The varying nature of lightning has been attracting people for thousands of years. On the one hand, it is a dangerous natural phenomenon that brings calamity and destruction; on the other hand, it is a beautiful, magical and difficult-to-understand moment during bad weather. Safe lightning protection will help you enjoy the beauty of lightning securely and calmly knowing your health and home is safe.
What exactly is lightning?
Remember, when you were a child, grandmothers would unplug cables and close the windows. There was a grain of truth in that, as lightning forms in the electric field discharge between clouds. Mostly this process happens during thunderstorms, blizzards and volcano eruptions. Lightning can be visualised by imaging a voluminous electrical spark that is formed between oppositely charged electric fields. In the heaven, the atmosphere, there are always stocks of electricity; thus, this electrical field can discharge anywhere.
People in Latvia often think that in our climatic conditions lightning protection is not too much required as lightning is rare. Of course, lighting is more common near the equator – the Ethiopians see powerful thunderstorms up to 220 days a year. But also in Latvia lightning is quite often, in particular in summer; therefore, lightning protection is really necessary.
The reason for having lightning protection is utterly simple. The lightning flash is imperceptibly instant: it lasts only 0.2 seconds but can change your life for good. It is 2-3 km long and is able to melt sand. If it strikes a tree, it literally boils its juice from within. Just imagine what happens to your home if it does not have lightning protection.
Lightning protection through centuries
It was Loskotov, Russian scientist, who introduced a lightning conductor to the world in the 18th century. Knowing the unperceivable force of lightning, he invented a simple method of protecting buildings. Loskotov affixed a vertical metal rod to the building and connected it with a wire to a metal object inserted in the ground.