Lightning Protection Equipment & Solutions

Any structure is a good candidate for lightning protection. All buildings have some level of vulnerability to lightning damage. The NFPA 780 Simplified Risk Assessment guide is a useful tool in evaluating a structure’s vulnerability to lightning damage. A structure's use and contents are as much a consideration as are the location and construction when determining lightning risk.

It is commonplace for lightning protection systems to be installed on schools, hospitals, health care facilities, airports, shopping centers, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, etc. In some parts of the country, there has been a move to mandate the installation of lightning protection on certain types of buildings. For example, in Florida, lightning protection systems are required for installation in schools and health care facilities. Correctional facilities are also required to have lightning protection systems.

In most cases, unless you are looking for the lightning rods you can’t notice them. Lightning rods are just 12 inches tall and 3/8 inches in diameter. That’s not much bigger than a pencil. Placed on a roof that is 30 –50 feet high and 18 inches in from the roof edge, the rods are barely visible from ground.

There are a number of measures that can be taken to make lightning protection even less noticeable. There are different materials that can be chosen to blend with the architectural features, style and materials. For instance, tin-plated copper can be chosen to blend with gray stonework or copper blends well with dark materials.

When designed during construction, all of the lightning protection system except the rooftop terminals, can be concealed and run inside the structure. There are also ways to avoid the use of air terminals, such as substituting thick-walled metal railings for the lightning rods. Decorative finials can also be used as air terminals, making the lightning protection an architectural accent.

Cost varies greatly depending on the location of the structure, its size, its construction, the complexity of the roofline, and the ground conditions. Lightning protection installation costs are lower when the system is designed and installed during construction. Retrofitting a system is very common, but tends to be slightly more expensive. In comparison with other building systems, such as security or plumbing, lightning protection is usually less costly.

Yes. The NFPA has maintained a standard for lightning protection for over 100 years. The standard is continually updated and edited to incorporate new findings. For example, in the last few years, sharp-tipped lightning rods have been replaced by blunt or round-tipped rods in NFPA requirements. This is the result of field research at New Mexico Tech which proved that blunt tipped rods are more successful at capturing a lightning discharge than a sharp tipped rod. The NFPA’s standard is based on the same practices and principles employed in recognized standards for lightning protection all over the world.

The FAA, NASA, Dept of Energy, and DoD typically do not build any structures without lightning protection systems. In fact, there was a federal report issued in 2004 that reviewed the technical validity of lightning protection and concluded that lightning protection systems are critical to protecting our national infrastructure. The American Meteorological Society issued a similar paper in early 2003.