Why do so few do Lightning Protection?

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jahilliard

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So what's up with Lightning Protection...why do so few contractors actually do it? Is it not a profitable endeavor? Does it take special equipment, certifications etc.?? I constantly have people inquiring about Lightning protection for there bldgs, churches etc. and I only know of a few companies in the state of Florida that do it...what's up?
 
really? I would have thought the opposite. No Voltage on the system until an act of God, etc. I'm sure there are clear limitations of the system, or maybe not??
 
In my 25+ years experience in Florida building departments it's always been a function of what NFPA pamphlets were adopted by the local AHJ. Now that we have the statewide Florida Fire Prevention Code it's a function of what's therein.

I agree; there's not as much lightning protection as you would think, especially considering we are the lightning capital of the USA and worldwide we're a strong competitor.

The state fire marshal's office is under the department of insurance. When the insurance companies are paying out on it, you can rest assured everyone will be required to spend big money to protect the interests of insurance companies. Claims for lightning damage do exist but overall it's not that much. There's much more damage to electronics & machinery than to the actual buildings. There are a few deaths here and there but most of those occur outside of buildings.

Bond the building steel and you've done 90% of the work. A Faraday cage is the best lightning protection you can have; Potential = 0V.

The latest thing in Florida is lightning sensors at outdoor venues following some kids getting killed in sports practice. Now it seems every school district, county and city want all their parks to have lightning detectors. But detectors only tell you when there's already been a strike. Predictors which cost much more can tell you when conditions are suitable for a hit.
 
Lightning protection

Lightning protection

I have oft heard them described as lightning attraction systems, as well. I do agree that once the building frame is bonded properly, you have most of what you will get with a Faraday cage. Using a good SPD at the service entrance helps mitigate some power line issues as well.
 
mgookin said:
In my 25+ years experience in Florida building departments it's always been a function of what NFPA pamphlets were adopted by the local AHJ. Now that we have the statewide Florida Fire Prevention Code it's a function of what's therein.

I agree; there's not as much lightning protection as you would think, especially considering we are the lightning capital of the USA and worldwide we're a strong competitor.

The state fire marshal's office is under the department of insurance. When the insurance companies are paying out on it, you can rest assured everyone will be required to spend big money to protect the interests of insurance companies. Claims for lightning damage do exist but overall it's not that much. There's much more damage to electronics & machinery than to the actual buildings. There are a few deaths here and there but most of those occur outside of buildings.

Bond the building steel and you've done 90% of the work. A Faraday cage is the best lightning protection you can have; Potential = 0V.

The latest thing in Florida is lightning sensors at outdoor venues following some kids getting killed in sports practice. Now it seems every school district, county and city want all their parks to have lightning detectors. But detectors only tell you when there's already been a strike. Predictors which cost much more can tell you when conditions are suitable for a hit.
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You do know that the "lightning detector" is basically an AM radio, right? When I worked for Hercules, the "shooting grounds" where we tested explosive compositions had an old AM radio set to a blank spot on the dial. When they upgraded to an official "lightning detector", it was basically the same thing, with a few LED's on the front to tell you how far away the strike was.
 
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I would guess that the reasons would be high skill level needed, relatively low demand for properly priced installation, high liability factor.

To make things even more complex, the NEC does not recognize flat copper strap as a conductor and that is what is needed for lightning protection. An AHJ that enforces the code strictly will want wire of a certain size AWG as that is what is written in the NEC. Many inspectors do not understand that a 2 inch wide .025" copper strap is better than a 4/0 copper wire when it comes to lightning protection and may not allow it.
 
K8MHZ said:
I would guess that the reasons would be high skill level needed, relatively low demand for properly priced installation, high liability factor.
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That would be my guess as well. Lightning strikes that cause substantial damage to property are not all that common. Lightning protection systems that actually work are expensive. The cost benefit ratio is not in favor of LPS except in rare cases.
 
What does every customer want from the contractor when quarried for a quote?

Lowest bid right? LPS is expensive, not required, and to be worth anything has to be UL-96 certified. Otherwise no insurance company is going to discount the insurance. To get a UL-96 the contractor has to be trained and certified. How many EC's have that? Just like your inspection with the city, a UL-96 requires application and inspection fees and they are expensive.

So what it boils down to no one wants to spend the money if not required. Only ones that actually do it are Telephone companies, Data Center, communication facilities like 911 or military.

Now with all that said there is one company I know of that has state of the art LPS. Even better than airports. DISNEY. Go into any of the Disney Theme parks and take a close look at what they have. Some of it is visible, most is disguised.
 
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