Protecting Your Home From Lightning
According to Coverhound Insurance, lightning strikes cost approximately $739 million in homeowner insurance losses annually. Arkansas is prone to thunderstorms through the summer months and has experienced more than a handful of tornados. Installing a home lightning protection system can help you avoid damages to your property and injuries to yourself during these stormy months.
Patton Electric of NW Arkansas knows a bit about electricity and how devastating a thunderstorm can be on a home or business without proper protection in place. Josh Patton is a master electrician with over 20 years in the industry. He’s seen more than a few situations with damages that could have been prevented.
Home Lightning Protection System
A home lightning protection system is a series of tools put in place to prevent damages to your home or business. It’s a combination of upgrades that can save you thousands over the course of your homeownership. Underwater Laboratories suggests that a home lightning protection system can be up to 99% effective in preventing lightning damage or injury. Preventative measures can go the distance.
Surge Protectors
Starting small, you can safeguard your electronics and appliances from damage by routing their power through surge protectors. Most multi-outlet power strips are equipped with surge protectors to keep them safe. Avoid daisy-chaining surge protectors to prevent fire damage. Daisy-chaining is using multiple surge protectors or extension cords in succession off of a standard power outlet.
Grounding
Grounding the electrical current around your home can prevent fire, electrical shock, and other property damage. In the same way that you ground your battery cables when you jump a car, you can ensure safer operation of your household equipment by grounding them. 3-prong power cords come with natural grounding. The 3rd prong, (the round one) grounds to a conductive material in the outlet, and helps prevent sparks and other shorts that can trigger fires or electrical shocks.
Conductors
Metals and other materials that can conduct electricity in more than one direction are a great way to prevent damage from lightning strikes. They attract the electrical energy and direct it to someplace that can be safely dissipated during a storm. Lightning rods are an excellent example of this.
Lightning Rods
Installing a lightning rod on your home attracts lightning to your home. Electricity will take the easiest path to the ground. Lightning rods are highly conductive, which means that while it does attract lighting, it does so in a controlled manner. This rod allows you to direct where the energy goes which helps prevent damage and injury.
Unplug Appliances and Electronics
When you can be home at the time of a storm, unplugging your electronics and non-essential appliances can reduce the chances of damage. By having less items connected to your power system, fewer things are drawing on the system, and creating fewer electrical overload routes.
Grounding and surge protectors can only go so far in a highly charged storm. By removing these draws on the power, you remove them from a range of damage. Unplugging unneeded appliances and electronics when you’re going out of town will also save you money on your electric bill.
Transient Surge Protectors
When installed on computer systems and other important high power electronics, a transient surge protector will limit the power conducted through the system to 1.5 times normal voltage. This voltage limitation will prevent catastrophic damages, according to Allstate Insurance.
It’s not always possible to unplug your appliances and electronics. If a storm rolls through when you’re at work or out of town, there is no way to run through the storm routine. Transient surge protectors are a great option for these situations.
Double Check Your Homeowner’s Insurance
Homeowner’s insurance and renter’s insurance can have a lot of fine print. Ensure that you’re covered if the worst happens. Even with preventative measures, sometimes damages can happen. Lighting is natural, and mother nature plays by her own rules.
Having the preventative measures in place may even reduce your insurance premiums in some areas. If you have any questions about your coverages, speak to your insurance agent today. Get suggestions of ways to prevent damage that the insurance company considers in its assessments and implement those strategies.
Call on an electrician in your area to help you install an effective system for lighting protection in and around your home or business. Josh Patton and Patton Electric are local. They’ve seen the storms that are likely to come across the NW Arkansas region, and are prepared to help you put preventative measures in place.
Patton Electric Free Consultation
Call us today to discuss your needs and goals around protecting your home from lightning and other natural disasters. Electricity is one of the only tools in nature’s arsenal that we have a decent understanding of, and because of that, we can implement ways to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Our consultations are in-depth and completely free. We value our customers and treat them with respect and dignity, like our friends and family. Our estimates are honest, and our dealings are founded on integrity. Josh works with you to achieve your goals and provide exceptional service every time.
We’re in it for the long haul. We want to be the electrician you can depend on for your next project, and the project after that. Welcome to the Patton Electric family, how can we help make your home or business better?
Resources
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