THE SCIENCE BEHIND POWER SURGES
WHAT IS A POWER SURGE?
A power surge is an oversupply of voltage running through a power line, ultimately arriving at electrical equipment within your business or home. Although surges are short in duration (often a few nanoseconds) they occur in varying degrees of severity and frequency causing increased pressure on your electrical system and equipment.
Electrical assets are continuously at risk of damage because power surges can occur in a number of ways. We often think of outside influences such as lightning storms or neighboring businesses as being major culprits for power surges. Research shows, however, as much as 90% of surges are actually created inside buildings by activities such as the cycling on and off of equipment. Hence, voltage spikes and surges are common reasons for damage to commercial and residential equipment, computers, HVAC units, compressors, motors and appliances of all types.
WHY BE CONCERNED ABOUT POWER SURGES?
Larger spikes in voltage can cause immediate failure of your equipment, and we consider these losses to be catastrophic events. Smaller surges, on the other hand, may have a gradual damaging effect to equipment, what is known as ‘electrical erosion’, and these too can cause equipment to shut down prematurely, costing significant money, loss of production and downtime. Electrical erosion is due to repeated exposure to small transient surges and can occur up to 400,000 times each day in a business. While equipment may not show signs of immediate damage, over time the equipment will fail or work improperly, and its intended life span can be notably reduced. Surges of varying degrees can have adverse effects on industrial equipment and machinery as well as home electronics and appliances.
Effects of Surges
- Immediate Equipment Failure
- Premature Malfunction of Equipment
- Shortened Equipment Life
- Down Time and Production Loss
- Rise in Maintenance Costs
- Increase in Energy Costs
HOW TO ELIMINATE SURGES AND PROTECT EQUIPMENT?
Your entire electrical system should be protected from both externally and internally generated power surges. Diverting these transients and surges away from your electrical power supply will protect and increase the life span of valuable equipment. It is also important to look for distinct features in Transient Voltage Surge Suppression, noting The UtiliGuard® Power Quality System to have unmatched benefits that include:
TECHNICAL FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN SURGE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS:
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