Lightning Protection – Now is the rainy season, usually in conjunction with the rainy season landslides, storm winds and even lightning or glaze can strike trees or houses. Lightning cannot be underestimated due to the fact that lightning can strike anyone, be it humans, animals, or nature.
Even the lightning can cause an electrical short that ends in a house fire. So, there must be a way to ward off glancing.
Now, if this is the case, it seems very necessary that we use a lightning rod or lightning rod in our homes. If you have to use it, how to choose a good lightning rod or lightning rod.
Ok, before we start installing lightning rods, here are a few things you need to know about lightning rods:
What is the Function of Lightning Protection
Lightning has enormous electric power. Gladek or lightning with lightning strikes and rumbling sounds can sometimes produce electric power up to thousands of volts.
We don’t know where the lightning will occur and when, but surely lightning usually strikes high places like trees or tall buildings. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for something lowly to be struck by lightning.
In fact, the rain that falls sometimes can also reduce the electricity from the lightning that occurs above and hits humans or other objects …
The lightning rod itself is used to capture the electric current generated by a lightning strike and then muted into the ground.
A building has the greater the potential to be struck by lightning the higher its height. So, for tall buildings, the installation of lightning or lightning rods is important.
however, it does not mean that a small, one-story low house will not be struck by lightning. There could also be a lightning strike against the house, especially if it is at high altitude.
So, if you feel that your home area has frequent lightning strikes, it is very necessary for you to install a lightning rod in order to prevent glaze strikes.
Types of Lightning Protection
There are many kinds of lightning rods, of course used according to buildings and houses. In general there are types of lightning rods that are usually used. It is a conventional and electrostatic lightning rod.
1. Conventional lightning rod
Types of conventional lightning rods or anti-lightning rods are very diverse and have been used since the past and are very simple in shape.
If you know electricity, maybe you don’t need to hire someone else for the installation, you can buy the materials at a hardware store and use or install yourself.
This type of lightning rod is very suitable for use in small dwellings or towers.
2. Electrostatic lightning rod
This model of electrostatic lightning rod or anti-lightning is of great benefit because it can reach lightning in a certain radius so that it can protect a building within a certain radius.
its very wide range makes this anti-lightning often used in large or large buildings. Usually used in golf courses, apartments, offices, mines, and in plantations.
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lightning rod of this model uses a thermal head at the end. So, the higher the placement of this anti-lightning device, the farther the range will be to be protected from lightning.
Lightning Protection Components
Now that we already know the types of lightning protection, if you have decided to use a lightning rod in a house or building, now the problem is what kind of lightning protection is made of what is good to use. This must really be considered because if we use fake lightning then it will not be long before we have to replace it again, and if not then the house can be at stake.
Of course this is a simple problem but in practice, of course we will not immediately replace the old lightning rod with a new one but it is neglected in such a way for a long time and it is not impossible that your house can be at stake.
So, make sure you use anti-lightning coated with anti-corrosion material so that it can last a long time. So, the material that is anti-corrosion is in the form of copper or aluminum.
If you choose copper, then look for copper whose quality is the same as the copper wire commonly used by Telkom or PLN. While the material for this copper mixture, choose anti-corrosion so it doesn’t rust.
From the blog 99.co, at least there are components and elements of the formation of this lightning rod.
1. Head and thermal water
The head and thermal are the parts that are at the end of the anti lightning. In conventional anti-lightning, the shape is like the tip of a spear, while in electrostatic anti-lightning, the head and thermal are somewhat larger.
This function is as a target of the lightning itself so that the lightning itself no longer strikes the building.
2. Conductors
This is a cable that serves to transmit the electric power obtained from a lightning strike.
3. Grounding or earthing
This is a model of the embedded lightning rod component. Planting this tool in the ground should not be close to buildings.
How Lightning Protection works
In order to explain this, we first have to understand that clouds are objects that have a negative charge and the ground is objects that have a positive charge.
So, this grounding is necessary in reducing the electric current from lightning
When lightning strikes, the positive charge from the ground will be attracted to the HEAD end through the conductor.
When the HEAD is positively charged, it will attract a negative charge from lightning or lightning, and then generate electricity which is immediately transferred back to the ground.
The negative energy that is transferred to the ground will later be neutralized by the positively charged soil so that the flow of electricity in the ground does not spread anywhere.
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How to Install Anti Lightning or Lightning Protection
Now we will see the process and how to install the correct anti lightning
- Pay attention in the installation that all lightning proof components have been installed correctly, tightly and perfectly. An imperfect and improper installation can cause damage to the lightning rod and it does not work effectively at blocking lightning.
- Plant the ground down to the depth of the groundwater, or until it reaches wet soil. This is so that the negative charge from the lightning is directly channeled to the ground quickly.
- Place lightning rods on the highest part of the house or building.
- If the roof of the house is flat or sloping, do not install lightning rods with a pole height of up to 15 meters
- Also make sure all types of soft networks (software), ranging from deterrents, cables and grounding are also attached
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