The purpose of a lightning protection system intercept this voltage, providing a safe path for lightning current into the ground. They do not decrease the likelihood your home may be struck, but provide a direct path to ground, preventing damage to your home from fire, explosion, and electrical surges that can result from lightning strikes. It protects buildings from lightning strokes by providing an easier path for the current to flow to earth rather through the building. In the event of a direct lightning strike, the current in the conductor may be so great that it melts or vaporizes the metal, but the damage to the building will be limited.
Do I need Lightning System? Yes. A surge or lightning protection device prevents damage to electrical equipment from over-voltage transient events by blocking or redirecting surge current to the ground instead of passing through the equipment. Surge protection is connected to a conductor on the line side of equipment. A properly installed Lightning Protection System will instead provide a safe path from the site of the lightning strike (which is often on the roof) to the ground. This minimizes the damage your home will sustain. In most situations, it is not necessary to install lightning rods on your metal roof. Lightning strikes to homes are rare. If your roof is the highest point of a surrounding area, you may consider having a lightning safety system installed on your home. 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.