As the seasons change, so do the elements and typhoons we are exposed to. This time of the year, hurricanes and flooding rains are major issues we are facing. A by-product of these confusing weather phenomenons is lightning. A lightning hurricane, sometimes called an electric tempest, can be intensely deadly and destroy a home with a single blow.These inconsistent ribbons of energy try to find refuge by kissing the earth with an amazing force of energy and destroying anything that could be in its trail. At any particular moment, there could be over 1,800 thunderstorms in progress somewhere around the planet and twenty-five million bolts of lightning reach out of the sky, coming in contact with the ground, annually. Watching a good lightning hurricane zigzag across the sky is an overwhelming visible experience. The ominous ness and the electric displays are extraordinary to look at. But, these displays of dancing energy come with a destructive power that takes more lives and causes more damage than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes - combined. There’s a way you can help to guard your home from being devastated by these flashes of energy.

Installing a lightning protection system can offer a trail for the lightning to follow into the ground and help to direct it from softening the shielding in your houses electric system and taking out the electronics and appliances plugged into your outlets. These systems do not stop lightning from striking nor do they attract it, but help to direct its energy out of harms way.

Lightning protection systems that meet the most recent standard wants are thought to be 99% effective by Underwriters Labs . These systems can be partly hid on the exterior or totally hid during construction. If lightning strikes the ground, it can affect whatever is inside a sixty foot radius and ten times that area, if it strikes water and can be deadly.

Routinely it can strike over fifty times inside a quarter-mile of your home and is the number 1 reason for fires in suburban and rustic areas. There are some factors to figure out if your house is at risk : one. If your house is found in an open area two. If lightning strikes were reported or seen within walking distance three. If your home is found in a raised area, like a mountain.

Four. If you don’t have a system to safely direct the trail of electricity into the ground some Lightning Facts A lightning bolt can travel from twenty-five 45 miles horizontally before hitting the ground and can be from 6 to eight miles in length. The dimensions of a bolt is about one - two inches in diameter with the surrounding light making it appear a lot bigger. A single bolt of lightning can become up to five times the heat of the sun and carries with it one bln volts of current and up to twenty thousand amperes. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning over 100 times every year. Most lightning strikes happens between 12 pm and four PM In houses found where sandy soil conditions are prevalent, more intricate systems are mandatory. Sand is dryer than ordinary soil and does not conduct electricity in the same way that moist soil does.

For areas with sandy soil conditions there’s a system that dissipates the energy over more of an area than the straightforward lightening rod, wire and clamp system. Though the rod and wire system is simpler than the more complicated systems, for the best results and to make sure that you meet the requirements for a lower deductible and discounted premium from your insurance carrier, have an approved pro guage and install the best system to guard you, your folks and your house.

The One-Minute Cure

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 20th, 2008 at 1:01 am and is filed under Home security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.