Hidden Signs of Lightning Damage
Have you ever stopped to consider how powerful lightning is? One bolt of lightning can contain more than 100 million volts of electricity, and it can heat the air around it to more than 50,000° F. Truly, it’s a miracle of nature.
Of course, lightning can also be terrifying. Out of nowhere, it could strike a home or a spot near a home. Either way, the consequences might be devastating.
Yes, lightning can destroy roofs, walls, and foundations. Sometimes, it even burns buildings to the ground. In addition, it can cause hidden damage inside a house, which may lead to fires or electrical failures later on.
Thus, after a lightning strike, it’s vital to look for signs of damage. And it could be even more vital to schedule a professional evaluation, one that will eliminate all lightning-related hazards once and for all.
Quick Takeaways
- A direct lightning strike can severely damage roofs, foundations, electrical systems, HVAC systems, and more.
- Direct lightning strikes can also start major fires.
- Indirect lightning strikes are often harmful as well, sending dangerous surges of electricity throughout a home.
- Direct and indirect lightning strikes can cause hidden damage like hotspots or melted wires.
- After a lightning strike, an electrician could replace damaged electrical items and make sure there are no lingering risks.
Direct Lightning Strikes
Lightning can damage homes in two ways. First, there are direct strikes: when lightning bolts make physical contact with houses.
Nowadays, it’s relatively rare for lightning to directly strike a home. In part, that’s due to technological advances like grounding rods. Plus, many houses are near trees. Since lightning tends to strike the tallest possible object, it will typically strike a tree instead of a house.
Whenever homes are directly struck by lightning, however, the results can be brutal. These strikes can:
- Crack a foundation, perhaps making a whole house structurally unsound
- Destroy shingles or entire roofs
- Break windows
- Shatter chimneys
- Ignite major fires
- Melt gas pipes (which can also start fires)
- Melt insulation wires
- Send surges of electricity through homes, which can destroy appliances
- Harm interior walls
- Burst water pipes
Indirect Lightning Strikes
Unfortunately, lightning can negatively affect a home without striking it directly.
If lightning strikes near a home, it could begin a chain reaction that ultimately damages the house. This phenomenon is called an indirect lightning strike.
Examples of indirect lightning effects include:
- A tree getting struck by lightning, falling over, and smashing into a house
- A surge of electricity traveling underground and through a home’s electric wires, which could melt those wires, destroy appliances, or cause fires
- Electric currents entering a home via plumbing pipes, which could shatter the pipes, break the water heater, or shock residents who touch metallic plumbing fixtures
Hidden Signs of Lightning Damage
In many instances, the signs of lightning damage are obvious. People could walk around their house and spot destroyed shingles, broken window panes, malfunctioning appliances, and so on.
Other times, however, a home may have secondhand or hidden signs of lightning damage.
When electricity from a lightning bolt shoots through a home’s wires, phone lines, pipes, or structural framing, it can cause damage behind walls or beneath flooring. And, since homeowners can’t see those problems, they can easily worsen over time.
Here, then, are some potential symptoms of hidden lightning damage to watch out for:
- Lights that keep dimming or flickering
- Burning odors
- Scorch marks on walls or electrical plates
- Circuit breakers that trip often and for no apparent reason
- Circuit breakers that won’t reset
- Electrical plates that feel warm or hot
- Buzzing sounds near electrical panels
What Is a Lightning Strike Evaluation?
If lightning has struck your home or struck somewhere near your home schedule a professional evaluation as soon as possible.
During a lightning strike evaluation, a licensed electrician would evaluate your entire property. That is, this professional would look for fire risks and verify that all of your electrical equipment is in good shape. If anything’s compromised, the electrician would then repair or replace that item.
Generally speaking, lightning strike evaluations involve these steps:
- Inspecting a home’s exterior, including the roof, gutters, and siding
- Examining every electrical circuit, switch, and outlet
- Assessing the grounding system’s integrity
- Evaluating all of the surge protection devices, which lightning can degrade
- Scrutinizing all pipes, water lines, and gas lines (and looking for leaks in the process)
- Locating hotspots behind walls with thermal imaging cameras
- Testing out all electronic appliances, HVAC equipment, and smart devices
Gainesville Mister Sparky: Central Florida’s Trusted Lightning Strike Evaluators
Gainesville is a beautiful place to live, but its subtropical climate and high humidity levels make it vulnerable to frequent lightning. Indeed, Florida sees more lightning strikes each year than almost any other U.S. state.
With that in mind, professional lightning strike evaluations should be routine for the region’s homeowners. And Gainesville Mister Sparky’s lightning evaluations are as thorough, efficient, and effective as you’ll find anywhere.
So don’t put up with any malarky; call Mister Sparky! After a scary lightning strike, one of our friendly and punctual experts will make sure your home is as safe as it could possibly be.
