Yes, if you live in an area with frequent thunderstorms, you should consider installing a lightning rod on top of the house. It is essential for the safety of your home and loved ones.
Should I install a lightning rod on my house?
Whether or not you have a lightning protections system installed on your home is a personal choice, and it is not required by law. The effects of a lightning strike can vary from electrocution to fires to the loss of electronics. A lightning protection system is not a guarantee that lightning will not damage your home.
If you live in a very tall home, have trees taller than your home less than 10 feet away from its structure, or live in an area with a high lightning strikes, however, installing a lightning rod is recommended.
Yet another query we ran across in our research was “Does my home need a lightning rod?”.
Not every home needs lightning rod protection. Isolated houses and houses in elevated, exposed areas run a greater risk of lightning strikes, but tall structures and tall terrain features nearby could give a home good passive protection. Sorry, the video player failed to load.
How does a lightning rod protect a house from damage?
A lightning rod (US, AUS) or lightning conductor is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducted to ground through a wire, instead of passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or cause electrocution.
Why do lightning rods protect houses?
That is why a grounded lightning rod works…it provides a path of least resistance for electricity to travel to the Earth without damaging the home…or at least reducing the damage. Lightning rods do not attract lightning, but if lightning strikes the rod or very near the rod, it will choose to take the path of least resistance.