The protection of religious cultural property: lightning, a phenomenon not to be underestimated.

Recent climatic variations have contributed to an increase in the frequency with which violent storm phenomena occur, which in turn have generated an enormous amount of damage and often forced us to intervene with complex restoration or reconstruction work, most of the time costly.

Hence, the importance of not underestimating the spread of a ‘culture of prevention’, especially when we talk about the conservation of artistic-religious heritage.

Euthalia is driven by this important and simple principle, prevention with a view to the safety of people and property.
In fact, Euthalia’s lightning and surge defence systems designed, manufactured and installed by are equipped with Ingelva technology, a leading brand on the international markets for over 70 years, with a complete range of products for lightning protection (lightning rods, air filters and ground filters) and surge protection (surge protection devices), which has always been oriented to innovation.

Thanks to this long-standing know-how, our protection systems are dimensioned in such a way as to always guarantee maximum protective effectiveness.

The defining feature of its interior installation differentiates Euthalia’s creations from those of its competitors, distinguishing them by their absolute discretion in terms of aesthetic and architectural impact.
An added value when it comes to artistic heritage that has made us choose important churches such as Spoleto Cathedral.

“After lightning struck the bell tower and compromised the grounding system in the Parish of S. Andrea, we decided to find an alternative solution to the lightning problem to ensure the safety and preservation of the structure“.
As the Technical Manager of the “S. Famiglia Pastoral Community”, Mr. Battista Novali, recounts, the decision to install a lightning and surge protection system with Ingelva technology on the Parish of S. Andrea di Cocquio Trevisago (VA) was made in 1994 following a lightning strike on the parish bell tower, which caused significant damage and compromised the safety of the building.

The installation of the Euthalia active lightning and surge defence systems with Ingelva technology solved the lightning problem, protecting the parish from 1994 to the present day, and convinced the committee of technicians of the S. Famiglia Pastoral Community of Cocquio Trevisago to extend the installation of the protection systems to the other parishes in the Community: Chiesa di S. Antonio and Parrocchia della Purificazione di Maria Vergine.
An important “upgrade”, a sign of confidence in the effectiveness of the Euthalia systems.

Traditional systems are based on a passive operation approach, involving the presence of metal spikes, whose particular function is to ‘attract’ electrical discharges and dissipate them to ground through down conductors. These solutions only limit damage without preventing it and without considering the frequent possibility of energy backflow inside the building through all electrical and electronic equipment connected with a grounding conductor.

On the contrary, Euthalia’s innovative systems, based on an ‘active’ approach, work on prevention by keeping the electromagnetic field that forms during storms balanced, reducing its changes and thus the possibility of forming the main or leader discharge channel.
The Euthalia systems continuously intervene on the conditions of origin of the phenomenon by decreasing the probability of being affected by undesired phenomena and not simply on the ‘capture’ of the strike with a view to damage limitation.

All Euthalia systems are manufactured using fully passive devices, which by their very nature do not produce or use energy for their operation.
Thus, the ultimate in prevention and sustainability, with a 10-year product liability guarantee.

Effective protection is also guaranteed through the important maintenance work performed periodically, to keep the lightning and surge defence systems at a maximum efficiency standard.

How the maintenance of Euthalia’s defence systems is carried out:

• Visual and mechanical verification with continuity measurements of the direct grounding conductor connection between the cross ring, the eaves reflector circuit and the lightning antenna performed with an insulated ground conductor, as required by CEI EN 62305, to intercept lightning strikes on the structure (including the side walls) and to conduct the strike from the point of impact to ground.
•  Visual and mechanical verification with continuity measurements of the second down conductor connection between the lightning antenna, the air filter and the ground filter.

• Verification and detection of the resistance values of the filtered grounding system of the entire installation, which guarantees the protection of the building from indirect discharges, overvoltages and overfrequencies arising from the surrounding environment.
• Verification of all harmonising elements, installed on all those points of the structure that, if unprotected, could attract strikes as they are responsible for the ‘spike effect’.

In the pictures, an example of cross and edge harmonisation on the Parish of S. Andrea Cocquio Trevisago (VA).

• Check all SPDs, checking that the service indicator light is on and intact.

The importance of carrying out proper periodic maintenance of lightning protection systems makes it possible to ensure their proper functioning and avoid considerable economic costs that could arise from structural damage or damage to the electrical, sound and bell systems generated by lightning and surges.

Euthalia provides engineers, architects and design engineers with its know-how and an experienced technical department for the analysis and implementation of all lightning and surge defence solutions in important architecturally and artistically relevant contexts, of any size from small to large.

Ask for information here about Euthalia’s active lightning and surge protection devices with Ingelva technology. Or call +39 0332 280041