Material for a lightning rod

Again and again you hear that you shouldn't be out with an umbrella during thunderstorms, as the metal is very suitable as a lightning arrester. You have probably already asked yourself what material the lightning protection system should actually be made of in order to provide reliable protection.

These materials are suitable

• What is certain for you is that lightning rods should somehow be made of metal, since metal is considered to be particularly conductive. But what is the best material?
• In principle, copper would be the material that would be best suited for an outdoor lightning rod. But when you look at copper prices and consider that the average should be at least 8mm, it explains why they're so rare to find. In addition, copper is quite susceptible to corrosion and affects its appearance.
• You will find lightning protection systems made of galvanized steel or stainless steel much more frequently. The conductivity of the material is also very good, but it is many times cheaper than copper. Another advantage of galvanized steel is its high resistance to corrosion.
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• You can also find lightning rods made of aluminum alloys. However, since aluminum conducts significantly worse than copper, silver or steel, this metal is not used as often.


Is a lightning rod compulsory? - You should know that

When building a house, one often wonders whether a lightning rod makes sense ...

What you should consider with lightning rods

• You should not install lightning protection systems yourself, as there are so many Norms must be observed when setting up a lightning protection system.
• Certainly you can protect your electrical devices independently with surge protection.
• However, you should leave the installation of the external and internal lightning protection to a specialist.

The fact that metal has proven itself as a material for lightning rods does not mean that every material is equally suitable.