- How the
- works
- components
How to operate the
To begin with, let's look at how the lightning protection of a private house works and what it takes to create it. Visually see all the components of the system you can on this diagram: 
As you have already understood, the metal rods on the roof are lightning detectors that divert a dangerous discharge to the ground through a current collector and a special earthing.
There is an opinion that if a telephone tower is installed near the house, it is possible not to make a lightning rod in a private house. This is wrong, becauseit is better to spend a little bit of time and provide yourself with full protection from a lightning strike. For you to know what a lightning conductor should be and how to make it correctly with your own hands, below we will separately consider the features of choosing each of the elements of the system.
Components of protection
Lightning detector
The main task is to select the lightning receiver correctly, which should ensure the full protection of the villa in the area of its operation. To date, as a receiver of lightning can act as a pin, mesh, rope or the roof itself. In detail we will consider the peculiarities of applying each of the options in a private house.
As for the pin, there are already finished products from manufacturers that have a suitable shape and convenient attachment. As a rule, the metal of the lightning collector is copper, aluminum or steel. The first option is most suitable and effective. In order for the receiver to perform its task well, its cross-section must be at least 35 mm2( if copper) or 70 mm2( steel rod).As for the length of the rod, it is recommended to use receivers 0.5 to 2 meters in length in domestic conditions. The pins are convenient to use to make a lightning rod on a garden house, a bath or another, small building. 
Metal mesh can also be sold in ready-made form. As a rule, the grid lightning receiver is a cellular frame made of reinforcement, 6 mm thick. The size of the cells can be from 3 to 12 meters. Most often this version of lightning protection is used in multi-apartment buildings and large buildings, for example, shopping centers. 
The rope is more practical at home and copes with the task better than the grid. To make a lightning rod in a private house with a cable, you need to stretch it along the roof( on the ridge) on wooden blocks, as shown in the photo below. The minimum diameter of the cable for lightning protection of the building must be 5 mm. Typically, this option is used if they want to make a lightning rod on a house with a slate roof. 
Well, the last option - the roof as a receiver, can be used in case the roof of a residential house is covered with corrugated board, metal roofing or other metal roofing material. With this version of the lightning rod, two important requirements are imposed on the roof. First, the thickness of the metal should be at least 0.4 mm. Secondly, under the roof there should not be flammable materials. To make a lightning rod in a private house with a metal roof can be much faster and at the same time saving on buying special lightning receivers.
We draw your attention to the fact that if you use a grid, its installation should be carried out at a height of not less than 15 cm above the roof itself!
The
As a current lead for a private house, 6-millimeter wire is used in copper, steel or aluminum. Connect the wire to the lightning receptacle and grounding system with bolts or welding. 
The only but very important requirement for a current collector is that it must be isolated from the environment and pass to the ground along the shortest path. As for insulation, in dachas and country houses the use of conventional cable channels is popular, which also applies if you need to do open wiring in the house with your own hands.
Earthing device
Well, the last element of the lightning rod is a grounding loop. In order not to make the material too voluminous, we singled out a separate article under this question - how to make a grounding in a private house. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information so that you will know all the subtleties of this stage.
In short, it can be said that the ground loop should be near the house, but not in the walking part of the site, but, on the contrary, closer to the fence. The tapping of the charge to the ground is carried out by metal rods, buried in the soil to a depth of 0.8 meters. All rods are better placed in the triangle pattern, which is just shown in the photo: 
So, with the components of the lightning protection on the roof, we got acquainted, now consider how to properly make a lightning rod with your own hands.
How to make
To make it clearer to you how to assemble the lightening system of a private house into a single unit, we provide step-by-step instructions with photo examples:
- We are calculating the material. The most important thing is choosing the length of the lightning detector. For effective protection it is necessary to make a calculation in this way: 1.5 of the radius of protection of the territory is the height of the mast. For example, if the height of the rod is 10 meters, the protection zone will have a diameter of 30 meters. The diagram below shows the whole point of the calculation. We draw your attention to the fact that for effective operation of the lightning rod, the height should not exceed 12 meters. If it is not possible to cover the entire area of the house with one lightning receptacle, it is better to make the masts in 2 or 3 different places.
- Install receivers in suitable locations, as recommended above.
- Independently stretch the roof and walls of the current from the rods to the ground. Mount the wire is recommended by special plastic fasteners. To make the extension of the wire length, use universal copper connectors. It is possible to facilitate the work, and conduct a current collector along the gutter, fixing the wire with clamps.
- Connect the current lead to the ground loop. For this it is recommended to use welding or bolted connection. In order for the contact to be good, and accordingly, the lightning rod is effective, before joining, clean all areas from rust and dirt to metallic color.
- Check the lightning protection with a multimeter, measuring its resistance. The display should show a value not exceeding 10 ohms.
That's the whole technology of creating a system to protect against lightning. As you can see, it is not difficult to make a lightning rod in a private house with your own hands, the main thing is to make the calculation work correctly. We recommend to review the video instructions, in which all stages of installation of the lightning rod are examined in more detail.
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