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Surge Protection
Power surges occur when the flow of electricity is interrupted, then started again, or when something sends electricity flowing back into the system.
Surges can range from five or ten volts when you turn on your hair dryer to thousands of volts if lightning strikes a transformer. More than half of household power surges are internal. These happen dozens of times of day, usually when devices with motors start up or shut off, diverting electricity to and from other appliances.
Refrigerators and air conditioners are the biggest culprits, but smaller devices like hair dryers and power tools can also cause problems. An external power surge, stemming from outside your home, is most commonly caused by a tree limb touching a power line, lightning striking utility equipment or a small animal getting into a transformer.
Surges cost businesses in excess of $50 BILLION dollars annually in equipment breakdown, lost productivity and down time. Don't let your business be next.
Surges can also occur when the power comes back on after an outage, and can even come into your home through telephone and cable TV lines.
Understanding Power Surge
There are two types of power surges, internal and external. External surges, such as a lightning strike or utility company switching, are rarer than internal surges but tend to cause more damage per event with results being immediately recognized. Internal surges are more common and account for the most downtime and damage to equipment. These types of surges are caused by internal switching, motors, VFD's and welders, laser printers, copiers, robotics and capacitors. In a residence there are typically 900 to 9000 transient surges per hour. In a factory, this
number easily exceeds 100,000 transients per hour. Without the proper clamping ability, your assets are at risk.
Effects of a Surge
Surges last just a fraction of a second or just long enough to potentially inflect permanent damage. When a surge comes in that is greater than an insulation rating, the insulation begins to break down. Over time this can result in failure that can allow the current to jump directly to ground or other conductors. This is called a fault. Ultimately the the breaker will trip and the offending piece of equipment or wire will need to be replaced. Another effect of surges is heat which causes an increase in temperature resulting in equipment operating less efficiently and prematurely breaking down.
Stopping the Surge in its Tracks
Surges are measured in fractions of a second, often cited in nano seconds. Many surge protectors offer clamping at several nano seconds, or billionths of a second. This is quite often too long, as damage will have already occurred. Our products clamp at 500 pico seconds, or an industry best 500 trillionths of one second! We beat the surge to the punch, so you don't suffer the consequences.
Why Us
We will not come to you and claim to be the cheapest, nor are we the most expensive. Our goal is to provide YOU, the customer, with the best products and service available. If you want Kia, you don't shop for a Cadillac. By the same token, if you want marginal quality and poor service there are other providers out there to meet your needs. Our goal is to come into your facility, design a system that works and will ultimately result in less downtime and equipment loss which puts money where it belongs; in your pocket. Give us a call today to learn how we can help you!
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