Quote Originally Posted by little_scrapper View Post
Ok so i understand the resons for grounding the power/telephone poles, and I understand the 'whole house' protectors. Are these also called lightening arrestor systems or is that something else?

Should one have grounded lightening rods on thier house or is this just "encourageing a strike" rather than routing errant lightening into the ground?
Lightning hunts for earth no matter what anyone does. A lightning strike down the street is a direct lightning strike to all household appliances. So we earth all incoming wires directly (cable TV, satellite dish) or via a 'whole house' protector (telephone, AC electric). Other sources of these transient include high voltage wires falling on local distribution, transients created by utility switching, stray cars, etc.

Lightning strike to a building is diverted (connected to earth) via lightning rods. That strike will occur with or without lightning rods. You simply choose what the path to earth will be. How much protection do you need? Neighborhood history for the past ten years is one indication for how much (or what) you might need.

Best price for a 'whole house' protector is in Lowes and Home Depot. Larger protectors for commercial installations may be $200. Best is to consult the electrician for what he usually installs. Installation in an apartment building (should) require an electrician. Pricing also available at electric supply houses. Some examples if they have not changed the link again:
http://www.eaton.com/ecm/idcplg?IdcS...ILE&dID=287147