Hello everyone,
We have now completed the planning of our house, and it will have a metal roof installed.
Now the question: Does a metal roof attract lightning more than a regular tiled roof?
We are building at one of the highest points in the area, but there are also trees right next to our future house that are about the same height.
I would also consider lightning protection for a tiled roof, simply because it provides a greater sense of security.
After talking to our home builder, they said that lightning protection wouldn’t be effective...
- It is not proven to help!
- It is not supported by insurance companies
- It would cost around 5,000 €
- And it might even attract lightning and cause damage to the house... maybe without a lightning rod, the lightning would strike a tree somewhere, but with a lightning rod, it could hit the grounding system directly...
Looking around new housing developments, hardly any new houses actually have lightning protection installed!
What are your general thoughts on lightning protection systems, including external lightning rods and internal surge protection?
Also, can you provide information on whether a metal roof attracts lightning more than a tiled roof?
We have now completed the planning of our house, and it will have a metal roof installed.
Now the question: Does a metal roof attract lightning more than a regular tiled roof?
We are building at one of the highest points in the area, but there are also trees right next to our future house that are about the same height.
I would also consider lightning protection for a tiled roof, simply because it provides a greater sense of security.
After talking to our home builder, they said that lightning protection wouldn’t be effective...
- It is not proven to help!
- It is not supported by insurance companies
- It would cost around 5,000 €
- And it might even attract lightning and cause damage to the house... maybe without a lightning rod, the lightning would strike a tree somewhere, but with a lightning rod, it could hit the grounding system directly...
Looking around new housing developments, hardly any new houses actually have lightning protection installed!
What are your general thoughts on lightning protection systems, including external lightning rods and internal surge protection?
Also, can you provide information on whether a metal roof attracts lightning more than a tiled roof?
N
nordanney22 Mar 2016 13:20We have considered it but quickly dismissed the idea. The type of roof probably does not make much difference; it’s more about the height of the house. Lightning protection makes sense in exposed locations but can be quite expensive (both internal and external protection).
However, I don’t know anyone (we live in an urban area, but there are also many tall trees nearby) who has fully equipped their home against lightning strikes. If anything, they only have internal lightning protection, also considering that a lightning strike hitting a neighbor can damage their own electrical devices.
Therefore, I think you will receive very few firsthand experiences on this topic.
However, I don’t know anyone (we live in an urban area, but there are also many tall trees nearby) who has fully equipped their home against lightning strikes. If anything, they only have internal lightning protection, also considering that a lightning strike hitting a neighbor can damage their own electrical devices.
Therefore, I think you will receive very few firsthand experiences on this topic.
G
Gartenfreund23 Mar 2016 05:59I cannot comment on lightning protection.
However, what I wonder is whether the metal roof might be noisier during heavier rain or hail compared to a conventional roof covering.
However, what I wonder is whether the metal roof might be noisier during heavier rain or hail compared to a conventional roof covering.
It shouldn’t be louder, meaning it shouldn’t "drum," according to the experts....
Really a difficult decision regarding the lightning protection.
As I said, we already live at the highest point in the village... hardly any trees... mostly thin, smaller ones at the same height.
But when you look at how often lightning strikes nearby... almost never!
On the other hand, storms are getting stronger, and retrofitting costs almost twice as much!
Really a difficult decision regarding the lightning protection.
As I said, we already live at the highest point in the village... hardly any trees... mostly thin, smaller ones at the same height.
But when you look at how often lightning strikes nearby... almost never!
On the other hand, storms are getting stronger, and retrofitting costs almost twice as much!
Hi,
Since we live in a country with rules and regulations, I would put it this way:
If it’s not required despite having a metal roof, it probably isn’t necessary...
In my childhood, a lightning strike hit a fir tree next to a row of houses (a residential area made up of semi-detached houses and “triplets” row houses). The tree was about 3 m (10 feet) taller than the house. As a result, for that household, every plugged-in device was destroyed except the toaster. The immediate neighbor lost about half of their devices, and we (about 30 m (100 feet) away) still lost a television and a radio. Apparently, the currents induced purely by the field strength of the lightning strike were enough.
Keep in mind, when lightning strikes, it’s very impressive!
We are also building without a lightning rod; our general contractor says they have installed lightning protection on fewer than 10 houses in the last 10 years, out of roughly 800-1000 houses built during that time.
Best regards,
Andreas
Since we live in a country with rules and regulations, I would put it this way:
If it’s not required despite having a metal roof, it probably isn’t necessary...
nordanney schrieb:
if at all, then internal lightning protection (also considering that a lightning strike on a neighbor’s property can damage your own electrical devices).
In my childhood, a lightning strike hit a fir tree next to a row of houses (a residential area made up of semi-detached houses and “triplets” row houses). The tree was about 3 m (10 feet) taller than the house. As a result, for that household, every plugged-in device was destroyed except the toaster. The immediate neighbor lost about half of their devices, and we (about 30 m (100 feet) away) still lost a television and a radio. Apparently, the currents induced purely by the field strength of the lightning strike were enough.
Keep in mind, when lightning strikes, it’s very impressive!
We are also building without a lightning rod; our general contractor says they have installed lightning protection on fewer than 10 houses in the last 10 years, out of roughly 800-1000 houses built during that time.
Best regards,
Andreas
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