BJ Price
In April of 2015, we moved to my grandfather’s farm just north of Eaton. I grew up in the house right next door and being the sentimental person I am, I had more attachment to the place than the average Joe. When my wife and I had the chance to purchase the farm in early 2024, we jumped on it. In the almost-nine years we had lived there up to that point, I had been making a mental list of the permanent improvements that needed to be made once our name was on the deed.
Towards the top of the list of the projects calling my name was a new roof for the Morton building. I’m not sure why we never came up with a more imaginative name for it, but this is coming from the guy who had a tomcat named Tommy as a kid. I remember it being built when I was a kid, but I don’t recall the exact year. It had to be sometime in the mid-1980’s. It’s now 2024 and until three weeks ago, the Morton building still sported its original three-tab asphalt shingle roof that was pushing 40 years old.
The roof should have been replaced years ago. Every time the wind blew, there were shingles waving back at me or just plain blowing off. I patched it countless times, being sure to use matching tan shingles on the front side that everyone could see coming back the lane, while the back side was a mix of the original tan and some whitish-green shingles that were left over from another project.
Three of the buildings on the farm were outfitted with lightning rods right from the start: the house, shop, and Morton building. As we were tearing off the old shingles in preparation to put down a new metal roof, we had to remove the old lightning rods and cable. I commented to my dad whether it was worth putting the lightning rods back on. He mentioned that they were already there, so we might as well put them back on. That seemed reasonable enough to me, so while I was putting on the ridge cap and the gable trim, I fastened the original lightning rods and reattached the cable along with it.
Since I am much more familiar with how to manage water falling from the sky than electricity shooting out of the sky, I’ll defer to the National Weather Service for their take on lightning rods. After all, they should know a thing or two about lightning. In their words, “Lightning rods (and the accompanying protection system) are designed to protect a house or building from a direct lightning strike and, in particular, a lightning-initiated fire. Note that lightning protection systems do not prevent lightning from striking the structure, but rather intercept a lightning strike, provide a conductive path for the harmful electrical discharge to follow (the appropriate UL-listed copper or aluminum cable), and disperse the energy safely into the ground (grounding network). It’s very important that these components be properly connected (bonded) to minimize the chances for any sparks or side flashes.”
The three buildings equipped with lightning rods at our place are generally surrounded by trees much taller than them. I don’t think the lightning rods on the structures have ever been put to the test since the trees are much more likely to be struck. This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.
Reach BJ Price at 937-456-5159 for more information.
