Recently, we are increasingly faced with situations where lightning strikes houses and, due to the lack of appropriate protection, a fire occurs. To prevent this and protect yourself, you can make a lightning rod with your own hands.
At the same time, such a device will be quite functional and productive, if, of course, it is correctly mounted. It is worth saying that although the lightning rod has enough simple design and with free time and the necessary materials, anyone can make it, however, many factors will need to be taken into account to determine correct parameters installation, as it is important not only to have protection for your home and electrical appliances, but also to be sure of its proper functioning.
How does a lightning rod in a country house work?
A lightning rod is a special installation that attracts an electric charge of lightning to itself and redirects it from the house through a conductor to the ground. Thus, lightning will not cause any damage or harm. The lightning rod consists of two blocks:
- outdoor;
- internal.
The outdoor unit is a current collector (lightning rod) connected to a current conductor (down conductor), which together perform the role of receiving and distributing the lightning charge, as well as a ground electrode that dissipates this charge in the ground.
The indoor unit will protect your home from power surges, and, therefore, prevent the failure of electronics. Probably everyone has heard that if the electric charge of lightning has a large force, then everything electrical devices burning in the house.
So there is another reason to make a lightning rod.
Lightning rod rules
For right choice diagrams of the device of a country lightning rod, it is first necessary to study the structure of the building and, in accordance with the "Instruction for the installation of lightning protection of buildings and structures" (Instruction RD 34.21.122-87), determine the required level of protection. Low and small in size private houses usually belong to category III lightning protection.
An effective lightning protection is one that reliably protects the building and everything inside it from a direct lightning strike and from its secondary discharges in electrical networks. A country lightning rod is usually a lightning rod, which is connected to ground using a system of down conductors.
Lightning rod
A device that directly receives a lightning strike is called a lightning rod. This is the most noticeable and significant element of the scheme of an industrial or country lightning rod. There are rod, cable, mesh receivers.
The most popular and famous thanks to Benjamin Franklin is the lightning rod, which is a metal pin made of stainless steel, aluminum or copper. It is usually installed 2 m above the highest point of the protected building. This type of lightning rod is the simplest in execution and quite cheap.
A cable lightning rod consists of two masts installed along the perimeter of the protected object, and tensioned steel cables between them. A lightning protection network is a grid of metal rods laid on the roof of a building with a certain step.
For small private houses, an excellent lightning receiver can be metal roof. If the roof of the house is made of a different material, then it is better to choose a lightning protection mesh for the protection device, and for wooden country houses more active protection.
Down conductors
The current flows to the grounding device through down conductors. In accordance with the above Instruction RD 34.21.122-87, down conductors in a residential building can be various designs buildings made of steel, aluminum or copper (frames, fire escapes, reinforcement of reinforced concrete slabs). Special down conductors are usually laid outside along the perimeter of the building with a step of 25 m. The efficiency of down conductors depends on the continuity of the electrical network. Usually they are connected to the lightning rod and grounding devices by welding.
grounding
The lightning charge in the soil is dissipated with the help of grounding devices. In accordance with Instruction RD 34.21.122-87, they are most often reinforced concrete foundations or vertical electrodes that go deep into the ground. The latter type of grounding is necessarily protected from corrosion (therefore, it is usually made of copper-plated or galvanized steel), and the electrodes are securely connected to the horizontal bus and to each other using special connectors.
Making a lightning rod in the country with your own hands
So, if you come to the conclusion that you want to make a lightning rod for country house with your own hands, then you need to know how this device is made. First you need to make a rod pantograph, to which a current conductor will then be attached, which can be made from ordinary iron wire. Just choose a wire of the largest possible cross section, for example 6-8 mm. Also, the current conductor connects the current collector with the ground loop.
The ground loop can be made from a strip of iron about 4x50 mm in size. The electrode should be made of a steel rod, choosing for this a diameter of at least 18 mm. Please note that all connections should only be made using welding machine. If you do not have such an opportunity, then you can use bolted steel clamps, but such connections will be less effective.
2) Handicraft fastener material during the passage of lightning current with a high degree of probability can not withstand huge temperatures and simply melts. Therefore, it is always necessary to know the parameters of the materials used and perform the necessary calculations. But it is easier to buy ready-made components from lightning protection manufacturers, especially since the prices for fastening elements, especially domestic ones, are acceptable. Plus, you will receive the necessary advice from experts in competent installation.
3) There is such a rule: you either make isolated lightning protection and maintain the required breakdown distance, or connect all metal elements together and bring them to ground. Here the author uses insulators and, accordingly, the first method, which means that the air gap between the receiver/down conductor must not be less than the minimum distance R, which in this particular case should be 300-400 mm, which is not noticeable. Without grounding and also a roof, a dangerous potential difference is guaranteed to occur here.
4) The option of a grounding conductor in the form of a single pin stuck into the ground cannot be considered reliable at any soil resistance, especially since the down conductor through which the discharge from the lightning rod comes is also the only one. Even in the days of the USSR, with a complete lack of knowledge and design parameters of soil resistance, focal grounding was always made in the form of a triangle or a U-shaped contour.
The main typical schemes of country lightning rods
Once again, in more detail, we will talk about three known types protection devices installed on the roof of building structures.
The type of lightning rod chosen for a country lightning rod determines the type and scheme of its protection. Typical schemes include the organization:
- lightning protection mesh;
- rod lightning rods;
- wire lightning rods.
For flat and gable roofs cottages, regardless of the material of the roof, experts recommend using a lightning protection mesh. For its organization, steel, copper or aluminum rods with a diameter of up to 8 mm are used. The grid is installed directly on the roof or under the insulation, if the base of the roof is not combustible (Instruction RD 34.21.122-87).
Depending on the level of protection, down conductors are mounted directly to the grid around the entire perimeter in increments of 10 to 25 cm.
The rod lightning protection scheme is a metal pin attached to the chimney or other roof structures at least 2 m above its highest point.
The installation of the rod is correct if the base of the cone with the apex at extreme point lightning rod completely hits the protected object. Increasing the height of the rod expands the protected area. This type of lightning rod is suitable for both private and industrial facilities with complex roofs.
For gable roofs low buildings, you can also use the cable scheme of a country lightning rod. To do this, a steel cable is pulled between the supports mounted on the skates. Its ends are usually adjoined by one down conductor, which transmits current to the ground in the ground, which looks like a "chicken foot". If the dacha lightning rod scheme is executed correctly, lightning discharges go into the soil outside the protected house. When arranging lightning protection of this type, it is important to take into account the sagging of the cable.
The choice of a scheme for organizing a country lightning rod is influenced by many factors, parameters and conditions. Therefore, this is a rather complex and responsible event requiring certain professional knowledge and experience. Our company will help you design and install the most effective lightning protection for your home. In addition, we provide services for the arrangement of a lightning rod on a turnkey basis. In the section "Our objects" there are photos of lightning rods and a description of our completed projects.
How and where to buy a lightning rod
A lightning rod that protects against a direct lightning strike will work like a clock if you choose it correctly and correctly necessary materials to create an effective and reliable lightning protection of the building. The following parameters affect the price of a country lightning rod:
- level of protection;
- lightning rod scheme;
- technical difficulties of project implementation;
- type of materials used and scope of work.
Today, numerous online stores offer a large selection of steel, copper and stainless steel rods and cables, as well as holders and clamps, and give an excellent description of their products. However, it is difficult to make a lightning rod of impeccable quality on your own. In addition, no one will guarantee the operation of a system assembled from materials with different performance characteristics.
Our company offers to buy components for lightning rods from well-known and well-established manufacturers from Germany, Russia, France, Turkey and other countries from a warehouse in Moscow: OBO Bettermann, J. Propster, BS-Technic, DEHN+SOHNE, Voltstream, Elmashprom, Duval Messien, Citel, Forend and others.
Our services
The specialists of our company will help you choose the most reliable and efficient country lightning rod at an affordable price, taking into account all the features of your home. Our consultants will answer in detail any questions of interest and make an estimate.
We can order the performance of the necessary measurements of transient resistances, resistance of grounding devices, checking the presence of a grounding circuit and grounded elements. The company's experienced professionals can also design and install a turnkey lightning rod. We provide services for after-sales service various lightning protection systems before the start of the thunderstorm season and, upon agreement with the client, we repair them.
Most owners of private houses, cottages and dachas try to create the most comfortable and safe living conditions inside and outside their homes. It is quite an understandable desire, but most often the owners of such real estate completely forget about such a natural phenomenon as the discharge of static atmospheric electricity, which in an instant can cause great harm to residential buildings and people's health. In its natural essence, atmospheric lightning is a very powerful discharge of electrical energy, which is capable of accurately hitting directly into a private house, to destroy not only all household appliances and electrical appliances, but also the structure itself as a whole.
If your private property is located next to a tall building, then you should not worry. The lightning rod system of a multi-storey facility will provide reliable protection your home from the damaging factors of atmospheric electrical discharge. But such an arrangement of cottages, private houses and summer cottages is practically not found in modern reality. Basically, such properties are built away from tall buildings, so they need to be protected from lightning by equipping them with modern lightning protection units.
Lightning most often discharges to the highest point, but even a huge tree growing near the house is not able to protect it from the discharge. Only a lightning protection device can fully protect your home from atmospheric discharge with household appliances as well as the people present in it. In this article, we will consider all issues related to the types of lightning protection and how to install them for any type of houses, dachas and cottages. And also in a concise form we will tell you how to install a lightning rod with your own hands, but first we will talk about the damaging factors of lightning.
Affecting factors of discharges of atmospheric discharges
The technology for creating protection against thunderstorms is directly related to the damaging factors of atmospheric electrical discharges. Any natural phenomenon affects the environment with varying degrees of impact. Lightning is no exception and its damaging factors can be divided into the following two types.
You can protect your property from a secondary damaging factor by simply disconnecting electrical appliances from the mains for the entire period of the passage of a thunderstorm front. For effective protection against direct lightning strike, it is necessary to install lightning protection in a cottage, private house or country house.
Installation of a lightning rod and additional protective equipment will avoid negative consequences from the impact of the discharge on your residential property and on the people living in it, regardless of the type of damaging factor. Next, we will consider the types and categories of lightning protection.
Categories and types of external lightning protection
Atmospheric lightning is a powerful discharge of electricity that obeys the basic laws of physics. We all know that electric current follows the path of least resistance. The main task of a lightning protection unit of any kind is to create just such a path for the passage of electricity, bypassing the structure of the building. When lightning strikes a private house equipped with such a block, all the power of the electric charge will simply go to the surface of the earth without causing damage to buildings, electrical appliances and people.
In folk slang, this type of protection of private buildings is called differently: grounding country house, a system of lightning rods, as well as lightning rods. The last version of the name is completely incorrect, because thunder is the sound of a lightning strike and there is no need to take it anywhere. But the term has long taken root and is used in colloquial speech. Regardless of the name of lightning protection at home, it is designed to perform one task - to remove the energy of an atmospheric electrical discharge into the ground. Lightning protection units are divided into three categories: by the method and type of protection, as well as by design features.
The next chapter of the article will help you choose the best protection against the discharge of atmospheric electricity for your home, in which we will talk about the design of the most popular passive external lightning protection, in addition to which it is necessary to install internal protection against a secondary damaging factor.
Design of passive external lightning protection
The design of an external lightning rod in a country house, cottage or private house is quite simple. It consists of three components: a lightning receiver, down conductors and a ground loop. Down conductors and earthing switches have a standard design. In contrast, lightning rods of passive protection systems can be divided into three types, which we will discuss in detail below.
What type of lightning rod to use - you choose! It is impossible to give any strict recommendations in this regard. All three types of lightning rods are able to reliably protect a private house from the primary damaging factor of lightning.
Down conductors are the next elements in the lightning protection system. Their main task is to transfer the energy of the atmospheric discharge from the lightning rod to the grounding device. Down conductors can be made of steel wire with a diameter of at least 6 mm, a special copper or aluminum cable or steel tape with a width of 30 mm and a thickness of more than 2 mm. Any down conductor is fixed at the ends of the lightning rods by means of a threaded connection, welding or soldering. In private houses built from non-combustible materials, this lightning protection element is mounted on the walls in an inconspicuous place using metal fasteners. Do not place down conductors near windows and doors.
Special requirements apply to the installation of lightning protection down conductors wooden house. When lightning enters the lightning protection system in a private house, the down conductor wires can heat up to high temperatures. To prevent fire wooden walls buildings, it is necessary to correctly install the current-carrying part of the lightning protection system. Down conductors must be located at a distance of at least 10 cm from the walls of the building. For one rod lightning rod, it is necessary to install one down conductor, and for cable and mesh discharge receivers, two current-carrying elements. The number of down conductors depends on the number of ends of lightning rods and the area and design of the roof.
The last element in the system of external protection of a private house from atmospheric electrical discharges is a grounding device. The simplest grounding conductor is two metal rods with a diameter of at least 30 mm, hammered into the soil layer by 2–3 meters and interconnected by a jumper made of metal tape. The distance between these grounding elements must be at least 3 meters. The current collector is connected to this design exclusively by means of a welded joint.
We have considered the design of external passive lightning protection. It is able to effectively protect a private house from the primary striking factor of lightning. To protect the house, cottage or cottage from overvoltages in the network that occur when exposed to the second damaging factor of a lightning discharge, it is necessary to install additional equipment. These devices provide internal lightning protection.
Internal lightning protection
Household appliances and electrical appliances in a private house should be protected from the powerful induction field that occurs as a result of atmospheric discharge. External lightning protection is not able to cope with this task. For protection against lightning surges, it is necessary to use special electrical devices. They are called surge protective devices (SPDs) and are installed in switchboards at the entrance electrical lines to a private house. Currently, there is a wide range of such devices on the market, with different capabilities and levels of protection against surges.
Only after installing the SPD in the switchboard and installing the external lightning protection, you can say with confidence that your house is reliably protected from all damaging factors of lightning. We examined the design of lightning protection for a private house, both external and internal. In the next part of the article, the answer to the question will be given: how to make a lightning rod in a country house, in a cottage or a private house with your own hands.
Self-installation of lightning protection
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the installation of lightning protection can be done by hand without the involvement of employees. Of course, if you have basic skills installation work. Otherwise, you should invite a specialist. If you still decide to install a lightning rod with my own hands, then you should first design and calculate lightning protection. This process will not cause difficulties. We will briefly talk about the design of lightning protection and its self-assembly on the example of installing a lightning rod with a rod lightning rod. This is the most popular option for protecting suburban real estate from thunderstorms.
A lightning rod with a rod lightning receiver provides protection in the form of an imaginary cone, with the top at the end of the lightning rod. In order to ensure reliable protection of the building from lightning, the entire object must fall into the inner zone of this cone.
In the above figure, we see that part of the house did not fall into the protection zone, so it is necessary to move the lightning rod to the middle of the house or increase its height. The best place for mounting the lightning rod is the roof ridge or chimney. The calculation of the height of the rod receiver is calculated using the following formula.
- Rx - the lower radius of protection of an imaginary cone, which must be measured with a tape measure on the surface of the earth;
- Ha - the height of the active lightning protection zone, which is measured from the ground to the highest point of an imaginary cone;
- Hx - the highest point of a private house, which can be located on the roof ridge, chimney or other structural elements;
- H - the height of the lightning rod.
After calculating the length of the lightning rod, you should determine its location and lay an imaginary installation route for the down conductor from the rod to the installation site of the ground electrode. This completes the design and calculation of lightning protection and you can proceed directly to the installation of the lightning rod.
Installation of the ground electrode
First of all, you should mount the ground loop. To perform the work, you will need the following tools and materials:
- grinder with cutting wheels, welding machine, sledgehammer, hammer and shovel;
- steel angle 40×40 for vertical pins and strip 40×5 for jumpers.
The grounding conductor should be mounted close to the wall of the house. We choose a place and dig an equilateral triangular trench 70 cm deep with sides 1.2 meters. To the wall of the house, it is also necessary to dig a trench for laying the down conductor. In the corners of the triangle, we hammer in segments of a steel corner to a depth of 2 meters.
A strip is welded to the ends of the pins. A steel strip is welded to one corner of the contour and led out to the wall of the house, where a down conductor from the lightning rod will be attached to it. The trench is dug in and compacted. The earthing switch is ready to connect the down conductor.
Mounting the lightning receiver
The best place for fastening the lightning rod is a chimney located near the roof ridge. It is most convenient to fix the mast with brackets with clamps at the ends.
An alternative option for fastening the lightning rod is to install it on a special support on the ridge of the house.
At the final stage of installation, a down conductor is attached to the lower end of the rod using a clamp with a threaded connection.
Installation of down conductors
A down conductor, a metal wire with a diameter of at least 6 mm, is laid directly along the roof and wall of the house, to the point where the connecting steel strip exits from the ground loop. The entire structure is attached to the roof and walls of the house with plastic or metal clamps with a support.
The lower end of the down conductor is fixed to the metal strip of the ground electrode using a threaded connection.
This completes the installation of external lightning protection, but if you do not install an internal surge protection unit, then your lightning protection system will be incomplete.
SPD installation
The surge protection device completely de-energizes the electrical network of the house in the event of a powerful induction field, that is, a secondary damaging factor of lightning. The module is installed in the switchboard according to the following scheme.
After installing an SPD, your lightning protection of a private house gets a completely finished functional look. With this system, your property and Appliances are reliably protected from atmospheric electric discharges.
Conclusion
High-quality installation of a lightning rod will provide you with a comfortable stay in your home. In this case, protection against all damaging factors of lightning will be provided. But it should be noted that lightning protection must be periodically checked for damage. The main attention during routine inspection should be given to all connections. Only if the lightning rod is working, your home will be reliably protected from lightning strikes.
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The presence of lightning rods on the site is simply necessary. Lightning is an impulse electric current significant force arising from the accumulation of charge in thunderclouds. The current strength in this case is capable of reaching 200,000 A - such powerful lightning is rare, but with a power of up to 100,000 A they occur regularly. A lightning rod in a private house does not prevent the occurrence of lightning, it only diverts it, protecting the house from fire. Discharge passing through different materials, causes the release of thermal energy, which is the cause of fires and destruction.
About lightning rods
As for what a lightning rod looks like, it consists of:
- lightning rod (intercepts the lightning charge);
- current collector (needed to divert current to the ground electrode);
- grounding conductor (creates a reliable contact of the device with the ground).
Lightning rods can be installed both near the house and on it - this is shown in the photo. Separate parts of the house can also serve as parts of a lightning rod. All elements of the lightning rod must be made of the same metal.
Lightning rod
As a lightning rod, a steel rod is usually used, which should rise above the house. The cross-sectional area is 50 mm2, this value can be compared with a wire rod with a diameter of 8 millimeters. A copper rod (sectional area 35 mm2) and aluminum (70 mm2) are also used.
It is allowed to use separate parts of the building as a lightning rod, such as metal roof, metal fences and drainpipes.
The metal roof must be a single integral element without breaks. The thickness of the coating layer should be 4 mm for iron roofing, 5 mm for copper, 7 mm for aluminum. There must be no insulating layer on the surface of the coating (except for anti-corrosion metallic paint).
As a lightning rod, the metal roof is a truss connected to the rest of the fittings.
Fencing or drainpipes can be used if the cross section is more than the recommended value.
Down conductor
It is advisable to use the following sections: for copper - 16 square millimeters, for aluminum - 25 mm2, for steel - 50 mm2. The down conductor should go from the lightning rod directly to the ground along the shortest path. A large number of turns at an acute angle should be avoided, otherwise a spark charge may occur between adjacent sections. As a result, a fire will occur.
Typically, the down conductor is represented by an uninsulated metal strip and a wire rod. During construction brick house The down conductor can be laid both inside the wall and outside. If the walls are lined with combustible material, the lightning rod should be installed so that the minimum distance to them is 10 centimeters - more is better. In order to improve contact with the walls, metal brackets are used.
grounding conductor
To create a ground electrode, steel (sectional area 80 mm2) or copper (sectional area 50 mm2) is used. The design of the ground electrode system is quite simple. To create it, they dig a trench with a depth of 0.5 meters and a length of 3 meters, drive in steel bars at the ends and connect them by welding.
A tap is welded to the structure to the house to connect the down conductor. Then the grounding conductor is brought to the bottom of the trench, while painting over the welding spots. When arranging it, it is necessary to observe a distance of at least 1 meter from the wall and 5 meters from the porch and walkway.
Installation of lightning rods
A lightning rod is a bare conductor with a maximum cross section and a large area, protected from corrosion. It is usually made of galvanized steel or copper wire, although duralumin and aluminum are sometimes used. High-quality lightning rods come out of galvanized steel corners, as well as tinned copper wire. Such structures take on the lightning charge and direct it along the cable to ground. The lightning rod must not be insulated or painted.
A lightning rod can protect a cone with an inclination angle of 45-50 degrees from a lightning strike. The higher the lightning rods for a summer residence are, the larger the area they can remove lightning from. From this it follows that the height at which the lightning rod is located is equal to the protected area horizontally. If the lightning rod is at a height of 15 meters, it is capable of receiving lightning within a radius of 15 meters.
It is good if there is a tree near the house. In such a situation, you can fix the lightning rod on a long metal pole, and then attach it to the tree with clamps made of synthetic halyard - so as not to damage it and prevent further growth. In addition, the lightning rod must be raised to such a height that the house falls into the area of the protective cone.
If there is no tree growing nearby, you can connect a lightning rod to a television antenna. Such masts are usually made of metal and are not painted - they are excellent lightning rods. If the television antenna is wooden, a wire or bare wire is passed along it - it is recommended to use 3-4 pieces. At least one wire will be blown by the wind.
A mast 1.5-1.9 meters high (from skates) is installed on each gable of the house. It can be either wood or metal. A thick wire is pulled between the masts on insulators. In this case, it is necessary to firmly connect the wire to ground. Such a lightning rod creates a zone of good lightning protection around the house.
How to make grounding with your own hands, video example:
Reliable grounding can only be ensured if the site has ground water. Even if you bury a huge piece of metal in the ground, dry soil will not allow you to conduct current well. In order for the lightning rod to be effective in action, it is necessary to determine the depth at which the earth never dries up - this is how deep the grounding should be. Sometimes, to moisten the soil, drainage of precipitation from the roof is brought to the grounding point.
The lightning rod does not require special care. It will be sufficient once a year, in the spring, to check the condition of the metal connections. They must be securely connected. It is recommended to use copper or brass pads, pin the end of the wire with special copper or aluminum contacts, or make solder.
There is nothing complicated in how to make a lightning rod in the country. The main thing is to follow all the advice exactly and carefully calculate its height so that it can provide reliable protection to the house, as well as connect the structural elements together well. In summer, do not forget about maintaining constant humidity in the ground area.
A lightning rod is necessary primarily because the charge accumulated in thunderclouds can cause a lot of damage if it enters residential buildings.
Why are lightning dangerous? Usually their power is 100,000 A, but sometimes this figure reaches 200,000.
Getting into something, such a powerful flow of energy causes heating, which in turn causes fires.
That is why it is necessary in houses that there is no danger of fire, and the charge is discharged into the ground.
Lightning rod design
The lightning rod should consist of these elements:
- lightning rod (takes charge, intercepting it);
- down conductor (its function is the direction of the received current into the earth cavity);
- grounding conductor (allows you to provide a connection between the house, the device and the earth).
The lightning protection system must be made in accordance with the design features elements.
It is important that the metal used in the production of the entire system is the same.
Do-it-yourself lightning rod for a lightning rod
The receiver will be a rod made of steel. It should be higher than the highest point of the house. Key Features:
- section 50 mm square;
- wire rod should be with a diameter of eight mm;
- the rod can be replaced with a copper one, but then the cross section should be 35 mm.
Even a drain pipe can be a lightning rod, since it consists of metal.
You can also stop at the roof, if they are similarly made of metal.
The installation diagram will look like this:
A lightning rod in the house is installed if the roof is made of aluminum, iron, copper.
It is important that the material is intact, otherwise the current will not enter the outlet elements.
Also, when arranging a lightning rod, the presence of heat-insulating material of the roof should not be allowed.
In general, there should be no coatings. The exception is a thin layer of paint, which is designed to give an anti-corrosion effect.
To connect all elements of the lightning rod, it is necessary to use one-piece fittings.
If the thickness of the roof material exceeds the specified values:
- for aluminum it is 7 mm;
- for copper 5 mm;
- for iron 4 mm.
Also, if it is covered with heat-insulating material, a pipe should be used as a lightning rod.
If the roof is divided into several separate elements, they can be connected with reinforcement.
Do-it-yourself current lead for a lightning rod
The down conductor will be the same material that the lightning rod consists of. The following indicators will help to calculate the cross section:
- aluminum - 25 mm square;
- copper - 16 mm square;
- steel - 50 mm square.
The direct installation of lightning protection does not imply a down conductor, which leads along a long path.
The length should be as short as possible. Also, do not allow turns and, especially, sharp corners.
In this case, the likelihood increases that a spark will appear at the turn, which will lead to a fire.
The down conductor consists of a metal strip and wire rod. It can be carried inside the wall if it does not consist of a highly flammable material.
Fastening is carried out with metal brackets in any case. If the walls are flammable, the down conductor must be installed no closer than 10 centimeters from them.
If you are conducting during the construction phase, make sure that there is a distance of more than 10 cm between the wires and the down conductor.
Attention: it is impossible to isolate and paint the lightning rod elements!
How to make a ground electrode for a lightning rod
Grounding conductors are made from the following materials:
- copper - section 50 mm square;
- steel - section 80 mm square.
How to install a grounding conductor?
Very easy: you will need to create a hole about 1-2 meters deep, insert steel or copper bars, weld them together, fix and connect with reinforcement.
All elements are easier to install from steel, since it is considered the most reliable equipment for lightning rods.
To avoid, it is better to install a lightning rod as high as possible.
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It’s great if there is a tall tree near the house, on which the system element will be installed.
The grounding conductor is installed no closer than 1 meter from the wall of the house. This is due to the fact that sufficient space is needed for the distribution of the diverted energy.
Otherwise, the house may short circuit there will be voltage fluctuations.
It must also be remembered that roads and fences, especially if they are made of metal, must be at least 5 meters from the ground electrode.
Why is it important to install the lightning rod as high as possible? In this case, he will be able to capture energy from lightning at a large angle. The lower the receiver, the worse the capture is.
It will help you find answers to your questions.
Historical reference or Who invented the lightning rod? A lightning rod (or lightning rod) is a mechanism that is installed on structures and performs the function of protection against a lightning strike. Commonly known as "lightning rod".
It is generally accepted that the lightning rod is an invention of Benjamin Franklin, which he made in 1752, but there is also evidence that similar structures existed before this date (for example, the high masts of ancient temples in Ancient Egypt, there were also buildings at the temple of King Solomon in Jerusalem, the Nevyansk tower, kites Jacques Rom). In Russia, the first lightning rods were created by M.V. Lomonosov and G.V. Richman in 1753.
In this article we will talk about what a lightning rod is and how it works, who invented the lightning rod and how to make a lightning rod for a country house with your own hands.
Lightning discharges are an extremely dangerous natural phenomenon, especially in a situation where structures are located in open areas, which is why it is necessary to install a lightning rod to ensure the peace and safety of your family. Installing a lightning rod will not require a huge amount of time, but, in the end, you will be sure that the buildings are reliably protected from various weather troubles.
Necessary tools and building materials
To install a lightning rod in a private house, you will need:
- pin for lightning rod;
- metal wire made of copper or aluminum with a cross section of 6 mm and a corrugation for a down conductor;
- stainless steel for ground preparation;
- welding machine;
- saw with a disc for metal;
- drill - electric;
- multimeter;
- sledgehammer or hammer;
- bayonet shovel;
- spanners;
- bolts M8 or M10;
- dowel;
- clamps for fasteners;
- powerful wooden pole;
- holders.
Preparation stage
Planning must begin with determining the height of the structure. The top of the lightning rod must be placed up to 12 meters above the ground.
It should be noted that structures designed to protect buildings from lightning strikes protect buildings only in a limited area. The space around the structure itself can be considered protected. Therefore, when building a lightning rod, it is necessary to take this into account and build them so that all objects located on the site fall under protection.
There are two types of structures:
- Type A
- Type B
Lightning rods type A provide 99% protection, which makes them the most effective lightning protection structures.
Type B structures are less efficient than type A structures and as a result protect the structure by only 95%.
Important! The security zone created by the lightning rod will be within a radius of 1.5 times the height of the mast.
That is, at a height of 10 meters, the lightning rod will cover an area with a diameter of 30 meters. If it is necessary to protect a larger area with buildings, then the construction of two or three masts evenly spaced over the territory of the site will help solve the problem of lightning diversion. The lightning rod must be at a height of more than 2 meters from the surface in order to effectively perform the function of protecting the house from lightning.
Selection of a grounding installation site
The ground loop must be located at a distance of up to 1 meter from the foundation of the building that the lightning rod will protect, and a few meters from the sidewalks and the porch. The place of grounding during a thunderstorm is dangerous, therefore it is necessary to arrange it so as not to endanger households and guests. It would be best to find a place for her against a wall or fence enclosing the house. One option is to place some kind of flower bed or other composition of boulders, stones, etc. around the grounding zone.
Most suitable materials for components:
It is also necessary to determine in advance and mark the locations of all structural elements.
Construction installation
- Grounding installation.
After marking, a pit is created with a shovel in the shape of a triangle - each side of which must be at least 1200 mm, depth - 600 - 700 mm. A trench is laid from the top of the triangle towards the wall of the house. At the end point, the end of the down conductor will fit.
At the ends of the vertical parts of the grounding elements, corners are cut off with a grinder, then with pointed ends they are driven into the ground to a depth of 2 meters with a heavy metal sledgehammer. When digging the pointed ends of the ground into the ground, it is necessary to strike with a sledgehammer strictly vertically so as not to bend the structure.
Using a welding machine, pieces of the same material are welded, from which a metal triangle is formed in trenches.
- Installation of a lightning rod (lightning rod).
There are two ways to install a lightning rod:
The current collector is laid on the roof, and then on the wall vertically down and attached to the roof and wall with semicircular plastic or metal clamps. The lower part of the current washer must be fixed to the ground, led out of the wall of the house.
To do this, a hole is made in the ground plate, into which a bolt with a washer, nut and lock nut is installed. The stripped (sharp) end of the down conductor is clamped with a washer, nut and bolt, together with a twisted pair wrapped around the bolt. The holes are then dug in.
Examination
The installed system must be checked with a multimeter. Perform a resistance measurement - the device should have a value no higher than 10 ohms. If the readings of the device differ from the normative ones, check all the joints of the structure - there should be good electrical conductivity along the entire contour of the structure.
Conclusion
A properly installed rooftop lightning rod can protect your home and nearby buildings from lightning.
It is important to note that in the case of private houses, the issue of a lightning rod is decided by the owner. There are a number of factors in the placement of buildings that minimize, in principle, the likelihood of a lightning strike into a house:
- if the house is in a lowland, then the probability of a lightning strike into the house during a thunderstorm is extremely small;
- if there is a higher-rise building near the house, then most likely it will be struck by lightning. Thus, the danger of a lightning strike is leveled by the presence of a higher structure next to it;
- if a lightning rod is installed on a neighboring house, then your house may also fall within the coverage area of a neighbor's lightning rod.
Thus, in some cases there may not be an urgent need to install a lightning rod. The feasibility of the installation must be evaluated depending on the above factors.