Should Metal Roofs Be Grounded

The short answer is no you don t have to ground a metal roof and you will incur no additional risk if you don t ground it in most circumstances.

Should metal roofs be grounded.

Because metal roofs are by definition made out of metal you might be concerned about lightning and wonder whether you need to attach a lightning rod to your metal roof. What if lightning struck your roof. In general there s no need to unless it s mandated by your local building codes. The only way to protect a building is with a properly designed and installed lightning protection system lps.

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. A metal roof in no way makes your home more vulnerable or susceptible to lightning strikes. Wouldn t a grounded metal roof protect your home. Nor do metal roofs protect a building against lightning.

Your metal roof is not grounded and thus lighting has no reason to strike it. Do you need to ground metal roofs. We elaborate further in this post. Lightning is a powerful destructive force of nature and will strike a building regardless of its type of roofing.

Experts say metal roofing systems aren t any more likely to be struck by lightning than other types of roofs. In the case of a metal roofed building any electricity from a lightning strike will be safely transferred to the ground below so occupants will be unaffected. Metal roofing is perfectly safe. Still the type of roofing is one of several risk factors.

In simple terms the answer is no. Metal roofs do not attract lightning strikes. No in fact the best thing you can do for your own personal safety during a thunderstorm is to head indoors. 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.

Do you need to have your metal roof grounded. Some actual disadvantages to metal roofs.