Also called “air terminals,” lightning rods are 12-inch long rods connected to the ground by braided aluminum or copper wire. They’re mounted about every 20 feet onto the highest points of your roof, including on top of your rooftop air conditioning unit. If lightning strikes your house, it will hit the lightning rod, which will offer it a path of least resistance to the ground through wires that connect them to ground rods in your yard.
The wires will drive the lightning bolt 10 feet into the ground, where it dissipates.
You can place lighting rods on any kind of roof, flat or pitched, metal, shingle or foam. You can install them on outbuildings, barns, your garage and even on trees if you want to protect them.
