Why aren't lightning rods more widely used?

Fires sparked by lightning are not uncommon in Houston, but there is a way to prevent them by using lightning rods. KHOU's Michelle Choi takes a look at why more people don't use this 250-year-old technology.

[elsamerysoto]

My childhood house was saved by a lightning rod. I heard thunder and then our house shook. I asked my mom what had happened. She said a lightning hit our house and went straight to the ground thanks to the lightning rod. Wow!! In my homeland Costa Rica all houses have a lightning rod.

[edbouhl]

I guess the same reason the Texas gas, electric, and water utilities didn’t install freeze protection. No one requires it - even though it would be a REALLY GOOD idea to do so.

[just_kos]

We had an old farmhouse in Portsmouth, NH (built in the 1700s) that had lightning rods like Ben Franklin invented. We used to love watching out the window as the lightning hit the rods on our barns!

[mattdaddy_]

In Europe almost all residential and commercial buildings have them.

[stevepowsinger]

I live in central Florida lightning capital of the world I believe. Lightning hits around my place all the time in the summer. I can only afford basic protections like surge protectors on sensitive equipment.

[randymillhouse]

Early morning 5/28/2024 there was a bad storm in the Dallas area. I went into work late. On my commute home I saw a home that looked like it had exploded from the inside center outwards. I am getting rods installed ASAFP.

[leviahimsa]

$5, 000 for just a metal rod, grounding wire and conduit? Seems like something you can do for under $100?

[rawjoice]

Thaty lightening rod looked like mnay could handle it. Why don't they explain the lightening rod they were holding? Was it copper? How do you install it, and must it be connected to the ground??

[joewj]

I think most people are concerned it could send you back to the year...1955.

[kristianthony]

That seems like an awfully high price for a rod and a cable that goes to the ground

[ChickenPermissionOG]

lightning rods bleed off electrons so you don't get struck.

[kiingpininvestments]

so what happens to these rods in a bad hail storm?

[SocialistDistancing]

Just recently in Ottawa Canada, 4 homes were hit by lightning the same night in the same storm.

[bigblackearl]

Apparently we have one on our house but the lightning has screwed up 4 of our tvs in a month so far so we checked the wiring apparently the wiring was loose on it so hopefully now no more tvs are sacrificed to storms

[TheSouthernSiren]

But why make them so ridiculously expensive?

[alijrob]

That last line just killed the motivation of the video

[robertpresha]

Shit five grand 😅. I did mine for $250.00.But I build houses for a living so it was easy for me.

[johnkruton]

All good until the tweakers drive by and steal your copper

[abcdef]

why pay $5000, get 10 jumper cables, mount one side on the roof and bury the other side 1m deep underground, you attach the other end with a metal bucket too. you will be happier that you made it

[TheZiiFamily]

Funny enough i got here trying to coming up with a Pokémon name