Unprotected equipment can fall prey to brownouts, over-voltage and line noise. Often times, these issues go unnoticed, allowing for significant equipment damage and premature failure. You can protect your business from these dangers with solutions from ECS.
To help protect you from brownouts, over-voltage, and line noise, it helps to know what these things are!
- Brownouts, or under-voltage, are when the line voltage coming to your business is reduced. This anomaly is characterized by a decrease in voltage below 90% of its normal value and can result from an intentional utility voltage reduction to conserve power during peak demand periods or other heavy loads that exceed supply capacity. It’s possible for a brownout to go unnoticed until new equipment is installed or the existing electrical system is otherwise changed, with the new combined load depressing the voltage to a point where symptoms become apparent. Besides the obvious malfunction of equipment, chronic brownouts can cause excess wear on devices such as motors, since low voltage causes them to run hot.
- Over-Voltage is characterized by increased line voltage for periods ranging from a few minutes to a few days. An over-voltage is usually triggered by a rapid reduction in power loads, heavy equipment being turned off, or by utility switching. This anomaly can result in your equipment running hotter than normal, malfunctions, and complete equipment failure. Over-voltage often results in costly hardware damage.
- Line noise is defined as a high-frequency waveform caused by EMI interference. Line noise is known to can wreak havoc on sensitive electronic equipment. This often mysterious anomaly originates from power line disturbances, externally conducted noise, transmitted noise, or ground loops. Noise-related difficulties can range in severity from minor positioning errors to damaged equipment.
To avoid the potentially devastating consequences of brownouts, over-voltages and line noise, make sure your critical equipment is safeguarded by a UPS system – uninterruptible power system. The double-conversion technology converts incoming AC power into filtered DC power and then resynthesizes it back into AC power with a pure sine wave.
Contact ECS today to make sure you are protected!