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There are some bigger lightning rod installation outfits in the Midwest, but in Connecticut there may be only seven or eight across the state. Morris is home to one: Litchfield County Lightning Protection, a business that has been under the ownership of resident Rodney Weik for the past year.
He bought the business-at the time called Ackerman Lightning Protection-from his friend Scott Petersen. He had been doing part-time work with Petersen for about eight or nine years on top of his own carpentry business.
Buying the business was an advantageous addition to his own work as a carpenter, he said.
"It all kind of fell in with the skills I already acquired by doing carpentry," Weik explained. "The opportunity was there. I knew Scott and I knew the business and could run it. It got me out into different areas in Connecticut, which I liked."
The business serves mainly Litchfield County, although Weik does travel beyond the area. He continues his work in carpentry, which he’s been doing for nearly 20 years, but the lightning rod business is growing. Petersen has stayed on to work in sales and act as a mentor to Weik, who continues to take classes and earn his certifications.
He also works closely with East Coat Lightning Equipment Company, a parts distributor out of Winsted that he said has been very helpful as he develops the business.
"The installation was very easy to me, the rest of it I’m learning, going to sales meetings and doing things to education myself," Weik added. "It was kind of a fill in thing, but it’s taking off and may end up taking up for time than my carpentry."
The primary purpose of Weik’s new business is to protect homes from lightning strikes-a hazard that causes more than $1 billion worth of damages to homes every year, according to Weik.
"In one volt of lightning you can get up to 30 million volts going through, which would pretty much devastate your house when you think that an outlet only has 110 volts," Weik added.
A lightning rod works by carrying the voltage from a lightning strike to the ground. A series of wires and rods-usually made of copper or sometimes aluminum-are installed on and near the home. A 10-foot rod that is about one-half inch in diameter is driven into the ground. Some homes, depending on the size, may have three to four rods in the grounds around the house.
"Not all houses have them, we’re trying to get more architects to include them in plans so more houses will have them, but right now it’s more of an add-on, a specialty thing," he added.
The phone number for Litchfield County Lightning Protection in Morris is 567-4658.
