Electrical devices are designed to handle specific voltages. Unfortunately, in cases where devices are subject to higher voltages than they are designed for, damage can occur.
Generally speaking the greater these voltages are, and the longer the period over which they are experienced, the greater the damage will likely be.
Sudden, severe voltage surges like those experienced as a result of lightning can cause almost immediate and total failure of electronic devices, requiring expensive repair work or replacement. However even small voltage surges are capable of causing damage over an extended period of time.
One common example of the damage that can be caused by excessive voltage involves the rapid heating – and subsequent cooling – of electrical wiring. Over time this repeated overheating can lead to “electronic rust” and eventual failure of devices.
It is also important to note that minor voltage surges can frequently go unnoticed; where these do not cause immediate failure, the owner may not be aware that their computer or other electronic device is being degraded on a consistent basis. As a result, power surges can be seen as one of the “silent killers” of electronic devices.
The damage caused by voltage surges can be serious enough in the home; however when the effects are felt in a wider industrial scale they can even more disastrous, affecting expensive machinery and even whole sections of the power grid. Unsurprisingly, for such a disastrous process, it is wise to use some form of surge protection, so as to mitigate the risks that power surges can cause.
We can install a data logger on you electric supply to monitor trends for any period of time required. This process is used for determining if you have ant issues with fluctuating voltages of spikes in load or eaven inbalances in load, all of which can be addressed once armed with this information.