Protect farms from lightning

As we all know, lightning is very dangerous and can cause a great deal of damage in any environment, however, lightning is particularly dangerous in a farm environment. Lightning strikes can start fires in buildings, damage electrical equipment, and electrocute humans and livestock causing disrupting farm operations and incurring considerable expenses.

In order to prevent these losses, installing lightning protection is highly recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture .

To ensure that lightning protection systems are safe and effective they should be designed and installed only by trained professionals because certain codes and standards must be followed.

LPI-175: The lightning protection code, published by the Lightning Protection Institute.

NFPA 78: National Fire Protection Association Lightning Protection Code.

ASAE EP381: American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Engineering Practice.

96AUL: Requirements for Master Label for Lightning Protection, developed by Underwriters' Laboratories.

Components of the system:

The main components of a building’s lightning protection system are air terminals, conductors, and ground electrodes.

Lightning arrestors should be installed outside, where the electric service enters a building, or at the inside service entrance. The arrestor supplies a ground so that a power surge will not enter the building. If a farm has several buildings with separate electric service entrances, a grounded lightning arrestor should be installed in each building.

Wire fences supported by wooden or steel posts set in concrete are not grounded. The best way to ground these fences is to drive 1/2- or 3/4- inch steel rods or pipes next to the fence posts at least 5 feet into the ground, at intervals of no more than 150 feet along the fence. The grounding rod should be securely fastened so that all the fence wires are in contact with the rod.

Maintenance of the system is vital to make sure the system will work when it is needed. Weather conditions, such as high winds, along with building additions and re-roofing can affect a system’s performance.