What if my house got struck by lightning???
We all have heard of a friend or neighbor who has told us the horror stories of waking up, or coming home to find out their house has been hit by a proximity or direct lightning strike. ⚡️
They explain how the most random things have quit working and they are having serious issues even knowing who to contact to assess the damage. That list almost inevitably includes: TV's, Garage Door Openers, Computers, Refrigerators, Printers, Modems, Monitors, Security Systems etc.The list continues but almost always includes these technical items, and it's for a reason.
All of them contain circuit boards. The boards inside these household items have tiny connections that are soldered together. In fact the compound used was installed by heating it up to a liquid form before being cooled in place.
So it's no surprise that when a massive amount of electrical energy explodes through these circuits they malfunction beyond repair. So that brings us to our next question.
What can I do to prevent this from happening?
No one wants to replace all these expensive devices. So what can be done to prevent this?
The answer is probably what you may have already assumed. There is no real preventative to lighting strikes on residential properties. On commercial buildings they have the option to install a grounding system where they place metal peeks on the roof that mechanically connect to a ground ring that is tied to the building's metal structure.
From time to time people inquire about installing these systems on their homes. As we are intrigued by theories such as these, we dove deep into how such a thing would actually work. As it turns out, there are many schools of thought on this subject, but no conclusive evidence to make a definitive answer.
On one hand you are attracting ambient electricity to your home by having a perfect grounding system in place for it to draw to so you are in essence asking for a strike! On the other hand you are giving it a good place to go away from your home as the tail end of the system is buried by a significant amount of soil.
The hole in this theory is no size of conductor available on the market is suited to handle the massive load delivered. In fact a strike may do so much damage to these systems that they are completely destroyed and lose continuity. We cannot forget that even after all these years of harnessing electrical power, it is still called " electrical theory "
So what can be done?
Well we're glad you asked! If you have ever watched the Mike Holmes Show "Homes on Holmes" you have heard him talk about surge protection. Most of us are used to using these power strips behind our entertainment centers and computer desks so we can plug in all 15 things. If you look closely next time, alot of them have a surge arresting feature. Now you will find out the ones you buy from Walmart for $2 have no surge capability.
But if you go to any big box store and spend a few more dollars on a quality one they will have this safety feature. A surge arrestor captures the overload sent out mostly from your power provider. Sometimes there is a storm and a power line is knocked down, or they are replacing a transformer in your neighborhood. These can create large surges in your power lines that are enough to fry most of the devices we talked about at the beginning of this article.
No they are nowhere near the size of a lightning strike, but they are enough to bury your computer 6 feet down. If you call any good electrical contractor they can come install a device in your panel that will protect all your circuits from overload instead of purchasing a strip for every device you want to protect and making your house look like a jungle of electrical cords. Don't forget this will not prevent or stop lighting strike damage, but it will save your items from random anomalies.
What about the wires in my walls, will they melt? How do I know if they are still good?
When they manufacture wire insulation, it is tested and rated for a certain temperature and voltage maximum. Even though a lightning strike is most certainly way over the capacity these plastics are rated for, it is so quick in passing through the conductor that it may not do enough damage to warrant replacement.
How would we ever know if they are still good?
Megger Testing. Not every electrical outfit is equipped with the technology or experience to do these tests, but they are definitely available and sometimes even covered by your homeowners insurance. Most of your factory made wires are rated to take up to 1000 Volts.
So a megger tester is made to do exactly that. It pushes up to 1000 Volts through each circuit to test if they are still able to handle general use power. Warning... do not go purchase one of these meters and try this yourself!! There is a lot more that goes into this than just hooking up two leads and hitting the button.
Each circuit must be carefully removed from the main panel board, all lights and devices unplugged or removed, and wire connections broken at carefully designated locations. If you think you may have wire damage now, you will be in a much worse position if you attempt this without the proper training and experience. Once the testing is complete, you can confidently go back to your daily use of all circuitry in your home knowing it has been pushed to its limit without failure.
So to sum things up as simply as possible... There is no cure or preventative for a lighting strike on a residential home or property. But by using a whole house surge protection device and calling your friendly local licensed electrician you can be sure that the aftermath of such an event doesn't have to be as spooky as your neighbor's halloween costume.
