Electrical circuits are supposed to provide consistent power. Every device that you plug into an outlet is dependent on this continuous supply of power. Nevertheless, what do you do when there is a sudden spike in power?
In the absence of a safety device, your electrical gadgets can stop working within nanoseconds. It may have been caused due to a lightning strike, a power grid problem, or a power malfunction. This is when a surge protection device comes to the rescue. Let us learn more about surge protection.
What Does Surge Protection Device Do?
It is an electrical device designed to protect electrical and electronic devices from power surges. They are devised and built to suppress the voltage spikes to equipment by either blocking it or diverting it to the ground.
Surge protection comes in different forms, and they vary based on their application—for instance, power distribution panel, process control system, and control panel.
Common factors responsible for voltage surge:
- Lightning: When lightning is produced, large electrical fields in the cloud can release static electricity between the cloud and the ground. This electricity contains as much as 300 million volts!
- When this amount of electricity hits the ground, it can leave behind several thousand volts making your electrical appliances and service panels susceptible to power surges. Therefore, surge protection is required within the power distribution or branch panels to prevent that from happening.
- Utility switching: Many commercial and utility buildings do not have their power lines. It is a network of generators and substations that are connected with one another, sometimes over a long distance.
An ongoing change in electrical demand can lead to power disturbance. At this time, an electrical transient can release thousands of volts affecting all the equipment connected to these lines. But a surge protection device can protect your organization’s power supply, reduce downtime, and secure your investment.
The distribution of electricity is an essential utility these days. It is no longer a luxury that it used to be hundreds of years ago. With increased dependence on electrical devices, one needs to take every precaution possible to ensure that their appliances can live through their lifecycle. This is the reason you need to invest in surge protection!
Here are the three important things you need to keep in mind when it comes to surge protection.
- Stay informed about the latest trends: With continuous development in the sphere of electrical devices, power systems have to innovate to avoid any hurdles related to voltage spikes continuously. Surge protection can help overcome that risk considerably.
- Educate yourself about Power Factor Correction: PFC is a technique that ensures that an electrical outlet that requires a certain level of power is not over-energized by the power source. It works in smoothening out the electrical pulses so that the power flows in a controlled manner.
- Surge protectors are good news: Surge protection takes specific steps to avoid overvoltage situations. There could be several reasons that can flood your electrical components with voltage. It is this exact situation that a surge protector avoids.
Surge protection is a necessary contraption that will help you safeguard all your electrical appliances from unpredictable power surges and vagaries of nature. However, it is a highly technical job that must be performed by a professional only. Therefore, you must consider hiring a trained electricians to carry out the installation.
