Posted: 4/9/2016 8:43:36 AM EDT
| Used to see them on homes growing up in New England. Do they work, or snake oil? |
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No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. If lightening strikes it will do that. Poorly, and not without damage to the structure. But the purpose is to dissipate the ground charge during storms, making it less likely that lightening strike in that location. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. What gage wire do I use to conduct several million volts and who knows how many amps to the ground?  
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Yes, they work -- IF properly installed and maintained.
If you're thinking about having them installed, make sure the installer is properly certified. http://ulpa.org/ |
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What gage wire do I use to conduct several million volts and who knows how many amps to the ground?
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. What gage wire do I use to conduct several million volts and who knows how many amps to the ground?
My uncle had it on his house and from I remember the wire from the electrode to the ground was a braided 2/0 or 3/0 copper And no it won't melt anything as long as the system is I. Good shape and sized accordingly. Electric utility lines and poles are constantly struck. Most of those the bond from the top of the pole to the ground rod is #2 aluminum. |
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My uncle had it on his house and from I remember the wire from the electrode to the ground was a braided 2/0 or 3/0 copper And no it won't melt anything as long as the system is I. Good shape and sized accordingly. Electric utility lines and poles are constantly struck. Most of those the bond from the top of the pole to the ground rod is #2 aluminum. Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. What gage wire do I use to conduct several million volts and who knows how many amps to the ground?
My uncle had it on his house and from I remember the wire from the electrode to the ground was a braided 2/0 or 3/0 copper And no it won't melt anything as long as the system is I. Good shape and sized accordingly. Electric utility lines and poles are constantly struck. Most of those the bond from the top of the pole to the ground rod is #2 aluminum. Around here, they use copperweld. |
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If lightening strikes it will do that. Poorly, and not without damage to the structure. But the purpose is to dissipate the ground charge during storms, making it less likely that lightening strike in that location. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. If lightening strikes it will do that. Poorly, and not without damage to the structure. But the purpose is to dissipate the ground charge during storms, making it less likely that lightening strike in that location. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No, it doesn't dissipate the ground charge. It simply provides a less destructive path to the ground. http://stormhighway.com/lightning_rods_discharge_thunderstorm_cloud_myth.php http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/estatics/u8l4e.cfm http://www.alrci.com/faq.php http://www.ulpa.org/whatislightningprotection.html ETA: The Empire State Building is truck by lightning 25 times a year on average. |
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No, it doesn't dissipate the ground charge. It simply provides a less destructive path to the ground. http://stormhighway.com/lightning_rods_discharge_thunderstorm_cloud_myth.php http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/estatics/u8l4e.cfm http://www.alrci.com/faq.php http://www.ulpa.org/whatislightningprotection.html ETA: The Empire State Building is truck by lightning 25 times a year on average. Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. If lightening strikes it will do that. Poorly, and not without damage to the structure. But the purpose is to dissipate the ground charge during storms, making it less likely that lightening strike in that location. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No, it doesn't dissipate the ground charge. It simply provides a less destructive path to the ground. http://stormhighway.com/lightning_rods_discharge_thunderstorm_cloud_myth.php http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/estatics/u8l4e.cfm http://www.alrci.com/faq.php http://www.ulpa.org/whatislightningprotection.html ETA: The Empire State Building is truck by lightning 25 times a year on average. I'll be damned. Science teacher was wrong, evidently. Thanks I don't see how any normal size wire could conduct that to the ground, though. I've seen where lightning explodes trees, and the big transformers on poles, etc. |
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. Interesting. Where did you get this info? I see it's already been covered. Stealing my fun.
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Quoted: I thought this would be about the Hurst/Olds http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--9ncd-kVD--/190k480c7doq6jpg.jpg  I'd consider a GN, but that's it. |
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. This is how they protect the building. They bleed off the static charge before a potential level can be achieved. |
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This is how they protect the building. They bleed off the static charge before a potential level can be achieved. Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. This is how they protect the building. They bleed off the static charge before a potential level can be achieved. That's what I was always taught but there's some pretty convincing sites posted in this thread to the contrary. So, now I don't really know
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I'll be damned. Science teacher was wrong, evidently. Thanks I don't see how any normal size wire could conduct that to the ground, though. I've seen where lightning explodes trees, and the big transformers on poles, etc. Quoted:
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Yes, but not how some people think. They continually discharge the air, not letting a charge build up. It's not for lightning to strike. That would melt the rod instantly. No, it conducts the lightning strike to the ground. If lightening strikes it will do that. Poorly, and not without damage to the structure. But the purpose is to dissipate the ground charge during storms, making it less likely that lightening strike in that location. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No, it doesn't dissipate the ground charge. It simply provides a less destructive path to the ground. http://stormhighway.com/lightning_rods_discharge_thunderstorm_cloud_myth.php http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/estatics/u8l4e.cfm http://www.alrci.com/faq.php http://www.ulpa.org/whatislightningprotection.html ETA: The Empire State Building is truck by lightning 25 times a year on average. I'll be damned. Science teacher was wrong, evidently. Thanks I don't see how any normal size wire could conduct that to the ground, though. I've seen where lightning explodes trees, and the big transformers on poles, etc. Even if the wire vaporizes the plasma will still conduct to ground. |
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I've been to 2 different houses about 10 miles apart that have both been struck by lightning twice each. Each one was hit both times within a few years.
One sustained minor damage the first time, and caught on fire the second time, but it was able to be saved. The other had phone jacks catch on fire, blew up all the tv's and screwed their house wiring up, but the weirdest thing about the second one is, it hit the bottom side of the house, almost at the ground, and somehow ran down the stud in the wall in the basement causing the sheetrock to bow, and blew a big chunk out where a nail was. Both of the houses are in pretty big neighborhoods, and aren't the highest or biggest, so I have no idea why those 2 seem prone to strikes. |
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I've been to 2 different houses about 10 miles apart that have both been struck by lightning twice each. Each one was hit both times within a few years. One sustained minor damage the first time, and caught on fire the second time, but it was able to be saved. The other had phone jacks catch on fire, blew up all the tv's and screwed their house wiring up, but the weirdest thing about the second one is, it hit the bottom side of the house, almost at the ground, and somehow ran down the stud in the wall in the basement causing the sheetrock to bow, and blew a big chunk out where a nail was. Both of the houses are in pretty big neighborhoods, and aren't the highest or biggest, so I have no idea why those 2 seem prone to strikes. It's nature. It has it's own rules, and we really don't know what they are. Several years ago my wife and I were doing a staycation, and were sitting out on the front porch watching a storm move in. As the thunderstorm moved over, lightning struck an oil well down the road about 1/2 mile. It hit the oil tank and set it on fire. Was it the largest structure in the pasture? No. It wasn't even metal. The tank was plastic. So why did lightning hit the tank and not trees in the pasture which were much taller? ETA: If you want to see some impressive lightning protection, take a trip out to WIPP in Eastern New Mexico. |
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"Bleeding off static" and similar claims are BS.
If anything, they provide a better path for the step leader so by some miniscule fraction actually increase the chances of taking a strike. The benefit is in providing a safer, less destructive path for lightning energy if a strike does occur. |
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I just grab the 7-iron and sit in the front yard during a storm.
My house hasn't be struck by lightening yet My house hasn't be struck by lightening yet My house hasn't be struck by lightening yet My house hasn't be struck by lightening yet My house hasn't be struck by lightening yet My house hasn't be struck by lightening yet |