Weather is becoming more frequent and severe, and outdated power systems can hardly handle the load. With climate change, expect inclement weather in most seasons. Being prepared means more than carrying a flashlight and a few bottles of water.
Lightning, power surges, and power outages can put your electronics and data at risk. When lightning strikes the ground, thousands of volts can flow through power lines and impact nearby homes and businesses. When businesses drastically reduce their electricity consumption, such as by switching shifts or shutting down assembly lines, the excess voltage that would normally be consumed is fed back into the grid. And when the demand for electricity varies greatly, as it does in the summer, power providers mistakenly send surges to certain areas.
However, you don’t have to wait for a severe thunderstorm or a power grid surge to damage sensitive electronics. With an average of 120 power problems occurring each month on computers, even relatively small fluctuations can cause significant damage.
And downtime can be very costly. When you plug a device into the power supply, you need to protect it. Without protection, any device can fall victim to power surges, voltage spikes, brownouts, and even complete power outages.
The best way to protect your devices is with surge protectors, power supplies, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Which solution you choose depends on a number of factors, including the quality of your facility’s power supply, the operating conditions of your devices, and the type of equipment you need to protect.
Let’s take a look at each of these solutions.
Surge protection devices
Power surges are a common and costly phenomenon: according to IBM, every home and business is exposed to at least one power surge of 100 to 1,000 volts every day. The effects of power surges can range from minor to dramatic, depending on the duration and intensity of the surge and whether or not the devices involved are properly protected. A small surge can slowly destroy internal circuits over a period of several months. In contrast, larger surges cause the same damage, but for less than a millisecond. If such an electrical discharge lasts long enough, the internal electronics can heat up and ignite. In addition to the obvious costs of replacing damaged equipment, power surges can also result in lost productivity (when a company’s employees are not working) or loss of productivity (when a home’s home theater equipment or appliances are not being used).
Surge protectors offer protection against power surges and spikes. Many also have EMI/RFI filtering to reduce line noise and improve audio/video quality.
Line filters should be suitable for devices with low inrush currents, such as TVs and stereos. However, their usefulness depends on the type of protection required. If your equipment is critical or your business is prone to frequent outages, this solution may not be appropriate.
In addition, surge protectors are often expensive in the long run, requiring little initial investment but needing to be replaced every two years.
Power Conditioners
Power conditioners not only protect against power surges but also against power outages. They have a built-in voltage regulator so that the voltage is constantly monitored, adjusted, and stabilized.
What a power conditioner cannot do is a shield against electromagnetic and RF interference. They may not be the best choice if you want to improve the quality of your video or reduce network interference.
Power conditioners are more expensive than surge protectors, but they are suitable for devices that use a lot of power, such as copiers and laser printers. They are often used in factories and hospitals because they are designed for devices that require constant power regulation.
UPS Systems
UPS systems serve a similar function to surge protectors, but their main purpose is to reduce downtime, saving businesses money. Unlike surge protectors, UPSs contain a buffer battery that keeps your devices running in the event of a power outage.
Like power supplies, many UPS systems contain a voltage regulator. These models not only make the power supply redundant but also ensure that the voltage remains within acceptable limits.
The UPS is ideal for data centers and server rooms. There are a variety of configurations, suitable for both single and three-phase applications. Many also come with special features such as LCD panels, hot-swappable batteries, and power-saving modes.
