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HomeBarndominiumWhy Steel Barndominiums Don't Attract Lightning during storms.

Why Steel Barndominiums Don’t Attract Lightning during storms.

How Steel Barndos Use Electrical Conductivity to Avoid Lightning Damage

Steel barndominiums have grown in popularity for their spacious interiors and durability. But metal construction seems intuitively more at risk for destructive lightning strikes during storms versus traditional wood homes. Counterintuitively, steel buildings are actually far less likely to take direct hits. Let’s explore how steelโ€™s innate electrical conductivity guides lightning safely around barndos.

Understanding Lightning Behavior

When lightning forms, it seeks the shortest, least resistant path between the storm cloud and earth. Taller structures are more vulnerable to strikes because they provide quick shortcuts to the ground over surrounding landscape. Given options, lightning will favor conductive materials like metal or water rather than more resistant materials like wood, fiberglass or rubber.

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Steel Provides Electrical Conductivity

Steel is inherently highly conductive, meaning electricity can pass through it rapidly. This grants lightning current an easy path, allowing it to flow through a steel building and into the ground quickly without lingering. Steel building materials present very low electrical resistance.

Lightning Rod Effect

Thanks to steelโ€™s conductivity, the entire barndominium frame essentially acts like an integrated lightning rod system. Rather than directly striking and damaging the roof surface itself, lightning is more apt to hit one of the steel corner columns, rafters, or peak caps. The electrical current then harmlessly disperses into the ground.

metal building

Minimal Fire Ignition Risks

While extremely high temperatures occur at the point where lightning contacts a building, steel has innate non-combustible properties. This means steel barndominiums are far less prone to catching fire the way sparks can ignite wood structures. Steel itself will not spark and spread flames.

BM3151-G-B BARNDOMINIUM PLAN

In summary, steelโ€™s natural conductivity enables it to safely dissipate lightning strikes away from barndominium living spaces. Understanding these electrical properties provides reassurance for homeowners in lightning-prone regions. Steel buildings use their inherent conductivity to electrical advantage, guiding current harmlessly into the earth.

Aaron Scott
Aaron Scott
Aaron Scott is a freelance writer and researcher that has written hundreds of articles for online companies in the area of construction, design, finance and automotive. He's a Southern boy that enjoys creek fishing, hunting and camping. He's rarely seen without his trusted beagle hound "Scooter"
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