Should A Metal Roof Be Grounded
You have numerous options when it comes to re roofing your home including asphalt shingles concrete tiles and metal roof panels.
Should a metal roof be grounded. You might choose to install a metal roof because they do not rot crack peel burn or blow off. Some actual disadvantages to metal roofs. In general there s no need to unless it s mandated by your local building codes. Your metal roof is not grounded and thus lighting has no reason to strike it.
Hazardous currents have a path to ground the massive buried copper network and grounding electrodes. If you plan on using metal roofing you may need to consider whether or not you need to ground that roofing like other metal equipment in construction. Do you need to ground metal roofs. Do you need to have your metal roof grounded.
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. A metal roof in no way makes your home more vulnerable or susceptible to lightning strikes. Likewise the electrical system needs to have a good active ground. Further in a dry environment it might be necessary to water the grounding stakes to assure good contact with the surrounding soil.
By bonding the steel rebar you simply eliminate the difference in potential between the metal objects above the steel rebar and the steel rebar you are not forcing current to travel through it to find a path to ground. We elaborate further in this post. Metal roofing is safe and you won t incur additional risks if you don t ground it in most circumstances. Wouldn t a grounded metal roof protect your home.
In simple terms the answer is no. Metal roofing is perfectly safe. Dry soil is an insulator. Experts say metal roofing systems aren t any more likely to be struck by lightning than other types of roofs.
It is important to have every vertical metal support beam grounded required in the building code with a metal building.