Lightning Surges are the single biggest cause of damage to and destruction
of electrical and electronic equipment in homes?
Due to the ever-changing climate and rising temperatures lightning strikes are
becoming more and more frequent.
Several things can happen in a storm. Some more catastrophic than others. The other issues are directly related
to lightning activity. When lightning strikes nearby (but not too close hopefully!), electrical spikes & surges are
generated, and these can transmit into electrical wiring. We are referring to lightning surges here.
The 5 levels of protection we would recommend for any situation are:
POWER CUTS
During storms, network disruption can frequently happen
and power cuts are extremely common. There is not much
you can do but you can use products to provide power like an
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).
POWER BACK SURGES
These happen hand in hand with power cuts. When power
resumes, it is usually accompanied by a surge. This can be
quite high and result in severe damage. So, delay on start-up &
monitoring until supply is safe is critical. Use the AVS range to
protect against this event. A UPS will help as well.
HIGH VOLTAGE
(also known as voltage swell or surge) – That is a sustained
high level of voltage to typically >250V and up to 300+. These
could be catastrophic if the voltage rises very high, very
quickly. Here we would recommend using our AVS range of
products which will disconnect the power until it returns back
to normal.
LOW VOLTAGE
Generally happens when the grid is overloaded and you get
excessive voltage drop on the distribution network. You can
again use our AVS range or typically add a voltage regulator
LOSS OF NEUTRAL
Due to an accident or sabotage – In this event, the single phase
voltage will then rise to the 3 Phase level. So instead of getting
230V, the equipment will experience up to 415V continuously.
An extremely serious event. And not that uncommon. The
AVS range would protect against this. But even so, the AVS
might get damaged but at least it will do so with circuit open
appliances protected.
LIGHTNING SURGES
These are high energy surges generated by nearby lightning
activity that will raise the (voltage) potential in the
surrounding areas to thousands of volts and could seep into
buildings and thereby subjecting equipment to harmful surges.
Acumen Technologies supplies a number of products to cater for the above events to protect your equipment
Contact Form
craig@acumentech.co.za
Craig Theobald
Acumen Technologies
Gauteng 011 782 2194
Craigs Direct Line 27101100372
HARDWARE , SOFTWARE AND SOLUTIONS PROVIDER SINCE 1998
WE ALSO SUPPLY ADSL AND FIBRE TO HOME AND BUSINESS
WEBDESIGN AND HOSTING