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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

O/T Lightning Rods

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Red n Green

04-02-2013 19:28:32




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Many old barns and houses had lightning rods. Nothing modern does. Just curious why that is. Also many had what appears to be a glass ball on them. Was that to tell if it had been struck?




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qwertyell

04-03-2013 22:24:30




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
Lightning rods are not intended to attract lightning. The intent (and action) of the rods is to dissipate the electrical potential as it builds up so a lightning strike will not occur. Check the ends of your lightning rods and you will find they have (or should have)sharp pointed ends. Those sharp ends actually discharge the potential that eventually would cause the lightning strike. If the potential builds up too fast(the rods cannot dissipate the potential fast enough ) then you get a strike. That's Lightning Rod 101.

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LenND

04-03-2013 12:49:42




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
You see very few rods in this part of the country. Most farms used to have a metal windmill as highest point, no need for rods. If you have electricity coming into yard on poles they may be highest point. Rods are about like breeding a cow with a steer.



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notjustair

04-03-2013 08:48:57




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
My farmhouse has three really nice ones on the roof. No grounding wire to the ground. I can thank the roofers for that.

I keep meaning to put one on there but it gets moved to the bottom of the list. I wil regret that, I am sure.



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Wheat Farmer

04-03-2013 06:35:02




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
If you put steel siding on a wood frame and a steel roof you should put a ground from the roof to the side so there would not be an ark there.



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HenryO

04-03-2013 06:32:05




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
I'm not sure but I think lightning rods are to attract lightning. My dad put them on his house in 1938 and has been struck by lightning at leaast four times, once coming down the chimney into the living room and going around in a circle burning everything in it's path. Each time they increased the size of the grounding cable but it still happened so when I built no rods. However over the years I owned two sailboats and both were hit by lightning. Suppose there is something there?

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ohiojim

04-03-2013 04:56:23




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
speaking of lightning and metal roofs,,,if the house is wood and doesn't conduct electricity why does it matter if it's steel ?? it's not grounded...



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Blackhole49

04-03-2013 06:26:56




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to ohiojim, 04-03-2013 04:56:23  
Gee, trees are usually wood and it doesn't seem to help them.



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John T

04-03-2013 05:38:10




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to ohiojim, 04-03-2013 04:56:23  
At the voltages were talking about most any material will conduct electricity even if it has way higher resistance then say copper etc. The purpose of the lightning rod is to bleed off the electrical charge to mother earth before it reaches such high potentials and arcs.

John T Retired Electrical Engineer



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todd Hamilton

04-03-2013 05:21:55




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to ohiojim, 04-03-2013 04:56:23  
Lighting will go through wood, happened to us in 1995 house was 11 months old. 16' cut about 1' wide across the roof. Knock three rafters out of the center pole. I became quite interested in lightning rods at that time. Most modern commercial buildings have them installed.



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Dick2

04-03-2013 03:21:09




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
They installed lightning rods on the latest house remodel on This Old House. It was quite an elaborate system. The house was on a hill and had a metal roof.

Dad put them on our house on the farm. Later 3 towers were erected - 2 in our farmyard and 1 just across the road. Those towers took all the lightning strikes after that. We used to find dead birds on the ground under the towers after lighning struck the tower; their chests would be exploded from the lightning strike.

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RayP(MI)

04-02-2013 20:11:00




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
Idea was that pointed end would attract and disipate the static electrical charge before it built up to a destructive lightning discharge. My guess is that a barn or whatever even with the rods would survive a direct hit. We've received several direct hits on radio towers, and antennas - ain't pretty!



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GeneMO

04-02-2013 20:09:23




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
Hail will sure do a number on those ole globes. I took off all the rare and unusual ones from our barns. Too valuable and sentimental to leave to the elements.

Gene



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ray(mo)

04-02-2013 20:02:41




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
The glass balls are for decoration only. Don"t know why they are not used anymore. Price maybe. I googled lightning rods and read about them.



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ShadetreeRet

04-02-2013 20:01:50




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 Re: O/T Lightning Rods in reply to Red n Green, 04-02-2013 19:28:32  
Yep, according to what I was told, if lightning struck it would break the glass. I don't know if they actually did that much good, I would guess that if lightning did hit one and ran it to ground, it would likely have saved the building, Other than that I'm sure that a lot of people bought them from a high pressure salesman, and they seemed to be somewhat of a status symbol. Now you have me curious. I'm gonna have to research that. One reason I would guess they lost popularity would be that with the spread of electricity, lines and buildings were grounded and that was supposed to ground any excess voltage.

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