KGA Lightning Protection Services

507 N.W. 60th Street, Suite C
Gainesville, Florida 32607
Phone 352-332-3157
Fax 352-332-6392
E-mail KGA

Lightning Protection Services

Kessler and Gehman Associates has recently established a new department to deal exclusively with the following lightning protection issues:

1. The examination, testing and evaluation of existing lightning protection systems to determine the electrical integrity of all connections in existing lightning protection and grounding systems. The importance of good, low resistance connections cannot be over emphasized since all electrical connections are required to conduct very high intensity lightning current pulses to the ground system where it can be dissipated safely in the surrounding earth.

2. Existing lightning protection systems are frequently found to have electrical joints of high resistance due to the effects of corrosion and vibration occurring since the original system installation.

Kessler and Gehman employs a non-invasive system of low-resistance measurements known as the Kelvin four-terminal method which passes a relatively large current through the electrical joint to be measured and cancels the effect of all other resistances associated with the test setup.

3. The testing of the ground-rod system-to-earth resistance to determine if the resistance is low enough to effectively transfer an intense lightning strike current to the earth where the lightning energy can be safely dissipated as heat. Ground rod-to-earth resistance measurements are conducted using the three-terminal “Fall of Potential” method to ensure maximum accuracy instead of the simpler, less accurate “clamp-on” method of ground resistance measurement.

4. The design of all aspects of a modern lightning protection and grounding system where the emphasis is on the DIVERSION of lightning strike energy away from personnel and equipment.

William J. (Bill) Kessler, the founding Principal of Kessler and Gehman Associates, will head the new department. Bill has been involved in lightning research as the past Director of the Atmospherics (SFERICS) research project at the University of Florida and since then in the design of lightning protection and grounding systems over the past 40 years.

Mr. Kessler is a lightning protection inspector and professional lightning protection designer certified by the LIGHTNING PROTECTION INSTITUTE.

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Contact Information

Kessler and Gehman Associates, Inc.
507 N.W. 60th Street, Suite C
Gainesville, Florida 32607
352-332-3157 - Phone
352-332-6392 - Fax
E-mail KGA