Last night, Tuesday August 22nd, a thunderstorm rolled through the Edmonton area and with the rumbling came more than a few cracks of lightning. The storm passed, but the region remains on watch for its potential return as the summer season begins to wind down.

For some, thunder and lightning storms are an exciting affair causing them to peer through the curtains late at night for a visual thrill. For others, goose bumps are raised by uneasiness over the welfare of their home. As an Edmonton Realtor that cares for our community even long after we ushered home owners into their new abode, we encourage our clients to follow up with us with questions about maintaining the health of their home. One question we receive from time to time when the Edmonton skies put on an impromptu light show involves how to protect a home from lightning.

Below our Edmonton Real Estate team offers a few tips on how to protect your Edmonton homes from lightning strikes:

1. Tune In, Then Unplug

Keep your eyes and ears open for news regarding arriving thunderstorms and pay close attention to warnings specific to your home area. When the clouds loom over and you hear the first crackle in the far off distance you know it’s time to unplug your electronics. It’s understandable to leave a few necessities in operation if you don’t have an option, but definitely minimize use when in the midst of a storm. If the storm has already arrived, pulling the plug may not be a good idea in case a current is already zipping through to your unsuspecting grasp. Surge protectors will help when lightning strikes a power grid far off in the distance but does little to protect a strike on the home front. Unplug surge protectors if not absolutely necessary. If the storm is especially close, simply live by candlelight for a few hours and trade campfire stories with the family to pass the time.

2. Raise the Roof AND the Front Lawn

Lightning rods placed on the roof help redirect lightning strikes by creating a better path for the electricity to move towards the ground and away from the flammable surface of your home. But seeing as lightning can also impact the landscape surrounding the household it is a good idea to stake the lawn with buried lightning rods as well. That way, when lightning hits the roof rod the rods below will draw the electricity faster and better divert the current from impacting your home.

3. Pass on Bath Time

Electricity from a lightning strike can also pass through the metal pipes in your home and the current can flow through the water which conducts electricity. So while the prospect of soaking in the tub by candlelight during a thunderstorm sounds quite appealing it’s best to let it pass before you decide to draw a bath. It may sound extreme but those exercising the most caution will even avoid washing hands or dishes during heavier electrical storms.

4. Stay Indoors

While many of us in our youth envisioned a lightning strike as a means to gain super powers the reality of the matter is that it does not. Be sure to complete all of your outdoor preparations when first catching wind of an impending storm and head indoors before it arrives. You don’t want to get caught with a lightning rod in hand on the roof because you didn’t heed the warnings in time.

Again, be well prepared and for the most part you can enjoy the audio/visual show that Mother Nature puts on for us homeowners from time to time. Our Edmonton Real Estate Team is more than happy to answer any further questions you may have about this or any other concern regarding the protection of your Edmonton homes. Contact Edmonton properties to today.