Lightening protection is a system whereby a metal rod is located at the top of a building or structure in order to protect it from lightning damage.
Though lightning rods are commonly thought of as a mechanism to attract lightning, this is a misconception. Instead, the intense high voltage currents of a lightning strike, which can exceed 1,000,000,000 Volt Amps, are redirected to the rod. This is instead of lightning hitting the building and causing damage by starting a fire or electrocution.A lightening protection system redirects a lightning strike away from the building or structure, and is made up of lightning rods, metal conductors and ground electrodes. The conductor diverts lightning to the ground via a low-resistance, conductive pathway.
Once in the ground, the lightning is then safely dispersed, leaving a building or structure in tact and unharmed. While the system significantly increases the building or structure’s safety and protection from lightening strikes, it will not decrease the probability of that building or structure being struck by lightning.
