[Case Study] Sparks Home Lightning Protection System Installation

[Case Study] Sparks Are No Longer Flying for the Sparks Family: Home Lightning Protection System Installation

As homeowners, we invest time, energy, and money into our property to keep it in the best shape possible, but all too often, the threat of lightning strikes goes unnoticed. 

If lightning strikes a home, it can result in a fire breakout, electrical surges, structural damage, power outages, and more. That’s why our clients, Mr. and Mrs. Sparks, contacted EMP Defense to protect their house from these hazardous phenomena.

Our Client: A Family Residing in Coastal Georgia

The Sparks family resides in a beautiful home in St. Mary’s, Georgia, known for its quaint downtown area and stunning waterfront river views. This charming town is located along the southeastern coast of the United States, which often experiences more lightning activity due to warm, moist air from the ocean meeting cooler air from inland areas, which creates favorable conditions for thunderstorms.

St. Marys has a humid subtropical climate, which is conducive to the formation of thunderstorms. In the summer, storms build throughout the day and then release their stored energy, usually late in the afternoon. Lightning strikes occur almost daily from June through August, with some days offering a total bombardment of strikes. 

The Problem: Detrimental Damage from Lightning Strikes Totaling Over $120k

As explained above, St. Marys, GA, is a town that’s highly susceptible to thunderstorms and lightning strikes, and the Sparks experienced this first-hand. 

On July 27, 2018, they sustained a direct hit, and 135 electronic items in their home were destroyed. The repair costs totaled over a whopping $98,000. 

Just two years later, on July 5, 2020, a tree in their front yard with struck by lightning, and 20 electronic devices were ruined, resulting in over $22,000 of repairs. 

The Sparks family no longer had peace of mind and constantly feared when the next big storm would hit. They knew it was time to look into a home lightning protection system, so they contacted the professionals at EMP Defense. 

Our Solution: A State-Of-The-Art Home Lightning Protection System

Before the 2018 strike, the entire house was protected with Types 1, 2, and 3 high voltage surge protection devices, but they proved useless during the major strike. The damages affected their home’s low voltage devices, such as home automation, LAN devices, serial-controlled devices, security systems, and more. 

Following the 2018 strike, the Sparks made an extensive effort to add surge protection to these low-voltage systems, which proved extremely helpful in limiting the damage caused by the 2020 strike. However, a detrimental amount of destruction still occurred. 

This prompted an extensive online search for a superior residential lighting protection solution, which led them to EMP Defense. 

In August 2020, a CMCE-120 was purchased and installed on the main home structure. Although the dock area was in the coverage zone, a smaller CMCE-25 was added to ensure its protection. 

The Result: Complete Protection & Safety From Strikes

Since installing our CMCE-120 and CMCE-25 at the Sparks residence, there have been zero recorded lightning strikes. 

After falling victim to over $120k in damages prior to this solution, it goes without saying that the cost of the CMCE products and installation has quickly paid for itself. 

The Conclusion: EMP Defense Can Give You Peace of Mind

When you live in an area that experiences an elevated amount of lightning strikes, EMP Defense is here to help. With our lightning suppression devices, you’ll no longer have to live in fear of experiencing dangerous conditions and detrimental damage costs. 

Our cutting-edge lightning suppression system stands as a pinnacle in the market, assuring a 100% success rate in residential lightning protection. Its remarkable performance is attributed to its ability to establish an equilibrium in the electric milieu within its protective perimeter. By facilitating a controlled leakage current in mere milliamperes, the CMCE120 adeptly orchestrates the safe redirection of this current towards the Earth's grounding, ensuring the utmost safety and security.

Are you interested in learning how you can protect your most important assets? Contact the team at EMP Defense today! We can’t wait to help you. 

Refer to the images below. The lighting strike screenshots were made on June 20, 2023, during an intense electrical storm. The app being used was “WeatherBug.”

The house location is marked by a typical “dropped pin,” the CMCE coverage outline is shown in red. Take note of how many yellow lighting strikes surround the coverage area, but remain safely outside it. The effectiveness of the lightning suppression system speaks for itself!