EMC Question of the Week: May 14, 2018
Lightning rods on buildings must be electrically connected through a low-gauge wire to
- the primary lightning protection of all cables entering the building
- all metal plumbing in the building
- the earth
- all of the above
Answer
The correct answer is "c." Lightning rods work by routing lightning currents safely to the earth without generating arcs that might cause fires or otherwise damage the infrastructure. They must generally be connected through a low-gauge wire directly to the earth. The current path should be as direct as possible, remaining outside the structure. Lightning rods should never be connected directly to other conductors that could provide alternate current paths.
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