Importance of Surge Protection
Panel Level Surge Protection Offers Optimal Protection
Many people erroneously think that power surges only occur during a storm or a lightning strike – but this is absolutely not true! There are a wide variety of factors that can cause power surges – many of which you may not even be aware of. And these ‘unseen’ power surges can ruin thousands of dollars of personal and commercial electronic devices.
Installing a panel level surge protection device is by far the best way to head-off transient power surges and spikes before they destroy your electronic devices and systems. In this article, the electrical experts at Team Electrical Sales in the Detroit, MI area explain the causes of power surges and spikes – and discuss the steps you can take to protect your devices with proper surge protection.
Causes of Electrical Surges
Yes, storms and lighting can cause power surges – but the daily supply of electricity to your house may also be fluctuating without your knowledge due to “dirty power”. This is the electromagnetic “noise” on the main wiring of a structure that can result in low power, voltage variations, frequency variations, and surges.
Also keep in mind that no matter how new your structure or devices are, the electrical system supplying power to your house or business is probably built on an older, antiquated electrical grid. In many cities, “grid switching” by the utility company causes invisible and undetected surges that can damage electronic devices. “Grid switching” occurs many times a day when the utility company channels more electricity to areas where and when it is needed and reduces energy delivery during less busy times. Typically, grids will direct more power to businesses during the day and then “switch” the grid to supply more electricity to residential areas at night. And these ongoing “switches” cause power fluctuations that can damage devices.
Why Many Power Surges Are Not Detected
Most modern electronics have some limited protection “built in” that helps control minor power surges and spikes. Usually this is done with a small component called a Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) that is soldered onto the electrical circuit board. MOVs absorb power surges and spikes – but only up to a certain level. So, when a power surge occurs that takes only milliseconds – faster than the human eye can see – the MOV handles it without interrupting the functioning of your electronic device.
But eventually, when an electronic device stops working “for no reason,” it is often because the Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) has failed due to repeated transient power spike and surges.
Of course, the utility companies are aware of these spikes and surges – but the average home or business owner has no practical way of monitoring these power fluctuations. So, the power company will typically never admit fault or responsibility when a device fails. And, since many manufacturers of electronics are continually trying to lower their manufacturing costs, they often install cheaper metal oxide varistors that have lower quality levels and protection abilities.
In fact, using inferior MOVs in electronic products can be advantageous for manufacturers – as it means consumers may have to replace their devices more often!
Panel Level Surge Protection
The fact that Metal Oxide Varistors are limited in their capacity is a primary reason that any building or facility also needs surge protection! Installing a panel level (facility wide) surge protection device, can head-off transient surges and spikes before they get to valuable and important electronic devices.
With a high-quality, panel level surge protection device ALL of your electronics are protected – regardless of what the utility company does, or the quality of MOV’s built into your electronic devices. Installing high-capacity surge protection at the panel means that not only are devices plugged into outlets protected – but everything in the building (lighting, HVAC, security systems, etc.) are also protected from surges and spikes.
Additionally, by heading off power spikes and surges before they reach your devices’ MOVs, equipment will last longer. Not to mention the fact that failure of computers and mobile devices due to power damage can result in loss of irreplaceable data, documents, photos and more.
The cost of panel level surge protection devices is surprisingly affordable. In many cases, it will cost less to install panel level surge protection and protect all of the devices and electrical systems in your home or business, than it would to replace a single TV or appliance. In our book, this is the cheapest ‘insurance’ and assurance you can buy!
Surge Protection Sales & Distribution | Detroit Area
Panel surge protection offers security, protecting every electrical device, appliance, and system in your structure – saving you both the cost and the inconvenience of having to replace expensive and valuable electronics.
Team Electrical Supply in the greater Detroit, MI area offers a full line of residential and commercial panel surge protection devices to protect everything in your home or business.
If you are building or updating a home or business, contact Team Electrical Supply in the greater Detroit, MI area for all of your surge protection needs.
