Should I have a storm lightning conductor fitted?

[Mike]

  On 13/11/2023 at 00:12, puntloos said:

does anyone know some 'rules of thumb' around what constitutes good cover for your house?

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Form memory, if you could roll an imaginary 50m radius ball above your home, and other structures or landscape features would prevent the ball from touching it, lightning protection isn't required.

If the ball could touch it, it's recommended.

 

From your description, it sounds like it would be advised.

[puntloos]

  On 17/11/2023 at 23:05, Mike said:

Form memory, if you could roll an imaginary 50m radius ball above your home, and other structures or landscape features would prevent the ball from touching it, lightning protection isn't required.

If the ball could touch it, it's recommended.

 

From your description, it sounds like it would be advised.

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Actually, the closest higher point than my house is 47m away from my house.  I guess I can barely scrape by with that.

[SteamyTea]

Is lightning really a problem.

Here is a small animation that shows how often it happens.

Edited November 18, 2023 by SteamyTea

[gc100]

  On 18/11/2023 at 07:49, SteamyTea said:

Is lightning really a problem.

Here is a small animation that shows how often it happens.

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I was watching a live lighting map whilst there was a load of storms happening a couple of months ago. I couldn’t believe how many strikes was happening at that time very close to home. So it depends..

[SteamyTea]

  On 18/11/2023 at 08:17, gc100 said:

I was watching a live lighting map whilst there was a load of storms happening a couple of months ago. I couldn’t believe how many strikes was happening at that time very close to home. So it depends..

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How many reports of buildings being damaged, 10, 20, 100?

 

[joe90]

I have been hit twice!, once in Shropshire, hit a chimney and blew tiles off the wall on the ground floor where the chimney met the floor, second was in Bristol, again a tall chimney, bricks ended up 30m up the garden and every electrical devise in the house damaged.. both covered by insurance so no big deal. (My son was pleased, he got a new x box 🤣)

[Mike]

  On 18/11/2023 at 08:21, SteamyTea said:

How many reports of buildings being damaged, 10, 20, 100?

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Direct Line had >200 claims for lightning damage in June 2016, 15 times higher than normal.

So presumably around 13 in a normal June, for Direct Line.

 

In 2016 Direct Line reportedly had 6.3% of the home insurance market. So, pro-rata, very roughly 240 home insurance claims nationally in a 'normal' June, and around 3,600 claims in June 2016.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Mike

[Mike]

  On 18/11/2023 at 03:08, puntloos said:

  On 17/11/2023 at 23:05, Mike said:

...an imaginary 50m radius ball...

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Actually, the closest higher point than my house is 47m away from my house.  I guess I can barely scrape by with that.

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Note that it's a ball, not a straight line or a plane.

[puntloos]

  On 18/11/2023 at 13:19, Mike said:

Note that it's a ball, not a straight line or a plane.

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Ah, I badly misunderstood the principle - it's called rolling sphere, and the important part is that it's not just 50m between houses, but if you imagine a ball of paint of 50m would it be able to paint any part of your house.

 

 

The problem is that from this system, it seems to me every house known to man probably needs some protection unless you're the house from 'up'

 

 

Trying to understand a bit more... 

 

[Mike]

Worth mentioning that in France, where lightning strikes are more common in some areas, there are also requirements and recommendations to fit a surge protector in the consumer unit. For single phase they take up 2 modules (see, for example Legrand 092766). They have a replaceable cartridge that shorts the live to earth if there's a major surge.

 

In low risk zones (which would apply to the UK) a protector would be:

• Required if your home has a lightning conductor
• Recommended if your home is within 50m of a building that has a lightning conductor
• Recommended to evaluate the risk elsewhere on a case-by-case basis

In the last case, risk factors include if you are supplied by overhead wires, have an alarm system, electric access controls, use electronic medical devices, use expensive electronic devices (e.g. computers, Hi-Fi, white goods), etc.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Mike

[Mike]

  On 18/11/2023 at 13:52, puntloos said:

if you imagine a ball of paint of 50m would it be able to paint any part of your house.

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Yes, this :)

 

  On 18/11/2023 at 13:52, puntloos said:

every house known to man probably needs some protection

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It's a rule of thumb. If you are in a town with many other buildings of similar height on all sides, the chances of yours being hit goes down.

[AliG]

We had the most lightning I have ever seen in Edinburgh in August 2020.

 

 

A while later I found two of my three inverters were not generating electricity. Looking at the logs, they stopped the day of the lightning. I don't think we were hit, I suspect it caused a surge in the grid that blew them. Made me think they should be isolated during lightning.

 

I also got up one day to find a 20 foot piece from the top of a tree in the garden had come off, it was as big as a small tree, we had to cut it up with saws. The break looked burned so I think may ave been struck by lightning.