Buyers Guide To Surge Power Boards

How do surge protected power boards work ?
At first glance a surge protected power board operates like any other Power Board. It shows its ability at that moment when too much voltage gets passed along the transmission line , the surge protected board lets only a ‘safe’ amount through to the connected equipment. The rest it channels into the electrical outlet’s ‘earth’ and safely dissipated into the ground.
When a surge occurs at a certain level above normal voltage, a component built into the surge protected power board becomes conductive and starts to carry the excess electric current back down through the ground wire, so the damaging high voltage doesn’t reach connected equipment. Once the surge ends, that protective component resumes its ‘dormant’ stage of being non-conductive. It’s a bit like an electrical version of a pressure valve.
Australian domestic wiring is designed for a standard voltage of 230–240 volts. If the voltage goes too far above that, it can damage electronic equipment, which usually has many sensitive components. If excess voltage lasts for a very brief time (1–2 nanoseconds) it’s called a spike. If it lasts longer it’s called a surge. Even though a spike or surge can be so brief their duration is measured in nanoseconds, they can still cause damage to sensitive components. It is vitally important to protect sensitive business equipment, Computers, printers, photocopiers etc these items of equipment are sensitive to Surges in voltage.

So what sort of a Surge Protected Board should you Buy ? Here are the specifications you should consider…Energy absorption/dissipation – This rating, given in joules, tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. Look for a protector that is at least rated at 200 to 400 joules. For better protection, look for a rating of 600 joules or more.
Response time – Surge protectors don’t kick in immediately; there is a very slight delay as they respond to the power surge. A longer response time tells you that your computer (or other equipment) will be exposed to the surge for a greater amount of time. Look for a surge protector that responds in less than Ten nanoseconds.
It is best to look for a Surge protected board with an indicator light that tells you if the protection components are functioning. Eventually the protection component will burn out after continual power surges, but the board will still function as a power connection. Without an indicator light, you have no way of knowing if your protector is still functioning properly.
Other important features may include ?
Building wiring status indicator: Detects potentially dangerous wiring problems in the wall outlet.
Circuit breaker: Protects the surge board from overload by connected devices drawing too much current.
EMI noise filtration: This reduces or eliminates line noise (electrical interference).
Other connections: Surge protected sockets for coaxial cable, modem or Ethernet network, all of which can also conduct high voltage that can damage connected devices.
Outlet spacing: Allows more room for one or more devices that use a transformer block.
Sockets: Check the number of mains power sockets available, usually from four to eight.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 0 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

At Tested and True …we come to your work place at a time convenient to you. We can do an assessment of your Electrical Hazards it can be conducted at the same time as we test and tag your Electrical Equipment. We provide a Full Report with recommedations to clear up current Hazards and how to prevent future risks. Call and ask for a quote. 040 7605568 Tested & True ~ test & tag Adelaide uses the very latest in Portable Appliance Testing…The STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP008 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and in Calibration. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standard AS/NZS 3760:2010 ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price. Call Now Mobile 040 7605568

Visit us at http://www.testedandtrue.com.au located in Lonsdale, South Australia

Peter Hill Manager Tested & True ~ test & tag Manager SA 0407605568 May 2016

Fixed RCD testing… Why is it important?

At every workplace there is at least one Electrical switch board that is built to divide the power and lighting into manageable circuits feeding, lights, equipment and power points for us to use. Though we may not have an understanding electricity, it is important that you know about the little understood device called the RCD (residual current Device) or sometimes referred to as the Safety Switch that will find amongst the breakers and or fuses in this panel.

An RCD is an electromechanical device,that detects any shunting of electrical power to earth thereby shutting the circuit down in mere milli-seconds, in doing so avoiding electrocution to personnel and possible fire hazards.

Being and Electromechanical device ,it can like any other similar device be prone to failure. As part of a regular testing check, it needs to have a push button test which basically is a test every 6 months to check out the mechanical workings of the RCD of which any body can do. If there are breakers on your Panel that are RCD’s.. the give away is a breaker with a button for testing also on the breaker are the words 30ma RCD… these are the devices that need to be tested monthly by push button. Picture below

But this is a bit like push button testing a battery smoke alarm it only test the resultant action it doesn’t test the actual detection part of the device.

So periodically you need to have your fixed Main switchboard panel RCD’s tested with a calibrated RCD tester, and if it responds with a shutdown time lag of less than 299 mill-seconds… typical times for most RCD’s are usually are 5-50 milliseconds… here is a table below which will help

TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH EQUIPMENT IS USED
	Residual Current Devices (RCDs)
	PUSH BUTTON TEST BY USER	TEST FOR OPERATING TIME RCD TESTER
FACTORIES, WORKSHOPS, PLACES OF REPAIR, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLY, MAINTENANCE OR FABRICATION.	6 MONTHS	12 MONTHS
LABORATORIES, TEA ROOMS, OFFICE KITCHENS	6 MONTHS	2 YEARS
OFFICE EQUIPMENT WHERE EQUIPMENT OR SUPPLY FLEXIBLE CORD IS SUBJECT TO FLEXING ON NORMAL USE OR IS OPEN TO ABUSE OR IS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT	6 MONTHS	2 YEARS
OFFICE EQUIPMENT WHERE EQUIPMENT IS NOT SUBJECT TO CONSTANT FLEXING OF THE SUPPLY CORD	6 MONTHS	2 YEARS
NEW EQUIPMENT AND REPAIRED/SERVICED EQUIPMENT	PRIOR TO INITIAL INTRODUCTION TO USE, AND AFTER SERVICING	PRIOR TO INITIAL INTRODUCTION TO USE, AND AFTER SERVICING

Tested & True ~ test & tag  Lonsdale We know how to test all types of test sensitive electrical equipment like that of a RCDs and Surge Protected devices…We specifically use the STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP008 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and up to date. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standards ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price.

Article By Peter Hill… Tested & True ~ test & tag, Lonsdale, South Australia, Contact 0407605568 May 2016 www.testedandtrue.com.au