rod sticking up from the roof. These days, however, I can't remember the last time I saw such a device. We've never had one on the two houses we've owned over the past 20 years.
Whatever happened to lightning rods, and are they necessary to divert lightning strikes away from buildings and into the ground?
2006-07-07 08:12:43 · 6 answers · asked by buff 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
You still have lightning rods on all houses. You can't see them because they are no longer on the house but attached to the incoming electrical line. Lightning that hits houses, does so on the path of the elcetrical pole and lines attached to the house. By grounding this, your house is protected. Almost guaranteed that if you look at where the electrical service enters your home you will see a copper electrical wire attached to a copper rod driven into the ground.
2006-07-07 08:27:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Found this on one site:
"Many lightning protection systems on newer construction, especially residences, are concealed or built in during construction. Only the 10" neutral colored points or air terminals are visible from the exterior of the building. The cables, connectors, clamps, etc. are coursed underneath the roof, built-in between the rafters and the studs during construction and grounds are located either in the basement or outside the foundation below grade."
I know this was true in at least one house I lived in, not even that new. Lightning struck that terminal on the chimney (logical place, highest point), traveled down and blew out the furnace. I was sleeping about 6" away on the other side of a sheet of paneling!! Woke *ME* up fast!! But nothing else happened because it was grounded out, thankfully.
2006-07-07 08:30:07 · answer #2 · answered by Yahzmin ♥♥ 4ever 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you dont have one? do you have a tv antenna on your roof? thats one. they arent necessary but they help because lightning goes towards the taller objects. which is why so many more houses get hit by falling trees from lightning than getting hit themselves.
2006-07-07 08:16:02 · answer #3 · answered by Alex F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its all a question of odds. The stats show that direct hits are very rare so you only fit one if you have a very expensive property to protect and it is at high risk because of its location.
2006-07-07 08:19:42 · answer #4 · answered by huge001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They were all carried off by angry chickens.
2006-07-07 08:16:43 · answer #5 · answered by andrewhill1978 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they are still around, you can find someone to install them
2006-07-07 08:16:07 · answer #6 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋