Tips

When Lightning Strikes Your Home

Severe weather includes rain and thunderstorms, and along with thunder, there is always lightning. It's a common misconception that the lightning strike itself starts a fire, when in reality, lightning damages your home's electrical system which can result in a fire. Lightning can also damage other components of your home like your shingles, chimneys, gutters, and more.

As a homeowner, it's vital to remain watchful, take the proper precautions, and know what to do when lightning strikes your home. Read on to learn more about what happens when lightning strikes your home and what to do when it happens.

What Happens When Lighting Strikes

When lightning strikes, it can take multiple paths into your home, damaging its structure or electrical system. The following are only a few of the damages that lightning can cause:

• Shock waves: The strong electric current in lightning can cause breaks and cracks in hard building materials like concrete, brick, stone, and even cinderblock. These shock waves can also shatter windows and damage walls.
• Power surges: When lightning strikes, power surges can cause the electrical wiring in your home to fail, or in some cases, overload. This can damage large appliances like washing machines or refrigerators or cause faults and create the perfect environment for a fire.
• Fire damage: Most of what a house is made of is flammable, and if lightning travels through these materials, it can ignite a fire on them, causing thousands of dollars worth of damages.

How To Stay Safe

Being prepared is the best way to stay safe in the event of a lightning strike. Prevention is always the most effective method of protection for your home. The following are a few ways you can stay safe against lightning:

Tall trees can be a direct route lightning can take to your home. Trim long branches away from your home to eliminate paths lightning can take.

Consider installing lightning protection like lightning rods or surge protectors. These whole-house protection systems are a surefire way to make sure your home stays safe when lightning is around.

If you have shingles made of wood, think about replacing them with fire-resistant ones like asphalt, metal, or tile. These materials aren't flammable, meaning if lightning strikes your home, a fire likely won't start.

Avoid any direct contact with lightning routes during a storm, such as appliances or computers, and wait to shower or bathe until the storm passes.

What To Do

Lightning can immediately start a fire, so if you think lightning has struck your home, call 911 or contact the local fire department. Even if everything could be okay, it's better to be cautious than careless when it comes to your home. The pros can take a look at your home and identify any issues and teach you more about lightning protection. If a fire does start, take all of the right steps to get your family out of your home and to a safer space.

How To Stay Protected Against Power Surges

You might be surprised to hear that lightning strikes the earth every second, meaning the odds of being struck are far great than you might think. If lightning were to strike your home, its electrical system would likely be completely compromised by a power surge, damaging your electronic devices at the same time. Large appliances and computers can all be ruined by a single power surge caused by a lightning strike, which could cost you thousands of dollars to replace. Luckily, the pros at Lightning Protectors have provided you with this article explaining how to best protect your home from power surges, so keep reading to learn more.

How Do Power Surges Happen?

Damage to your electronics occur when a device's peak voltage is exceeded. This can happen as a result of power grid issues or, more commonly, by lightning. Direct strikes cause the most damage to a home's electrical system, sometimes creating millions of volts of electricity. This can also cause structural damage as well as start fires.

Even if lightning isn't a common occurrence where you live, your home can still be at risk of an indirect strike. Lightning can sometimes hit more than 10 miles away from its storm, making it a dangerous, traveling risk. Indirect strikes, while not as dangerous as direct ones, can still melt your circuits.

How To Protect Your Electronics

Lightning rods are typically installed on homes located in areas prone to thunderstorms. They divert the electric current from lightning the ground, away from your home, to keep its structure and the people inside safe. However, a lightning rod can't keep your home safe from power surges. To make sure your vulnerable electronics and appliances are protected against power surges, you'll need a surge protection system. There are three types of surge protection systems to choose from:

• Type 1 - This kind of surge protector is connected to your home's main switchboard or electric meter and is best used alongside lightning rods to ensure double the lightning protection.
• Type 2 - This surge protection device is installed directly onto your home's electrical panel and doesn't require the support of a lightning rod. They best protect your home from indirect strikes and other kinds of high-voltage surges.
• Type 3 - The last type of surge protector is used to provide protection to your large appliances and electronics. A good example is a multi-outlet board you would plug your computer into.

Call The Pros In Lightning Protection

To make sure your home is properly protected against power surges in the future, it's best to call on a professional lightning protection company like Lightning Protectors. Our licensed electricians can help address your home's specific needs, what kind of surge protection device would benefit you most, and give you the information you need to make sure your home is safe during the next storm.