How to Arrange Roof Conductors for Lightning

Lightning often strikes with no forewarning. One way to prevent damage from lightning is to provide a pathway for its electricity to travel from the top of your house or other building to the ground. The pathway is called a conductor. The U.S. National Fire Protection Association developed strict requirements for the placement of conductor components on roofs. For safety reasons, a certified professional should install roof conductors.

Copper-conducting cable designed for lightning
Electrodes
Shovel

Instructions

- 1
  Place the topmost part of a lightning conductor, which is the air terminal, so that it projects at least 10 inches higher than the building it protects or prominent pieces of metal. The air terminal is the first object between the ground and the sky where lightning should hit. The maximum height is 36 inches, and anything over 24 inches requires a support.
- 2
  Put the air terminals at least 20 feet apart from each other horizontally. If, for example, you have a long 100-foot long barn sitting on top of a hill, space five air terminals on the roof, and space them 20 feet apart. An exception exists for terminals higher than 24 inches, which can be 25 feet apart.
- 3
  Install one air terminal and its conductors at least 2 feet from each end of the roof. They will protect the roof's ends, or its gables.
- 4
  Run copper-conducting cable made specifically for lightning conduction from each air terminal either to another horizontal terminal or to the ground. Each terminal needs two pathways for electricity to travel to the ground.
- 5
  Run the copper-conducting cable from the roof to ground-level electrodes. Place the connections at the building's corners at least 1 foot below grade and 2 feet from the building to pull electricity from lightning from the structure.

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