Lightning rods are made of metal, a highly conductive material, so it stands to reason that metal roofing systems are also in danger of attracting lightning. This is actually a myth, contrary to popular belief. In fact, in the unlikely event that your home is struck with lightning, a metal roof can actually lessen the damage.

Harmony Home Improvement, your go-to company for replacement window services in the state, further elaborates below.

Debunking the Myth

First of all, lightning rods aren’t designed to attract lightning. Rather, they’re designed to protect tall buildings from the effects of lightning strikes by channeling the current into the ground. This means that the earlier assumption is faulty.

Lightning is unpredictable. Based on the knowledge scientists have gathered so far, the location of lightning strikes seem to be influenced by geography, topography, and the movement of storms. While people have a good understanding of lightning, they still can’t predict where they’ll strike, meaning that any similarities between incidents of lightning strikes are likely to be mere coincidence.

Metal Roofs: Protection Against Lightning

As mentioned earlier, metal roofs can protect your home, provided the structure is properly grounded. The damage to a house, in this case, is largely determined by the building material’s resistance to lightning strikes; the less its resistance to lightning, the less likely a building will suffer damage. This means metal, an excellent conductor, would be able to safely direct the lightning into the ground.

In fact, structures made of wood, a material with more resistance to electricity, are more likely to suffer damage, hence the advice about avoiding trees during thunderstorms. You might want to keep this in mind if you’re thinking of adding a new hardwood deck and looking for a contractor specializing in deck installation services.

Of course, a metal roof still needs to provide adequate protection against the elements, which is why it should only be installed by a certified contractor.

Harmony Home Improvement is a contractor with an A plus rating from the BBB and an A rating on Angie’s List. In addition to general roofing services, we also offer vinyl siding installation services. To get a free estimate, call (860) 516-9103 or fill out this form. We serve homeowners in South Windsor, CT as well as other areas in Connecticut.