Should Metal Roofs Be Grounded

Lightning is a powerful destructive force of nature and will strike a building regardless of its type of roofing.

Should metal roofs be grounded. Wouldn t a grounded metal roof protect your home. Still the type of roofing is one of several risk factors. No in fact the best thing you can do for your own personal safety during a thunderstorm is to head indoors. Nor do metal roofs protect a building against lightning.

It does not attract any extra attention from lightning and just like buildings constructed with traditional building materials any electricity from a lightning strike will will be safely transferred to the ground below so occupants will be unaffected. Do you need to have your metal roof grounded. In general there s no need to unless it s mandated by your local building codes. Some actual disadvantages to metal roofs.

We elaborate further in this post. What if lightning struck your roof. Metal roofs are resistant to wind and hail weigh less than asphalt shingles require little maintenance and are energy efficient. Your metal roof is not grounded and thus lighting has no reason to strike it.

Do you need to ground metal roofs. Metal roofs do not attract lightning strikes. Metal conducts electricity but when you are dealing with a full roof a lightning strike would ground out through the rest of the structure without causing damage or harm to the interior. In the case of a metal roofed building any electricity from a lightning strike will be safely transferred to the ground below so occupants will be unaffected.

A metal roof in no way makes your home more vulnerable or susceptible to lightning strikes. The only way to protect a building is with a properly designed and installed lightning protection system lps. Metal roofing is perfectly safe. In simple terms the answer is no.

Because metal roofs are by definition made out of metal you might be concerned about lightning and wonder whether you need to attach a lightning rod to your metal roof. The short answer is no you don t have to ground a metal roof and you will incur no additional risk if you don t ground it in most circumstances.