A grounding system’s job is to connect the electrical system of the house to the ground underneath. This limits the potentials of lightning to create havoc on the property, electrical equipments, and human life. A grounding rod is an essential part of this system, connected to the physical earth, diminishing the powers of lightning.
It was Benjamin Franklin’s groundbreaking experiments with electricity that resulted in the invention of the first grounding rod. This happened in 1750; when Franklin thought about ways to protect people and structures from lightning.
Why do we need a rod?
When lightning strikes its sole aim is to reach the ground. With no designated path, it uses any conductor available, normally electrical and cable lines, water and gas pipes. As a result posing hazards to the building it strikes, the people living and every electrical product. This lightning protection system, including the grounding rod acts as a safe pathway for the lightning current to reach earth.
How does it work?
A rod, typically small and standing vertical is erected on the roof. Conductor cables are attached to this rod which runs down to the ground (earth). This cable carries the lightning current from the rod to the ground. Buried deep into the earth, protecting the structure are the grounding rods connected with the conductor cables. It finally discharges the lightning current away from the structure into the earth.
If lightning ever hits your building, the smartest thing to do is to give it a safe passage to where it wants to go. This traditional method still has the potential to destroy sensitive equipment when the current is passing through the ‘safe’ passage. Installing this conventional system requires more real estate and electrodes to meet the required resistance.
What if you knew of a grounding rod that can provide low resistance interface with true earth and also use less real estate!
We are talking about Chem-Rods. These grounding electrodes use advanced technology to maintain lower resistance in all seasons and require less real estate for installation. These chemical grounding rods provide permanent soil treatment solution thereby creating an ever increasing lower resistant ground.
They are most useful in areas with limited earth for grounding and are very cost effective for reaching target resistance. Chem-Rod by LEC has been solving problems posed by conventional grounding rods for over 30 years. Each of their products has consistently provided low resistance when tested against different types of grounding electrodes.
Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc. (LEC) serves its clients by installing and maintaining lightning protection systems (LPS), and prevention solutions. Equipped with over four decades of experience, LEC has provided successful support to over 90 countries and throughout the United States.