What Causes an Electrical Disturbance?

If you have noticed electrical disturbances that affect your power, you should understand that there is a variety of potential causes. Understanding electrical disturbances better can help you figure out how to solve problems when they occur.

There are different types of electrical disturbances. A surge is a small one that lasts for a split second and results in an increased voltage. A spike produces a very large voltage level increase. A brownout is a little bit longer than a surge and could last anywhere between a few seconds and several hours. When this happens, and the voltage levels will go down. A blackout is the complete halt of electricity.

Searches can be caused by the switching off of heavy duty appliances or short circuits in the electrical system. Spikes can be caused by lightning striking nearby, as well as downed power lines. Brownouts can be caused by decreases in voltage levels by the utility company that are sometimes done on purpose in response to being at peak load times. Blackouts can take place due to very high demands on power grids or natural storms that occur.

Any of these electrical disturbances can potentially cause damage. Surges can cause excessive wear to the components of electrical equipment, and spikes can destroy equipment or cause data loss or other processing problems. Brownouts can cause data loss and have an impact on the efficiency of the equipment as well. Blackouts are capable of causing data loss, as well as damage to a computer hard drive.

There are things that you can do to minimize any damage caused by electrical disturbances. You can plug electrical equipment into surge protectors and suppressors in order to minimize damage from surges and spikes. You can also install an uninterruptible power supply system in order to minimize damage that can come from brownouts and blackouts.

For quality power monitoring services, contact the expert team at Power Plus Engineering today. 

Common Circuit Breaker Issues

A circuit breaker is an automatic electric switch purposed to interrupt the flow of current to protect you, and your home from damage caused by the excess current. If a circuit is overloaded, the breaker will trip and cut power to eliminate the risk...

3 Facts About Infrared Thermography Inspections

Infrared Thermography Inspection is a great way to detect electrical problems before a disaster breaks out in a building. It can be used for both interior and exterior survey, and it’s usually accurate enough for personal and official use. The...

DC Testing and Maintenance- What You Need To Know

The power circuit breakers at your premises may work well and trick you into thinking everything is working just fine. You may not recognize that despite the efficiency of your circuit breakers, behind the scenes, the devices could be facing...

External and Internal Faults in Transformer

Transformers move electricity along, and they are essential to getting it to customers. They are also very expensive, and it takes time to repair them if they have a problem. Those things that can go wrong are divided into internal and external...

Can A Transformer Convert From AC to DC?

Can a transformer convert from AC to DC? The short answer is: No. Why Not? The task itself is simply too complex for such a simple machine. The transformer itself is designed for one basic task, and that is to convert high and low voltages. A...

How Does A Transformer Work?

If you're unfamiliar with the term, transformers may seem to refer to a toy or to an action movie. It actually refers to an electrical device that keeps power running to a variety of different places. Find out more about what they do,...

The Basics of Power Quality Monitoring

Power Quality Monitoring (PQM) has many benefits, such as improving performance and quality. A PQM System will gather, analyze, and interpret raw electricity measurement data into useful information.  A typical monitoring system measures...

The Importance of Electrical Testing and Inspections

As a business owner, you put so much of your energy and resources into your company's products, services, infrastructure and property. With all this personal and financial investment, the last thing you want is to lose any of your...

Welcome to Our New Website!

We've added great new features and updated our content to bring you the most up to date information about our company.  Check back often for updates.