Lightning Protection Products

We all know that lightning arrestors and surge protection devices are designed to protect a facility and the assets within from lightning strike by absorbing or dissipating electrical currents and surges. However these devices are not a suitable substitute for good grounding.

Grounding is the most fundamental technique for protection against lightning damage. You can’t stop a lightning surge, but you can give it a direct path to safely discharge into the earth.

Grounding rod

The weakest aspect of many installations is the connection to the earth itself. After all, you can’t just bolt a wire to the planet! Instead, you must bury or hammer a rod of conductive, noncorrosive metal (generally copper) into the ground, and make sure most of its surface area contacts conductive (that means moist) soil. This way, when static electricity or a surge comes down the line, the electrons can drain into the ground with minimal resistance.

LEC’s Chem-Rod provides a low impedance ground in location of high soil resistivity. Together with GAF (Ground Augmentation Fill) the system dissipates lightning energy and other dangerous electrical fault currents, even in sandy and rocky soil conditions.

It’s a permanent soil treatment solution for a low impedance ground, comprising of a 2” or larger hollow copper rod. This electrode is filled with an electrolytic salt mixture (GAF). The rod derives moisture from the soil and atmosphere and utilizes the moisture to slowly dissolve the electrolyte in the rod creating a conductive rooting effect, providing an ever increasing lower resistant ground in any type of soil. The rod should be refilled periodically to provide long-term soil treatment.

The grounding rods filled with electrolytic salt come with an exothermically welded tail. The LECWELD requires no outside power source or equipment for lightning safety installation. The process forms a solid copper molecular bond that does not loosen or corrode throughout the life of the host structure. (Compare to compression connectors, split bolts, crimp connectors, brazing, etc.)

Installation and maintenance of an effective grounding rod is essential due to the following:

- Efficiently dissipate heavy fault currents and electrical surges, both in magnitude and duration

- Provide a stable reference for electrical and RF circuits at the installation to minimize noise

- Protection of personnel who work within the area from dangerous electric shock

The Chem-Rod from LEC has been proven to be the best and most economical grounding solution. Contact LEC and transform your grounding system into a high-performance ground.

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