I’ve inspected a lot of metal roofs after storms, and honestly, grounding almost never comes up unless there’s a direct hit and obvious surge damage. Most folks assume metal roofs attract lightning, but really, they just conduct it safely if the house is properly wired. If you’re in a spot that gets hammered by lightning every summer, it might be worth double-checking your grounding setup, but for most homes it’s not something I’d lose sleep over. Anyone ever actually see a claim denied because of grounding issues? I haven’t.
Never actually seen a claim denied for grounding either, and I’ve managed a lot of properties with metal roofs. The only time I’ve had to deal with lightning damage was when a tree took a direct hit and fell on the house—insurance didn’t care about the roof’s grounding at all. If your electrical system’s up to code, you’re probably fine. Do you get a lot of power surges during storms, or is it just the occasional lightning show?
You’re spot on—insurance usually doesn’t care about the roof’s grounding unless you’re talking about some wild, rare scenario. I’ve seen more claims from trees than from lightning itself. If your wiring’s up to code and you’re not getting wild surges every storm, you’re in good shape. Metal roofs actually help by spreading out the charge, not attracting it. Just watch those old trees nearby... they’re sneakier than the lightning half the time.
- Not sure I’d say insurance *never* cares about grounding. Seen a few adjusters get picky after a direct strike, especially if there’s visible damage and no clear path to ground.
- Metal roofs do help disperse charge, but if you’re in a high-strike area, a proper lightning protection system (rods, bonding, grounding) can still make sense.
- Trees are definitely a bigger culprit for claims, but I’ve seen lightning jump from a tree to a roof before—especially when the tree’s close.
- If your area gets frequent storms, might be worth double-checking both your wiring and any big trees near the house... just in case.
Metal roofs do help disperse charge, but if you’re in a high-strike area, a proper lightning protection system (rods, bonding, grounding) can still make sense.
I’ve actually seen a house with a metal roof get hit—no rods, just the roof. The strike blew out a bunch of electronics inside, even though the roof itself looked fine. Made me wonder if the wiring was the weak link or if grounding was just missing altogether. Anyone else ever see a metal roof take a direct hit and NOT have interior damage? I get that metal helps, but it doesn’t seem like a guarantee.
