What Does a Lightning Protection System Do?

Bolts of lightning are tremendous forces of energy. A single lightning strike can have anything between 100 million and 1 billion volts. If your building or property is hit by a lightning strike, it's easy to see how such a force of energy could cause serious damage.

Since we cannot prevent the occurrence of lightning strikes or where they occur, the next best thing is to put protections in place to prevent personal and property damage. The purpose of a lightning protection system is to control the passage of the electrical current in a safe manner. Lightning protection systems do this in a number of ways.

Intercept the Lighting Strike

The highest point of a building or property is the most vulnerable to direct lightning strikes, Lightning rods or air terminals capture the strike at a preferred point and then conduct the energy to the ground and away from the building, minimising the risk of damage. There are different types of lightning rods and air terminals for different building types, and placement will also vary from application to application.

Conduct the Lightning Current to Earth

Down conductors connect the lightning rod system to the earth termination system. Down conductors create a path for the lightning's energy to travel along and they should follow the profile of the building's structure. An effective down conductor system should provide multiple paths for the energy to follow as it travels towards the ground.

Dissipate the Electrical Current to Earth

The successful performance of the entire lightning protection system depends on an effective earth termination system. The earthling or grounding system is responsible for the dissipating the lightning’s energy into the ground, and ultimately away from your property and people. For long term performance, the earthen system should provide a low impedance network and minimise the potential of touch and step hazards.

Direct Strike's Lightning Protection Services

The team at Direct Strike have over 50 years of experience within the lightning protection industry and we specialise in the design and installation of lighting protection systems. We have successfully installed lightning protection systems in Dublin, Kildare across Ireland, England and Scotland. For more information visit our Lightning Protection Page or you can contact us on 01 6917745 or send and email to enquiries@directstrike.ie