Lightning Protection

Protecting People & Property

What is Lightning?

Lightning is the phenomenon which accompanies the discharge of atmospheric charges from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth. As lightning seeks the path of least resistance, it naturally tends to follow the shortest course between cloud and earth, such as buildings or towering projections. Positive electrical charges gather in the clouds and negative charges gather in the ground. When the attraction between these two charges are strong enough they come together in the form of lightning. Lightning rod equipment, properly manufactured and installed, dissipates these charges.

A strike to an unprotected building can be disastrous. Lightning may hold up to 100 million volts of electricity when it strikes an object. Its force can be compared to a small nuclear reactor.

Lightning has the ability to rip through roofs, explode concrete walls and ignite fires. In addition to structural damage, lightning can surge through power lines causing wire damage, destroy nearby towers and trees and cause the destruction of electronic equipment.

Properly installed lightning protection systems can help protect you from these disastrous effects.

How A Lightning Protection System Works

A Lightning Protection System does not attract or repel a lightning strike. The copper or aluminum components making up the system are designed to provide a path of low resistance to carry the charges induced into the structure to ground.

To protect a structure from lightning we place a network of lightning rods on places most likely to be the launching point for a lightning strike and interconnect the rods with highly conducive cables that lead to ground electrodes. With this network in place the lightning strike can be safely intercepted and directed to ground without impact to the structure or its contents.

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• Underwriters Laboratories Certified
• Member of the Lightning Protection Institute
• Completed Lightning Protection Institute Engineering Program
• Member of the Canadian Lighting Code Technical Committee
  for CAN/CSA-B72 - M87 Revisions
• Member of Lightening Safety Alliance
• Certified presenter for Lightning Safety Alliance -
  LSA 101 Lightning Protection Basics

Lightning Protection Accreditations & Affiliations

Typical Residential Lightning Protection System

Current Lightning Protection Projects

• Penny Lane Towers
• South Health Campus
• Foothills Hospital - McCaig Tower
• Peter Lougheed Hospital
• Glencoe Golf Course
• U of C Vet Clinic
• Rockyview Hospital - South Addition

Completed Lightning Protection Projects

• Alberta Children's Hospital
• Calgary Court House
• Rockyview - Vertical Expansion
• Oliver Bowen - City of Calgary LRT Building
• Nakoda Casino
• Telus IDC Building
• Alberta Distillers
• Executive Flight Centre
• Priddis Golf Course
• U of C HRIC Building

Dobbyn Electrical Services sells and installs Thompson Lightning Protection systems in conjunction with Western Lightning Protection Limited. For more information about each of these companies and their products, please visit their respective websites by clicking the links below.

Western Lightning Protection »
Thompson Lightening Protection »

Call today to discover how we can help protect your property » 403.236.8877.

Typical Commercial Lightning Protection System