Most owners of private houses, cottages and summer cottages try to create the most comfortable and comfortable conditions inside and outside their homes. safe conditions for accommodation. It is a completely understandable desire, but most often the owners of such real estate completely forget about such a natural phenomenon as a discharge of static atmospheric electricity, which in an instant can cause enormous harm to residential buildings and human health. By its natural essence, atmospheric lightning is a very powerful discharge of electrical energy, which is capable of accurately hitting directly a private house, destroy not only all household appliances and electrical appliances, but also the building itself as a whole.

If your private property is located next to a tall building, then you should not worry. The lightning rod system of a multi-storey building will provide reliable protection of your home from the damaging factors of atmospheric electrical discharge. But such an arrangement of cottages, private houses and dachas is practically never found in modern reality. Basically, such real estate objects are built away from tall buildings, so they need to be protected from lightning by equipping modern blocks lightning protection.

Lightning most often discharges to the highest point, but even a huge tree growing next to a house is not able to protect it from the discharge. Only a lightning protection device can completely protect your home from atmospheric discharge. household appliances, as well as the people present in it. In this article we will consider all questions regarding the types of lightning protection and methods of their installation for all types of houses, cottages and cottages. We will also tell you in a concise form how to install a lightning rod with your own hands, but first we will tell you about the damaging factors of lightning.

Damaging factors of atmospheric discharges

The technology for creating protection against thunderstorms is directly related to the damaging factors of atmospheric electrical discharges. Any natural phenomenon affects environment with varying degrees of impact. Lightning is no exception and its damaging factors can be divided into the following two types.

You can protect your property from a secondary damaging factor by simply disconnecting electrical appliances from the power supply for the entire period of time the storm front passes. To effectively protect against direct lightning strikes, it is necessary to install lightning protection in a cottage, private house or country house.

Installing a lightning rod and additional protective equipment will avoid negative consequences from the impact of the discharge on your residential property and on the people living in it, regardless of the type of damaging factor. Next we will look at the types and categories of lightning protection.

Categories and types of external lightning protection

Atmospheric lightning is a powerful discharge of electricity that obeys the basic laws of physics. Everyone knows that electricity moves along the path of least resistance. The main task lightning protection unit of any type to create exactly such a path for the passage of electricity, bypassing the structure of the building. When lightning strikes a private house equipped with such a unit, the entire power of the electric charge will simply go into the surface of the earth without causing damage to buildings, electrical appliances and people.

In popular slang, this type of protection of private buildings is called differently: grounding country house, lightning rod system, as well as lightning rods. The last version of the name is completely incorrect, because thunder is the sound of a lightning strike and there is no need to take it anywhere. But the term has long taken root and is used in colloquial speech. Regardless of what the home's lightning protection is called, it is designed to perform one task - discharging the energy of an atmospheric electrical discharge into the ground. Lightning protection blocks are divided into three categories: by method and type of protection, as well as by design features.

Choose better protection The next chapter of the article will help you against a discharge of atmospheric electricity for your home, in which we will talk about the design of the most popular passive external lightning protection, in addition to which it is necessary to install internal protection against a secondary damaging factor.

Design of passive external lightning protection

Design external lightning rod at the dacha, in a cottage or a private house it is quite simple. It consists of three components: a lightning receiver, down conductors and a grounding circuit. Down conductors and grounding conductors have a standard design. In contrast, lightning rods of passive protection systems can be divided into three types, which we will discuss in detail below.

What type of lightning rod to use is up to you! It is impossible to give any strict recommendations in this regard. All three types of lightning rods are capable of reliably protecting a private home from the primary damaging factor of lightning.

The next elements in the lightning protection system are down conductors. Their main task is to transfer the energy of an atmospheric discharge from the lightning rod to the grounding device. Down conductors can be made from steel wire with a diameter of at least 6 mm, a special copper or aluminum cable or steel tape with a width of 30 mm and a thickness of more than 2 mm. Any down conductor is fixed to the ends of lightning rods using threaded connection, welding or soldering. In private houses built from non-combustible materials, this lightning protection element is mounted on the walls in an inconspicuous place using metal fasteners. Down conductors should not be placed close to windows and doors.

Special requirements apply to the installation of lightning protection down conductors wooden house. When lightning hits the lightning protection system in a private home, the down conductor wires can heat up to high temperatures. To prevent fire wooden walls building, it is necessary to correctly install the current-carrying part of the lightning protection system. Down conductors must be located at a distance of at least 10 cm from the walls of the building. For one rod lightning rod, it is necessary to install one current conductor, and for cable and mesh discharge receivers, two current conductor elements. The number of down conductors depends on the number of ends of lightning rods and the area and structure of the roof.

The last element in the system of external protection of a private house from atmospheric electrical discharges is a grounding device. The simplest ground electrode is two metal rods with a diameter of at least 30 mm, driven into the soil layer 2–3 meters and connected by a jumper made of metal tape. The distance between these grounding elements must be at least 3 meters. The down conductor is connected to this structure exclusively by welding.

We examined the design of external passive lightning protection. It can effectively protect a private home from the primary damaging factor of lightning. To protect a house, cottage or cottage from overvoltages in the network that occur when exposed to the second damaging factor of a lightning discharge, it is necessary to install optional equipment. These devices provide internal lightning protection.

Internal lightning protection

Household appliances and electrical appliances in a private home should be protected from the effects of a powerful induction field that occurs as a result of an atmospheric discharge. External lightning protection is not able to cope with this task. To protect against lightning surges, it is necessary to use special electrical devices. They are called surge protection devices (SPDs) and are installed in distribution boards at the entrance of electrical lines to a private house. Currently, there is a large assortment of such devices on the market, with different capabilities and levels of protection against surges.

Only after installing an SPD in the distribution panel and installing external lightning protection can you confidently say that your home is reliably protected from all damaging lightning factors. We examined the design of lightning protection for a private home, both external and internal. The next part of the article will answer the question: how to make a lightning rod in a country house, cottage or private house with your own hands.

Self-installation of lightning protection

Based on the above, we can conclude that installation of lightning protection can be done with your own hands without the involvement of employees. Of course, if you have basic skills installation work. Otherwise, you should invite a specialist. If you still decide to install a lightning rod with my own hands, then you must first perform the design and calculation of lightning protection. This process will not cause difficulties. We will briefly talk about the design of lightning protection and its self-installation using the example of installing a lightning rod with a lightning rod. This is the most popular option for protecting suburban real estate from thunderstorms.

A lightning rod with a lightning rod provides protection in the form of an imaginary cone, with the apex at the end of the lightning rod. In the inner zone of this cone, to ensure reliable protection buildings from lightning, the entire object must be hit.

In the above figure we see that part of the house did not fall into the protection zone, so it is necessary to move the lightning rod to the middle of the house or increase its height. The best place for mounting the lightning rod at the ridge of the roof or chimney. The calculation of the height of the receiver rod is calculated using the following formula.

• Rx is the lower radius of protection of an imaginary cone, which must be measured with a tape measure on the surface of the earth;
• Ha is the height of the active lightning protection zone, which is measured from the ground to the highest point of an imaginary cone;
• Hx is the highest point of a private house, which can be located on the roof ridge, chimney or other structural elements;
• H is the height of the lightning rod.

After calculating the length of the lightning rod, you should determine its location and lay an imaginary route for installing the down conductor from the rod to the installation site of the ground electrode. At this point, the design and calculation of lightning protection is completed and you can proceed directly to the installation of the lightning rod.

Installation of ground electrode

First of all, you should install a grounding loop. To complete the work you will need the following tools and materials:

• grinder with cutting wheels, welding machine, sledgehammer, hammer and shovel;
• 40x40 steel angle for the vertical pins and 40x5 strip for the jumpers.

The ground electrode should be mounted near the wall of the house. We choose a place and dig an equilateral triangular trench 70 cm deep with sides of 1.2 meters. It is also necessary to dig a trench up to the wall of the house to lay the down conductor. In the corners of the triangle we hammer in pieces of steel angle to a depth of 2 meters.

A strip is welded to the ends of the pins. A steel strip is welded to one corner of the circuit and brought out onto the wall of the house, where a down conductor from the lightning rod will be connected to it. The trench is dug and compacted. The ground electrode is ready to connect the down conductor.

Installation of lightning receiver

The best place to attach the lightning rod is a chimney located near the ridge of the roof. The most convenient way to secure the mast is with brackets with clamps at the ends.

An alternative option for fastening the lightning rod is to install it on a special support on the ridge of the house.

At the final stage of installation, the down conductor is attached to the lower end of the rod using a clamp with a threaded connection.

Installation of down conductors

A down conductor, a metal wire with a diameter of at least 6 mm, is laid directly along the roof and wall of the house, to the point where the connecting steel strip exits from the ground loop. The entire structure is attached to the roof and walls of the house using plastic or metal clamps with support.

The lower end of the down conductor wire is fixed to the metal grounding strip using a threaded connection.

At this point, the installation of external lightning protection is completed, but if you do not install the unit internal protection from surges, then your lightning protection system will be incomplete.

SPD installation

The surge protection device completely de-energizes the electrical network of the house when a powerful induction field occurs, that is, the secondary damaging factor of lightning. The module is installed in the distribution panel according to the following diagram.

After installing the SPD, your lightning protection of a private home is completely complete functional view. With this system your property and Appliances reliably protected from atmospheric electrical discharges.

Conclusion

High-quality installation of a lightning rod will ensure you a comfortable stay in your home. In this case, protection from all damaging factors of lightning will be provided. But it should be noted that lightning protection must be periodically checked for damage. During a preventive inspection, the main attention should be paid to all connections. Only if the lightning rod is operational will your home be reliably protected from lightning strikes.

Video on the topic

Today we will talk about how to protect a private home from lightning strikes.

What is lightning?

Many owners of private houses try to make their home as comfortable and safe as possible, but at the same time they forget about the possibility of their home being struck by lightning.

Lightning is one of the most unpleasant phenomena that can cause enormous damage to a home.

As you know, it is a high-power electrical discharge, so even if it enters the house indirectly, it can damage electrical equipment in the premises.

It is good if there is a tall building near the house, equipped with lightning protection.

In this case, you don’t have to worry about the possibility of lightning striking your house, since such houses often have lightning rods with a large protection zone, which will cover the area with adjacent buildings.

A special feature of lightning is the discharge to the highest point. Therefore, if a house is located on the outskirts, it is the highest point, unless, of course, a tree grows next to it that is taller than the house.

But wood is also not a guarantee of protection. The risk of a home being struck by lightning increases many times over if there are ponds, strong streams, or swampy areas near the house.

So, if a private house is not surrounded by high-rise buildings, it is better to protect yourself by providing your home with lightning protection.

Damaging factors of lightning

But before you figure out how to protect your home from possible lightning damage, you should consider the damaging factors of this phenomenon.

There are two of these factors.

Primary.

This is a direct lightning strike on a house, as a result of which it may suffer structural damage and there is the possibility of a fire. This factor is the most dangerous.

Secondary.

Less dangerous for the home and residents. This factor comes down to the appearance of electromagnetic induction in the wiring of the house during a lightning discharge near the house.

Due to induction, a significant voltage surge occurs in the wiring, which can damage all electrical appliances in the house connected to the network.

And if you can protect yourself from the secondary factor without additional equipment by disconnecting all devices from the network during a thunderstorm, then it is impossible to protect yourself from the primary factor in this way; you need to equip your house with lightning protection.

Ohio, a house struck by lightning.

Since lightning is just an electrical discharge, albeit of great strength, it acts like any other discharge, that is, it moves along the path of least resistance.

Providing this path is the task of lightning protection.

If lightning strikes a house equipped with this type of protection, the electrical discharge will go into the ground without causing damage to the building.

Popularly, such protection is called lightning rods or lightning rods.

As for the latter, the definition is not entirely correct, because thunder is just the sound that occurs during a lightning discharge.

Criteria and types of lightning protection

Now let's look at the types of lightning protection.

Here, this equipment has several criteria that divide it into types.

The first criterion is the method of protection.

According to it, lightning rods are divided into:

1. Active;
2. Passive.

The active ones appeared relatively recently. They contain a lightning rod, discussed below, equipped with a special ionizer, which “provokes” lightning with its impulses.

In fact, this device specially attracts lightning towards itself, which completely eliminates the possibility of a secondary factor of lightning damage.

Passive ones are not equipped with anything like that; lightning may or may not discharge onto it. This type protection is used everywhere.

The second criterion is the types of protection.

According to it, lightning rods are also divided into two types - external and internal.

Everything is simple here - the external one protects the house from the primary factor of lightning, and the internal one – from the secondary one.

And the third criterion is design features.

But here the division into types relates more to lightning rods. According to them, the lightning rod is divided into pin, cable and mesh.

Lightning protection design

Now regarding the design of lightning protection, let’s talk only about the external one for now.

It consists of only three elements - an lightning rod, down conductors and a grounding conductor.

Lightning rod.

It receives a lightning strike, so it is fixed on the roof of the house so that the receiver itself is the highest point.

The simplest is the rod type of receiver.

A metal rod with a diameter of 10-18 mm and a length of 250 mm is considered standard.

You can also use a pipe, but only its ends must be welded.

The number of receivers is calculated based on the size of the building. On small houses One is enough if the area of ​​the house exceeds 200 square meters. two rods are installed with a distance between them of 10 m.

To prevent the discharge from the receiver from reaching the house, it is secured to the roof using wooden blocks or special fasteners.

Some, so as not to spoil appearance at home, the lightning rod is installed on a separate support near the house.

Some, if possible, attach an additional lightning rod directly to the tree.

There is not much difference, since even with a lightning rod installed nearby, the protection zone will cover the house.

The main condition for installing the receiver is that it must be located above the house, as well as other buildings near it.

Another type of lightning rod is a cable one.

A cable is used that is stretched along the entire length of the roof ridge and secured to wooden supports. An important condition is the tension of the cable - it should not touch the roof.

The third type of receiver is the mesh.

It is made from any wire (steel, aluminum, etc.) with a cross-section of at least 6 mm.

It is stretched over the entire roof area; the cells of this mesh should form a square of approximately 6x6 m.

In this case, the mesh should also not touch the roof; it is fixed on wooden or special non-conducting supports at a height of 6-8 cm from the roof.

There are no strict regulations for the use of this or that type of lightning rod; you can use any, they are all quite effective, so they are chosen at will.

Their main task is to transfer the discharge from the receiver to the ground electrode.

Most often, steel wire with a diameter of 6 mm or more is used as down conductors.

If the walls of the house are made of brick or foam block, in general, of any non-flammable material, then the down conductor can be secured along the wall in any inconspicuous place, most importantly, not near windows and entrance doors.

You can also use metal tape as a down conductor, but it must be at least 2 mm thick and 30 mm wide.

The down conductor is attached to the receiver using a welded, bolted or soldered joint.

The number of down conductors depends on the number of ends of lightning rods.

If only one rod receiver is used, then one bend is attached to it. When using a cable receiver, two taps are already needed.

Also, two down conductors are used for a grid receiver.

Ground electrode.

The last element is the ground electrode. The simplest grounding device is two metal rods buried 2-3 m into the ground.

The distance between them must be at least 3 m. These rods must be connected to each other with a jumper at a level of 0.5-0.8 m in the ground. The down conductor is connected to this jumper.

On soils with high level groundwater it is better to use a horizontal position of the ground electrode at a depth of 0.8 m. In this case, the ground electrode should be metal corner or a strip with a width of 50 mm and a thickness of 4 mm.

The ground electrode is connected to the down conductor only by welding.

Features of lightning protection installation

Based on what has been described, you can understand that it is quite possible to make lightning protection yourself, having only the necessary materials.

To protect your home from lightning, you must first take measurements.

It is necessary to find out the height at which the receiver should be located, and also determine the method of its mounting.

Then you need to calculate the length of the down conductor. It is important to consider here that the lightning charge path to the ground electrode should be as short as possible. Therefore, you should not make any contours, bends, etc. And even more so, it is impossible to form rings from the tap.

As for the ground electrode, it must be located at least 1 m from the nearest wall of the house. After all the calculations, you can begin installation.

You need to start with the ground electrode.

If it is made of rods, it is enough to dig a trench 0.5 m deep and 3 m long.

Drive rods at least 2 m long into the ground along the edges of this trench.

Then using welding machine Weld a jumper to these rods.

If the ground electrode is horizontal, then you will have to dig a trench much deeper.

An important condition must be observed here - it should not come into contact with the roof of the house, so only wooden supports should be used to secure it.

In this article you will learn:

• What are the dangers of thunderstorms and lightning strikes for private households?
• What types of lightning protection are there in a private home?
• What does the standard composition of a lightning protection system include?
• Passive or active lightning protection? Advantages and disadvantages
• Basics of external moniment protection for a private home
• What are the categories of structures according to the degree of lightning protection?
• Materials used and corrosion issues
• What is the least permissible distance(dividing space)
• What should a lightning rod be like?
• How to choose a down conductor? Types of down conductors.
• How to properly attach lightning protection elements? Roofing and facade holders, holders for drainpipes, terminals and connectors, grounding fastening elements
• How to choose grounding
• How to properly connect the grounding system to the down conductor of the lightning protection system
• Features of the monie protection system for different types and roof configurations

Atmospheric electricity has enormous potential, thousands of times greater than the capacity of man-made installations. In a thundercloud, a potential difference of up to 10 million kilovolts can be created, the discharge current reaches 200,000 amperes, and it is not possible to protect yourself from such a force, which causes large-scale destruction, without special protective systems.

The danger of lightning for private homes

The saturation of homes with electronics, household appliances and means of receiving over-the-air transmission channels has sharply increased the likelihood of lightning exposure, which is explained by the physical characteristics of electrostatic forces. A lightning discharge entering an unprotected structure not only damages Electricity of the net and devices, the greater the risk of fires, the cause of which is lightning in every fifth case. Protection against lightning damage to private houses is entirely in the hands of the owners, which cannot be a reason for refusing a lightning protection device, given the dire consequences that overtake unprotected houses.

Types of lightning protection

Currently, two types of protection against the effects of lightning discharges have been developed in detail and are used: external and internal protection.

External lightning protection

It is a well-known lightning rod in the form of a metal rod rising above the roof of the house. Such protection consists of three main elements.

1. Lightning rod - a metal rod, which can be steel, copper or aluminum.

2. A down conductor, which uses a metal conductor that connects the lightning rod to grounding.

3. Grounding, consisting of steel grounding conductors buried in the ground, connected into a single circuit using metal buses.

In fact, for all three elements, a conductor of different cross-sections is used, the minimum values ​​of which are selected in accordance with the material used according to the following table:

Depending on the type of roof and roof configuration, in addition to the rod receiver, one stretched over the protected object can be used steel rope or a special mesh (see pictures below), or there may even be a combination of these elements.

External protection systems are increasingly being used, using an active method of searching for and removing lightning discharges in the early stages of their development (read about this a little below).

Internal lightning protection

Currents resulting from lightning flow through resistor and inductive connections, causing overvoltages that can melt microcircuits and damage electrical equipment. To protect against such consequences, SPDs are used - protection devices internal networks from impulse overvoltage. The magnitude of the impulse overvoltage depends on the location of the lightning strike, and therefore, there are overvoltages of type I (induced by a direct lightning strike) and type II (induced by an indirect strike). Type I overvoltages are especially dangerous because they are 10–20 times higher than type II overvoltages.

Standard composition of a lightning protection system

To protect a private home from the damaging effects of lightning, a standard set of means is used:

• External protection with lightning rods, down conductors and grounding;
• Protection against the introduction of high potentials by potential equalization;
• Protection against overvoltages (internal overloads) using arresters or surge protectors.

From the above list, the greatest differences are in the methods of external protection, which can be active and passive, and with passive protection they have significant differences depending on the roof configuration and the type of roofing covering.

Active lightning protection

IN last years Active lightning protection is gaining popularity. Its spire has a special head - an ionizer, which generates a counter flow of electrons. As a result, lightning is attracted, after which the resulting discharge is discharged through a down conductor into the ground, where it is extinguished. Active protection is distinguished by a large radius of the protected zone, which is 8 times greater than the protection radius of a passive lightning rod of the same height.

Active protection characteristics provide significant reduction Supplies for roofs with complex configuration, as well as time for equipment installation. The appearance of the mast with an ionizer is aesthetically pleasing; there is no need to ground individual metal structures located under the protective zone cap.

Among the shortcomings active method One can note the short period of its use, which does not make it possible to talk about many years of positive experience. Moreover, in Lately More and more cases of lightning strikes are being recorded in objects with active lightning rods, and manufacturing companies are being sued in connection with this.

External lightning protection device for a private house

When installing lightning protection for private houses, the principles and protection designs set out in special literature must be used (“Instructions for the installation of lightning protection...” SO 153-34.21.122-2003 and RD 34.21.122-87).

The severity of the destructive effects of lightning depends on the presence on the affected object of gases, dust, vapors, or mixtures thereof that can explode when hit by an electric spark. Important factors for classifying buildings into classes (or lightning protection categories) are: the expected estimated number of lightning strikes into an object, its value, the threat to human life and the surrounding environment. Therefore, private residential houses, cottages and garden houses It is advisable to classify buildings in Group III as those that do not contain such hazards.

Depending on the degree of reliability, 4 classes of lightning protection are adopted:

• first - reliability of more than 99% (for example, ammunition depots, gas stations, refineries);
• the second - from 95 to 99% (large enterprises that pose a threat to the environment);
• third - from 90 to 95% (retail, office and residential buildings);
• fourth - at least 85% (buildings in which there is no electrical wiring and constant presence of people).

Corrosion problems

Metal elements of external protection are constantly exposed to weather conditions, which cause corrosion. Slow down metal destruction and ensure long service life structural elements protection can be done using the following methods:

• The use of metals that are less susceptible to corrosion is stainless steel, copper or aluminum;
• The use of protective galvanic coatings, the most common of which is galvanizing;
• For bolted connections- stripping the metal at the point of contact, tightly covering it and using conservative lubricants;
• The choice of an oversized cross-section of metal structures relative to the calculated indicators, which affects the cost of the system.

You can read more about components and materials for lightning protection and grounding of houses, the features of their use in our large review material on this page.

The rate of corrosion development is affected by the incompatibility of certain metals. Thus, copper has very poor contact with galvanized steel and aluminum, so such contacts should be avoided. To connect incompatible materials, special clamps are used, in which the ends are made of different metals.

Minimum allowable distance

Currents induced in metal conductors by lightning discharges can cause a spark discharge. The distance between down conductors and metal elements must be such as to prevent sparking; this is the smallest permissible distance, designated by the letter S.

In addition, there are also requirements for maintaining the distance between the fastening elements of the lightning protection system, the location of down conductors relative to window openings, doors and other building structures. You can get more detailed information in the material on how to properly lay down conductors.

If metal constructions fences, facade elements, pipes are located closer than 1.0 meters from down conductors and do not have a conductive connection with the structures of the protected building; such elements must be connected directly to the lightning protection system.

Requirements for lightning rods

Stage 4. We draw conclusions from lightning rods to future down conductors. Important clarification! To increase the efficiency of the system, the ends of the conductor on the skates must be 15 cm longer and bent slightly upward.

An example of a lightning protection device for a private house for a flat roof

For flat roof We use the "lightning mesh method".

Stage 1. First of all, in those areas where the probability of a lightning strike is greatest, and this is the edge or protrusions of the roof, we plan a conductor that will act as an lightning rod or the basic contour of the lightning rod mesh.

Stage 2. Similar to the previous example, we find the protection angle, transfer it to the drawing and check whether all elements of the structure are covered by the protective zone.

Stage 3. Actually, we supplement our contour with grid cells based on the fact that for buildings III class lightning protection, this size should be no more than 15x15 meters, that is, if the perimeter of your house is no larger, then it will be enough to leave only the basic contour, otherwise we recommend dividing the entire space into equal cells and laying conductors in this way.

Stage 4. If the roof has additional protruding elements, then we supplement the lightning protection device with lightning rods for the corresponding elements according to standard rules.

Basic lightning protection schemes for typical projects

The figure below shows lightning protection options for several standard projects houses (click to enlarge).

It is worth noting that in three variants the conductor on the skate is raised to a certain height. This indicates that the angle of inclination of the roof is greater than the angle of protection, and some part of the building does not fall within the protection zone. In fact, this is the simplest version of a cable lightning rod.

The shown grounding circuits should not be considered as focal ones; they are depicted only conditionally (for more details, see above).

We know what lightning is from our school desks. An electric discharge with a power of 100-200 thousand amperes destroys all objects where it hits. Most likely, lightning is attracted by tall buildings and trees.

Lightning protection of a private home is more relevant today than ever. Our homes are literally stuffed with electronics, household appliances, mobile phones, which increases the risk of lightning exposure. The danger of lightning for private homes, those not equipped with lightning rods are great - fire, destruction in the event of a direct hit by a discharge. The consequences of a discharge in the immediate vicinity of a building may be the failure of the electrical network or a separate device - a TV, computer, etc.

• Internal, protecting against a discharge that does not fall directly into the house, but, for example, into the power line that supplies internal wiring. In this case, an overvoltage occurs in the electrical network, the consequences of which can be disastrous. The internal protection is not visible; it is a small device - a limiter, a surge arrester, an SPD installed in the distribution board.
• External protection is the familiar lightning rod (as lightning protection is often incorrectly called) installed on the roof.

External protection of a private house from lightning

The system can be passive or active. The principle of operation of the first is simple, like everything ingenious. A metal lightning rod on the roof catches (attracts, intercepts) a lightning discharge and, through a current conductor, directs it to the ground, to the ground electrode.

Active lightning protection

Such lightning protection is more effective; it operates within a radius of 100 meters from a “cunning” lightning rod, which, by ionizing the surrounding air, intercepts a lightning discharge. Then it works like passive protection. The main advantage of the device is the lightning protection coverage of neighboring residential buildings and outbuildings over a fairly large area.

Types of external lightning protection for a home

Based on the type of design, there are modular-pin, cable and mesh lightning protection.

Pin

The pin system is called because of the lightning rod, which is installed in the highest part of the roof, and is a metal rod (pin). This design is suitable for lightning protection of a private house with a roof made of metal tiles or any other material.

Rosovaya

This type of installation protective device allowed if the roof is slate, tiled, but not metal.

The lightning rod is a cable (thick wire, rod) stretched at a height of 0.3-0.5 m along the ridge of the house.

Mesh

The system is considered the most complex in terms of installation. It is made from wire rod with a diameter of 6-8 mm, which in the form of a grid with cells of 6x6 meters is laid over the entire roof area. At the intersection of horizontal and vertical rods, it is welded. It is attached to the roof with brackets.

Mesh lightning protection for a house is installed, like cable lightning protection, on a slate or tiled roof.

Down conductor

For this element of the system, round steel (copper, aluminum) with a diameter of at least 6 mm is used. The down conductor is secured with brackets along the roof and walls. Usually during installation they try to lay the “route” away from window and doorways as required regulations, and so as not to spoil the exterior of the building.

When laying a conductor, you need to follow some simple rules:

• On wooden surfaces The conductor should be mounted at a distance of 15-20cm from the wall;
• If a long-length cable receiver, a large-area mesh receiver or a pin receiver consists of several elements, then there must be several down conductors (CO 153-34.21. 122-2003)

When constructing a new structure, lightning protection of a cottage or house is already “built into” project documentation. But if Vacation home or country house If you have just purchased it and there is no “lightning rod” on it, then the most reasonable solution would be to protect yourself and your loved ones from lightning strikes yourself, or with the help of hired specialists.

If you have the skills to perform construction work, lightning protection of a private house with your own hands will not be problematic issue, but will save money.

Ground loop

The principle of the ground electrode device is extremely simple. Three steel module pins 1.5-2 meters long, 16-20 mm in diameter with zinc coating, are driven into the ground and connected in series.

This design has a number of advantages:

• Possibility of installation to any depth without the use of special equipment;
• Low labor intensity. The work can be done by one person;
• The greater depth of immersion of the electrode pin increases the efficiency of grounding;
• The connection of elements does not require welding (using special clamps);
• The entire system is hidden underground.

The circuit is driven into the ground no closer than 1 m to the foundation of the house, and no closer than 5 m to the front door.

The principle of operation of internal lightning protection of a house

It is difficult to imagine life today without electronic and household electrical devices and instruments. All this equipment is connected to the power grid, and cables also go from the computer and TV to local network and satellite dish.

Data transmission lines through receivers, servers, distribution devices, power lines are susceptible to lightning strikes and the influence of electromagnetic fields. Under certain circumstances high voltage and high current flows through the cables to a low potential, i.e. TV, refrigerator, computer. The result may be failure of electrical appliances, fire, or threat to human life.

To protect yourself and your home, you need internal organization lightning protection of a private home or surge protection.

Such protection operates simply - it instantly equalizes the potentials between the electrical conductors. This task is performed by an SPD - special device surge protection.

Installation of this device is possible only after installing reliable external protection. To implement a lightning protection system for a private home, a project is being developed that takes into account all the ways to enter a high-voltage building.

After installing the SPD, non-current-carrying elements are connected to the grounding bus, and lines that cannot be grounded are connected to the bus through the SPD.

To select an SPD device, there are rules that can be divided into groups depending on:

• Indicators of the protected network - current, voltage, frequency, wire cross-section;
• Network type - power supply, cable TV, telephone line, alarm system, etc.;
• The significance of the protected object - PC, TV or bank server.

Do you need lightning protection for a private home?

The answer can be unequivocal - it is necessary! There are still many unknowns in the world, especially the mysteries of nature. If in a city a television tower or a high-rise building “protects” many surrounding houses from lightning, then in a private development area, as a rule, there are no such structures. But not far from the house there is a tall pine tree, which serves as a natural “lightning rod”. But this is a theory; it’s still better and calmer to feel safe in “your fortress.”

Historical background or Who invented the lightning rod? A lightning rod (or lightning rod) is a mechanism that is installed on structures and performs the function of protection against lightning strikes. Colloquially also known as a “lightning rod”.

It is generally accepted that the lightning rod was an invention of Benjamin Franklin, which he made in 1752, but there is also evidence that similar structures existed before this date (for example, the high masts of ancient temples in Ancient Egypt, there were also buildings at the Temple of King Solomon in Jerusalem, the Nevyansk Tower, paper kites by Jacques Rom). In Russia, the first lightning rods were created by M. V. Lomonosov and G. V. Richman in 1753.

In this article we will talk about what a lightning rod is and how it works, who invented the lightning rod and how to make a lightning rod for country house with your own hands.

Lightning discharges are an extremely dangerous natural phenomenon, especially in situations where structures are located in open areas, precisely because in order to ensure the peace and safety of your family, it is necessary to install a lightning rod. Installing a lightning rod will not require a huge amount of time, but in the end you will be sure that the buildings are reliably protected from various weather troubles.

Necessary funds and building materials

To install a lightning rod in a private house you will need:

• pin for lightning rod;
• metal wire made of copper or aluminum with a cross-section of 6 mm and corrugation for the current conductor;
• stainless steel for grounding preparation;
• welding machine;
• saw with a blade for metal;
• drill - electric;
• multimeter;
• sledgehammer or hammer;
• bayonet shovel;
• spanners;
• M8 or M10 bolts;
• dowels;
• clamps for fastening;
• powerful wooden pole;
• holders.

Preparation stage

Planning must begin with determining the height of the structure. The top of the lightning rod must be positioned up to 12 meters above the ground.

It is necessary to take into account that structures designed to protect buildings from lightning strikes protect buildings only in a limited area. The space around the structure itself can be considered protected. Therefore, when building a lightning rod, it is necessary to take this into account and build them in such a way that all objects located on the site are protected.

There are two types of structures:

• Type A
• Type B

Type A lightning rods provide 99% protection, making them the most effective lightning protection structures.

Structures of type B, compared to structures of type A, are less efficient and, as a result, protect the structure by only 95%.

Important! The safety zone created by the lightning rod will be within a radius of 1.5 times the height of the mast.

That is, at a height of 10 meters, the lightning rod will cover an area with a diameter of 30 meters. If it is necessary to protect a larger area with buildings, then the construction of two or three masts, evenly spaced throughout the area, will help solve the problem of lightning removal. The lightning rod must be at a height of more than 2 meters from the surface to effectively perform the function of protecting the house from lightning.

Selection of grounding installation location

The grounding loop must be located at a distance of up to 1 meter from the foundation of the building that will be protected by the lightning rod, and a few meters from the sidewalks and porch. The grounding point during a thunderstorm is dangerous, so it is necessary to position it so as not to put household members and guests at risk. It would be best to find a place for it near a wall or fence enclosing the house. One option is to place some kind of flower bed or other composition of boulders, stones, etc. around the grounding zone.

Most suitable materials for components:

It is also necessary to determine and mark in advance the locations of all structural elements.

Installation of the structure

• Installation of ground electrode.

After marking, a triangle-shaped hole is created using a shovel - each side of which must be at least 1200 mm, with a depth of 600 - 700 mm. A trench is laid from the top of the triangle towards the wall of the house. At the end point the end of the down conductor will be suitable.

At the ends of the vertical parts of the grounding elements, the corners are cut off with a grinder, then the pointed ends are driven into the ground to a depth of 2 meters with a heavy metal sledgehammer. When digging the pointed ends of the grounding into the ground, it is necessary to strike with a sledgehammer strictly vertically so as not to bend the structure.

Using a welding machine, pieces of the same material are welded, from which a metal triangle is formed in the trenches.

• Installation of a lightning rod (lightning rod).

To install an air terminal, you can use two methods:

The current collector is laid on the roof and then vertically down on the wall and is attached to the roof and wall with semicircular plastic or metal clamps. The lower part of the current washer must be fixed to the grounding lead from the wall of the house.

To do this, a hole is made in the grounding plate into which a bolt with a washer, nut and locknut is installed. The stripped (sharp) end of the down conductor is clamped using a washer, nut and bolt, along with a twisted pair wire wrapped around the bolt. Then the holes are filled in.

Examination

The installed system must be checked with a multimeter. Perform a resistance measurement - the device should have a value no higher than 10 ohms. If the device readings differ from the standard ones, check all the joints of the structure - there should be good electrical conductivity along the entire contour of the structure.

Conclusion

Right installed lightning rod on the roof is able to protect the house and nearby buildings from lightning.

It is important to note that in the case of private houses, the issue of lightning rod is decided by the owner. There are a number of factors when locating buildings that, in principle, minimize the likelihood of a lightning strike into a house:

• if the house is located in a low area, then the probability of a lightning strike to the house during a thunderstorm is extremely low;
• If there is a taller building next to the house, it will most likely be struck by lightning. Thus, the danger of a lightning strike is mitigated by the presence of more tall building next to him;
• If a lightning rod is installed on a neighboring house, then your house may also fall within the coverage area of ​​the neighbor's lightning rod.

Thus, in some cases there may not be an urgent need to install a lightning rod. The feasibility of installation must be assessed depending on the above factors.