Do offer fire protection and structural damage protection by preventing a hot, explosive lightning channel from passing through building materials.Most don't offer surge protection for sensitive electronics.Don't and cannot dissipate or prevent lightning by 'draining' a storm of its charge.Contrary to the myths, lightning protection systems: Lightning protection systems - What they do and don't doĪ lightning protection system's only purpose is to ensure safety to a building and its occupants if lightning happens to hit it directly, a task accomplished by providing a good, safe path to ground for the lightning to follow.
Helita lightning protection system full#
A full protection setup, given good cable coverage and good grounding, would still work sufficiently without the air terminals. The 'lightning rods' themselves, that is, the pointy vertically-oriented terminals along the edges of roofs, do not play much of a role in the functionality of the system. The conductor cables and ground rods are the most important components of a lightning protection system, accomplishing the main objective of diverting lightning current safely past a structure. The conductor cables are connected to these rods to complete a safe path for a lightning discharge around a structure. Ground Rods - Long, thick, heavy rods buried deep into the earth around a protected structure.Cables are run along the tops and around the edges of roofs, then down one or more corners of a building to the ground rod(s). Conductor Cables - Heavy cables (right) that carry lightning current from the rods to the ground.The funtionality of different types of lightning rods, and even the neccessity of rods altogether, are subjects of many scientific debates.
Most are topped with a tall, pointed needle or a smooth, polished sphere. Rods can be found in different shapes, sizes and designs. Rods or 'Air Terminals' - The small, vertical protrusions designed to act as the 'terminal' for a lightning discharge.A lightning protection system is composed of three main components: In fact, the rods may play the least important role in a system installation. Lightning rods or 'air terminals' are only a small part of a complete lightning protection system. Lightning dissipation / elimination mythsĬomponents of a lightning protection system Lightning and Surge Protectors / UPS Devices How a lightning protection system works Lightning protection systems - What they do and don't do Components of a lightning protection system This article will examine why lightning protection is necessary and what the systems can and cannot do.
Today, lightning protection systems are in use on thousands of buildings, homes, factories, towers, and even the Space Shuttle's launch pad. Lightning protection systems are the modern development of the innovation pioneered by Benjamin Franklin: the lightning rod.
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