# lightning **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781 "2001-06-30T22:43:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scraps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@scraps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scraps)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/1 "2001-06-30T22:43:15Z")
We had a terrible thunder storm tonight and a house in my neighborhood got hit by lightning. Does anyone know of a way to protect a house from such a fate? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/2 "2001-06-30T22:44:49Z")
Move it next to a church with a steeple!! ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/3 "2001-06-30T23:45:59Z")
Buy a lightening rod and put it on the very top of your house. Then run a piece of copper cable down to the ground, to act as a ground. You can buy lightening rods anywhere that is seriously prone to thunderstorms. It looks like a long metal skewer with a needle sharp point. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/4 "2001-07-01T00:49:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Buy a lightening rod and put it on the very top of your house. This is the right answer but just be aware that this will actually _attract_ lightning to your house but at least you are controlling what happens (the lightning hits the rod and dissipates harmlessly into the ground). Still, be certain it is installed properly and be prepared for some truly stupendous thunder as lightning zaps the roof of your house. Lightning striking buildings and happens all the time harmlessly. I’ve seen pictures of the John Hancock building in Chicago being striken dozens of times by lightning over the course of a night and have actually personally seen it happen myself. Pretty cool stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/5 "2001-07-01T01:07:43Z")
If you ever are in Florida during a thunder storm, go out and look at the tall buildings. They are always hit by lightening because they are the tallest thing there. **ONE POINT ONE JIGGLAWATTS!!! GREAT SCOTT!!** ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/6 "2001-07-01T01:12:38Z")
In the Boston area, are you? It was a bit of a storm. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/7 "2001-07-01T01:28:42Z")
Do _not_ wait till a thunder storm is on it’s way before installing that rod. Well, I guess if you hurry you’l be OK. Seriously, folks. There are no lightning rods where I live, so I know nothing about them. Do they degrade when hit by lightning? I used to be an electrician, and I know that strong, high voltage ground faults can degrade ground rods. Do you folks have to replace these rods after strikes? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/8 "2001-07-01T01:47:35Z")
sorry… lightning ---
**Author:** ![excitableboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@excitableboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excitableboy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/9 "2001-07-01T03:48:40Z")
Lightning rods are a good way to protect your home, but are quite expensive. The problem is, you will probably need a lightning rod system. I believe that generally an 18" rod is only good for about a 20’ radius, so several and sometimes many need to be installed. Typically they are tied together with a special wire that is braided for strenght and flexibility. This wire will then run to a grounding system which usually consists of 3 grounding electrodes driven about 10’ apart all tied together with the same wire. The whole thing will set you back quite a few bucks, and provide a unique look to your house. Typical ground rod degradation generally occurs because the electrodes are copper clad steel. This saves a great deal of money over a pure copper rod. In some older installation, steel conduit was used. In time, this will become useless. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/10 "2001-07-01T05:09:38Z")
When I lived in Ohio as a kid, I remember most of the farm houses and barns had lightning rods. Back then most farms also had windmills and some of them actually worked. There are quite a few listings if you go to Google for lightning rods and I noticed one that was for antique rods and glass balls. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/11 "2001-07-01T05:23:43Z")
The Lightning Protection Institute; [http://www.lightning.org/index.htm](http://www.lightning.org/index.htm) There ya go! 🙂 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/12 "2001-07-01T16:53:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wishbone \* > > **ONE POINT ONE JIGGLAWATTS!!! GREAT SCOTT!!** I’m sure you meant **1.21 gigawatts**. Your friend in time, quasar. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/13 "2001-07-01T16:57:51Z")
Whe must have gotten a different version, I had a Betamax. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning/70781/14 "2001-07-01T16:58:57Z")
I meant we