Safety is the most important thing and every property owner should remember this. As we know, storms occur relatively often and pose a high fire hazard. Therefore, choosing the right lightning protection installation is important. Find out more about it!
Check out Elko-Bis products at the Onninen wholesaler
Lightning protection installation - what is it and what is its application?
A lightning protection system protects the house against fire caused by lightning. It also protects the electrical installation against lightning current. It should be noted that the regulations are clear, namely that every single-family house should have a lightning protection system if the lightning risk index is high. It is calculated taking into account the size of the building, its location, but also the type of structure and the material from which the roof is made.
Of course, that's not all, because you also need to take into account the conditions in a given atmospheric zone. The annual average duration of storms is also important. The lightning protection system undoubtedly affects safety because it protects buildings against shocks resulting from lightning discharges. A lightning rod is a device that absorbs and discharges the current accumulated in lightning. This way it protects your house or public building against fire.
Is lightning protection installation mandatory?
Lightning protection installation is not always mandatory, but it is still worth increasing your safety and opting for it. Building regulations say more about the obligation to use a lightning protection system. According to them, a single-family house must have a lightning rod installed if it is indicated by the lightning risk indicator. Additionally, a lightning protection system must be installed on the roof if the building area is larger than 500 m2 and the height exceeds 15 meters.
Moreover, if the building was built from materials considered flammable, its size does not matter and it is necessary to install a lightning protection system. It is best to prepare the design of the lightning protection installation at the stage of creating design documentation. Although it is not always necessary, a lightning rod nevertheless minimizes the threats resulting from lightning strikes. Imagine that in Poland there are two lightning discharges per 1 km2 of the earth's surface per year. The lightning risk index also depends on the type of facility, i.e. different standards apply to single-family houses and public buildings. It is also important to remember how important it is to maintain the appropriate resistance value of the grounding installation.
What does a lightning protection system consist of?
The lightning protection installation consists of elements such as:
- coils that are placed on the roof or chimney;
- discharge conduits - they are laid on the side walls of the building, and at least two conduits must be used. They connect the air terminals to earth. Test clamps are used for this purpose;
- vertical terminals and horizontal terminals - they receive discharges directly.
- grounding conductors - they connect the discharge conductors to the earth electrode.
- test clamps - they allow you to measure the resistance of the earth electrode, but also check galvanic continuity.
- natural or artificial earth electrode placed in the ground.
The lightning protection mast protects objects that cannot be protected with horizontal air terminals, and the height of the mast must be properly calculated, namely the value of the height H is equal to the difference in height between the head blade and the highest point of the protected object. It must be at least 2 meters high.
If a lightning protection system is chosen for a single-family house, roofing made of sheet metal can serve as air terminals, but it must be at least 0.5 mm thick and made of non-flammable materials. Any conductive element with a sharp end, especially metal, may be a natural source of electric discharges. In lightning protection installations, horizontal or vertical artificial air terminals can be used, which allow the lightning discharge to be transferred very quickly towards the ground.
Lightning protection installations can be passive and active. The former use low horizontal air terminals, while active lightning protection installations are a more modern solution. They consist of fewer components. They provide single-point protection. They will work well for small, medium and large facilities, but when choosing, you need to pay attention to the radius of the protection area.
Select the elements of the Elko-Bis lightning protection installation
When selecting products for a lightning protection system, it is worth choosing elements from the renowned Elko-Bis brand. The company has numerous articles in its offer. Check out some of her solutions.
Noteworthy is the complete 3-meter OC ELKO-BIS earthing electrode . It is made of strong and reliable galvanized steel. It is used for driven earth electrodes.
It is worth choosing the ELKO-BIS 3-M 3P aluminum lightning protection mast . It is used to protect metal roof elements, but also devices such as air conditioners or even ventilation units.
An important element of the lightning protection system is the ground rod. You can choose the ELKO-BIS L-1500 ground rod, diameter 16mm OC . It also plays a very important role in the entire installation. This model is extremely durable and resistant to mechanical damage. It is one of the most important elements of a complete earthing system.
Check out Elko-Bis lightning protection installations at the Onninen wholesaler