Part H · the register

A Reroof Can Leave Your Lightning Rods Disconnected

If your Kirkwood house has lightning rods, find out who will remove, reinstall and check the system before the roofing crew starts.

The small metal rods along your ridge may be easy to overlook when you are choosing shingles. If they belong to a lightning protection system, however, removing the roof also creates a separate job: restoring that system after the roofing work. A rod standing upright on the finished roof does not tell you whether the connections below it are complete. Before scheduling a roof replacement on your Kirkwood home, ask who is responsible for that work and what you will receive when it is finished.

Town roofing

Start by pointing out what you can see from the ground. There may be rods along the ridge or chimney, cable crossing the roof, and conductors running down an outside wall. You do not need to identify every part yourself. Tell the estimator that the house appears to have lightning protection and ask for it to be assessed before anyone removes attachments. Do not climb onto the roof to trace the cable.

A complete system involves more than the visible rods. The Lightning Protection Institute's reroofing specification calls for a specialist to perform installation or reinstallation, with verification of concealed portions, grounding and other system elements through records or testing. It also calls for appropriate certification documents at completion. That is an industry specification, not a statement that every Kirkwood reroof has an identical legal requirement.

For your decision, the useful distinction is between putting the hardware back and having the system checked. A roofing proposal that says only "remove and reset lightning rods" leaves that distinction unsettled. Ask whether a lightning protection contractor has inspected the existing installation, identified what can be reused and agreed to the proposed sequence.

St. Louis thunderstorms make this a scheduling issue even when the roof replacement has nothing to do with storm damage. Ask how long the system will be disturbed and who will arrange the return visit. Do not assume it provides its intended protection while parts are disconnected. The specialist should explain the condition of the system during the work and how the interruption will be managed.

Older paperwork can help. Look through the house records for an installation invoice, drawing, inspection report or certificate. If you bought the house with the rods already in place, say so. A missing record does not establish that the system is defective, but it means the contractors should not price the job on an unsupported assumption that everything below the roof is complete.

Also show the specialist any roof changes planned for this project. Removing a chimney, changing the ridge or adding a roof projection may affect the arrangement. UL Solutions' lightning protection application guide explains that roof shape, projections, conductor routing and connections to grounded building services are part of system design. Copying the old arrangement without reviewing the changed roof is not a sufficient instruction.

What it costs

There is no useful flat allowance to apply to every Kirkwood house. The cost depends on what is there, what condition it is in, how workers can reach it and what the specialist needs to do. A straightforward removal and reinstallation is a different scope from tracing an undocumented system or replacing damaged components. Ask for a project-specific price before treating two roofing totals as comparable.

Have the price distinguish the initial assessment, removal, storage, reinstallation and final inspection or certification. Those items can sit within one contract or appear in a separate specialist agreement. What matters is that each has an owner and a price. If an item remains an allowance, ask what information will turn it into a firm amount and when that information will be available.

Access deserves attention during the estimate. If the rear roof sits above an addition, or the driveway offers limited room for equipment, both contractors should see that arrangement. Ask whether the specialist expects to use access equipment already present for the reroof or bring separate equipment later. Coordinating those visits may affect the price, but do not assume equipment can be shared without agreement.

Reusing the existing parts also needs an explicit decision. Ask which components the specialist expects to retain and what would cause that recommendation to change. Keep removed components together in a designated place until that decision is settled. A cable or mounting base should not enter the roofing debris simply because the crew has finished removing it.

New roof metals can introduce another consideration. UL's guide identifies compatibility restrictions involving copper and aluminum components and surfaces. Tell the specialist if the project includes new metal roofing, flashing or other metal details. Let the specialist select compatible components and connections; do not use a homeowner's visual guess about metal color as the specification.

Finally, ask what happens if the initial assessment finds work beyond the roof. Request a description and price for that work before authorizing it. This lets you distinguish the cost of restoring what the reroof disturbs from the cost of correcting an existing problem. Both may need attention, but you should be able to see why each charge is there.

What to ask

Bring the conversation back to named responsibilities. "We will take care of it" does not identify who will inspect the system or who will return after the shingles are installed. Ask these questions while there is still time to coordinate the two trades:

• Which lightning protection contractor will assess and reinstall the system?
• What records or photographs should I provide before the visit?
• Who removes the components, labels them and stores them?
• Who approves the attachment method on the new roof?
• Who makes any disturbed roof attachment locations watertight?
• When will the specialist return, and who schedules that visit?
• What inspection report or certification document is included?

The attachment question belongs to both contractors. The specialist needs an acceptable way to secure the system, and the roofer needs to understand how those attachments interact with the roof covering. Ask them to settle the detail before installation. If the specialist returns after the roofing crew has left, establish who will review any roof work associated with that visit.

Keep the completion records with the roof paperwork. Request photographs of the reinstalled roof components, the specialist's invoice and the inspection or certification document specified in your agreement. If the document covers only a limited portion of the system, ask for that limitation to be explained in writing. Photographs are useful records, but they do not establish the condition of concealed connections.

To discuss a Kirkwood roof replacement with Keys Roofing, call (314) 220-2333. Mention the lightning rods when you describe the roof, and have any existing system paperwork ready for the estimate conversation.