Introduction
Lightning protection is essential for commercial and industrial buildings; for aircraft hangers; towers and agricultural buildings; even for a single critical piece of equipment. The fire protection alone is worth it, but with the amount of sophisticated electronics in any modern enterprise, safeguarding that huge investment is vital.
We are the premier electrical contractor for installing your lightning protection
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Lightning damages your structures directly and indirectly
Direct affects of a “hit” are fire; burning out transformers and other electrical power distribution equipment; and shattering wood, windows and masonry. The temperature of a bolt of lightning is 20,000° centigrade. Without lightning protection, the power of that voltage is frightening. It will electrocute humans and livestock.
Indirect affects are power surges which burn out electrical equipment. Microprocessors are in all computers, and computers are in nearly all modern instruments. They won’t work unless they are getting stable current and the proper voltage -- too much and they “fry”. If you have facilities interconnected with above or below ground cables, they are “inducers”. Power, telephone, data and even underground plumbing could transfer damaging lightning surges into a building. HVAC vents which go from one structure to another can create electrical pathways. These are called “side flashes” or “spark over”.
There are four electrical engineering components that give you a complete lightning protection plan,
- Air terminals
- Conductors
- Grounding and common grounding
- Surge suppression
Damage from lightning strikes can be prevented by installing proper lightning protection systems. Our installations protect the main AC power panel; secondary distribution panels; control instrumentation, computers, printers, fire alarms, data recording and SCADA equipment, and more. The protection system shields incoming and outgoing data and signal lines; security alarms, security cameras, high mast lighting and any critical system to your enterprise.
Air terminals are also called lightning rods. This component of lightning protection is installed at intervals on roofs and other high points. Their job is to ensure that lightning will strike them and not another part of a building.
Conductorsare specially designed cables designed to divert the electrical energy of a strike to the ground. They are often at opposite corners of a building, and the number of conductors is part of the free site survey we perform for you.
Grounding electrodes receive the electrical charge from the conductors, and dissipate it safely into the earth. They are buried in the soil. The best method for eliminating side flashes is to interconnect common grounding. This means that the grounds for all the electrical systems, the telephone service, and underground metal piping are connected to the lightning protection system.
Surge suppression: You don’t have to suffer a direct hit to endure expensive damage. If lightning strikes a power line near your structure(s), it will travel along the line and enter your wiring. This causes a power surge that can “fry” electrical equipment and wiring. Surge suppression is not a “strip” to plug in equipment. It is specially designed equipment installed where power enters a building. It is grounded, so a lightning-induced surge is diverted from the building. Any electronics that are critical to your operation as well as equipment interconnected by cables require surge suppressers.
We often install cable shielding to further reduce surges. We use shielded cabling when we cable new or retro-fit construction, because it is a built in surge suppressor.
It makes sense to have your lightning protection system installed by an electrical contractor
Call 615-865-6869 now for a free site survey
Call us to install
lightning protection in Nashville, Brentwood, Antioch, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Gallatin, Englewood, and Hendersonville