What is a Lightning Protection System?

Lightning Protection System

The system for lightning protection is designed in a way to keep your structure or site safe from any damage that a lightning bolt may cause. This is done by intercepting the strike by safely passing it all the way to the ground. This system for lightning protection involves a network comprised of different air terminals, ground electrodes and bonding conductors.

NY engineers design these network elements to create a path with low impedance all the way to the ground for any of the potential strikes. Such a protection system will keep your structure away from any strikes. It can also mitigate any fire hazard. Due to the low impedance path for the charge to follow its heating capacity reduces significantly when it flows through the flammable materials of a structure or a building.

Need help?

Keith Fink

Principal

(786) 788-0295

inquiry@ny-engineers.com

Get In Touch

Why Choose Us?

We are one of the fastest growing MEP design firms in the construction industry. We pride ourselves on having a fast turnaround while providing cost effective solutions. We are licensed in 50 states and are your one stop shop for all MEP design needs.

0

States

We are licensed in all 50 states!

0

Errors

We design to the perfection

0

Days

Enjoy our lightening fast turnaround

0

Projects

We have completed so far!

0

First Time Approval

Our designs are approved by DOB in one go

0

Repeat Customers

The best service experience in the market

Get Pricing On a New MEP Design Proposal in Fewer than 24 Hours

Request a proposal

Why Go For Lightning Protection?

Structure Lightning Protectors

A system for lightning protection is designed to transfer the energy from the bolt towards the earth to protect your building. Lightning strikes are one of the most destructive elements of nature. The reason behind that is a single bolt of lightning may carry more than one billion volts. The temperature of such lightning can reach over 28,000°C. Due to the changing patterns of weather, the number of these lightning strikes has increased not only in Chicago but all around the US.

Various types of systems for lightning protection are available. A basic type of system is good enough to work but a rapidly short time and high-temperature rise can make such a system vulnerable. The current will flow through all the conductive paths and even divided currents can create a tremendous amount of damage. The secondary side flashes can ignite fires or even blow concrete, stone or brick structures. This situation can put the occupants of a building under a serious amount of risk and can also be devastating for the building itself. Therefore it is essential for you to go for good quality systems for lightning protection.

Structure Protectors Offered By NYE

Lightning Arresters : In the case of telephony or telegraphy, our engineers position the arrestor right next to the wires where they enter a building. The arrestors are also known as the surge protectors and they are connected right between the ground and the electrical conductor within a communication or power system.

These arrestors are able to protect the electronic instruments involving the network as well as the safety of all the individuals in the nearby areas of the building. These arrestors work very well to control the rise in temperature due to a lightning strike.

Protectors For Distribution Systems Of Electricity

Lightning Protection System

In the overhead high tension electric transmission systems a couple of light gauged conductors are placed at the top of the poles, towers or pylons. These poles or pylons are not part of any electric network within the building. In fact, they are designed in a way to act as lightning terminators and keep the primary conductors away from any risk. The protectors are directly linked with earth or with extra ground electrodes that are present at frequent intervals throughout the line.

Protection Devices for Mast Radiators : Mast radiators are ground insulated because of the gap at the bottom. However, a lightning strike can jump through this gap without any problem. A small piece of inductivity within the feed line between the tuning unit and the mast can limit the brisk increase in voltage and it can keep the transmitter safe. There should be a device for the purpose of monitoring the electrical properties of the antenna.

It is critical because a charge can remain even after a strike and it can damage the insulator. This monitoring device can switch the transmitter off in case of unusual or incorrect behavior such as a lightning strike. The changes will dissipate when the transmitter gets turned off.

Grounding Protections & Lightning Conductors : The underground section of an assembly should be present in the region of high-ground conductivity. It is critical because if the underground cable is not able to resist rust effectively then it needs to be coated with salt for the purpose of improving its grounded electrical connections.

The inductivity reactance can be of significant concern even when the electrical resistance of the conductor in between the earth and air terminal counts a lot.

How Can NY Engineers Assist You?

Our team of technical professionals can assist you in developing a lightning protection system that is just right for your building. Our primary aim is to make your entire structure safe from any strikes while keeping the cost under control. We discuss all the details associated with the project and develop an understanding of all the goals and objectives associated with it.

We pride ourselves in providing our clients with services and solutions that are tailored according to their requirements. Our recommendation for a particular type of system is based on the current situation and needs of our clients.

NY engineers also make sure that our recommendations completely comply with the safety guidelines and benchmarks set by the Chicago Building Code and other regulatory authorities.

Risk Assessments, Installation, Testing & Maintenance

Assessment & Evaluations : Our technical engineers are familiar with various requirements set by different regulatory authorities including the Chicago Building Code. For this reason, if you already have a lightning protection system installed in your building our engineers will quickly run an evaluation as per the safety requirements.

Protection and safety against any lightning risks is a must and our team will run a test on your existing systems. It is important for us to provide you with all the detailed results before any new design or modifications to the current design are recommended. The test will be run according to the level of safety and protection required for a specific project.

Designing & Installation : At NYE the satisfaction of our clients is our primary objective. Our accredited systems design engineers will develop a design for your system and correct it according to the results acquired from the risk assessment. In addition to that, our team will also work closely with your engineers and architects and conduct site surveys. Our designs adhere to the relevant standards and we can also provide you with full CAD or marked up drawing as per requirements.

The protection system against lightning strikes must be properly installed because it needs to perform in the case of a lightning strike to keep your building safe. We have a variety of fixings for different types of surfaces including cladding, brick, wood, and concrete.

We also have a range of non-penetrative fixings to go well with all kinds of roof surfaces. These include tile, slate, felt, membrane, copper, lead and others. Furthermore, our team of professionals is trained for using safe access techniques for reaching different areas and ensuring the installation is at its highest quality standard.

Repair, Maintenance, and Rectification : It is important for the systems for lightning protection to function according to the design requirements in case of lightning strikes. For this purpose adequate maintenance and repairs are essential. These systems need to be in good shape to work properly and for this reason; our technical staff can take care of all the repairs and maintenance work needed for your system to work at an optimal level.

In this regard system recertification is very important to keep the terms aligned with no-strike assurance. The recertification can involve:

  • An inspection of all the grounded connections
  • Minor repairs as required
  • Evaluation of system configuration
  • The chem-rods are tested and refilled
  • The surge protectors are verified to be working adequately
  • If allowed the panoramic photos of the site will be taken
  • An evaluation report will be generated which will outline the safety findings and various actions taken for the corrections

Testing & Inspection : According to the Chicago Building Code, all the systems that are designated for lightning protection need to be maintained and inspected with regularity. The intervals for inspection and maintenance should not exceed 1 year. In addition to that, these systems must be tested by professionals or experienced technicians at the end of each year.

However, we recommend that you need to schedule the testing and maintenance procedures at least every 11 months. It is essential for getting the entire picture of the earthing system and provides us with enough time to take care of seasonal variations. Our team of professionals only uses fully certified and calibrated instruments for the purpose of tests and inspections.

How NYE Is Different From Other Service Providers?

NY Engineers have been working in this field for a very long time now. Our team of professionals has a vast amount of knowledge and experience when it comes to assessing, designing, and maintaining different systems for lightning protection.

You can hire our services confidently because we offer:

  • Engineering and technical expertise
  • Controlled costs
  • Lightning protection advice and consultation
  • Safety and protection against lightning
  • Improve functionality
  • Supervision of staffs and crews
  • Subcontracting the equipment
  • Providing turnkey pricing for project management, permits, and insurance
  • Overcoming any obstacles associated with the installation process
  • Maintaining the current or existing systems and scheduling recertification visits
  • NYE is a member of different safety organizations

Due to technological advancements more and more buildings and structures are becoming equipped with different types of electric, computerized and communication systems. These systems put the buildings right in the path of nature’s one of the most powerful elements. The structures are at risk of damage and these can lead to losses of millions of dollars.

The key factor for you to consider here is that not only you need to hire a good quality service for this purpose but also keep an eye on the budget. Hence, it is important for you to hire the services of professionals who know what to do in this regard.

You can trust our team of technical professionals because they have years of experience and knowledge when it comes to dealing with the systems for lightning protection. First of all, they will discuss the project with you and understand what are your goals and objectives. The next thing is to assess any existing systems and make recommendations, after the approval of those suggestions a design or remodeling of the entire system is done. After the completion of the entire project, a test run is conducted for quality assurance and then maintenance scheduling is discussed.

Have an MEP Engineering Project? Talk To Us.