It is vital to choose the right surge arrester and surge protection devices and circuit breaker configuration for your DB Board, and carry out in-depth risk assessment. 

Here are three things to do when looking for DB Surge Protection: 

• Get familiar with the various types of DB Board Surge Protectors. Education is key and being armed with enough knowledge will set you on the right track 
• It is vital to assess the risk of lightning strikes 

• Use devices that will protect the Surge Protector itself 

The most debilitating surges are those that are caused by lightning strikes to buildings which can be calculated using methods supplied by the SABS. Risks are elevated if buildings are exposed – for example, buildings that are situated in high positions such as those on mountains or hills. Other surges such as those that are caused by the switching on and off by the utility power are also harmful. These are surges that occur more often. 

To protect a distribution board a Type 2 arrester is mostly required. 

Risk Assessment 

Assessing risk is usually a complicated process – start by pinpointing the areas that are at greatest risk and those that are not at much risk at all. Once risk assessment has been carried out you can then shop around for the right DB Board Surge Protection. 

It is a known scientific fact that lightning strikes 90% of the earth with some parts far more prone to being struck than others. Lightning density is measured per kilometer per year (ng). A good example is that in South Africa lightning density is 150 ng, and Belgium a mere 1 ng! 

Always install a Type 2 Surge Arrester and if the distance between the arrester and the equipment is ten metres and more add a Type 2 or a Type 3 Arrester. 

In certain territories Surge Protectors are compulsory when protecting large facilities and sensitive environments such as medical facilities, data centres and hospitals, among other. 

DB Board Surge Protection plays a vital part in the profitability of any business which depends on high-tech, sensitive electronic systems and devices. 

Power surges are a regular occurrence and are here to stay. We need to think smart and out of the box – if power surges are going to be a major part of our daily lives. It is imperative that we protect all sensitive electronics against these instabilities, whether they are due to power surges from the utility, or whether they are a direct result of lightning strikes that seem to be part of the lives of South Africans across all our provinces. Lightning strikes in SA are high, according to statistics – more so than many countries (Belgium for one). We need to arm ourselves appropriately and with the right tools to ensure we don’t suffer expensive and unnecessary costs and damages to our sensitive items both in the office and home environments. 

Today we have a multitude of electronic devices which include sensitive PCs, laptops, microwaves and other machines that are made from delicate components. Microprocessors form part of the make-up of many of these delicate electronics – not only are they the bones of many expensive computers – they are also found in other equipment and electronics in the home. 

 The main function of having a surge protector might seem unnecessary, but if you would like to protect your machinery from being damaged during dips and hikes, blackouts and brownouts you should start changing the way you think. Many sensitive electronics are only able to function at their peak when they have a constant current to keep them running – a thought to ponder. 

Surge protectors are used for sophisticated electronics as these are prone to being damage. If devices are not damaged, they would more than likely have a shorter life span.  

Although PCs are your obvious electronic equipment that need protecting, numerous other electronics need protection in the work environment as well as the home environment.  

There is no point in getting a surge protector without an indicator light – these are essential as you need to assess whether your surge protector is in good working condition or not. Your equipment can still be exposed and could be damaged even if you connect all your devices to surge protectors. 

Computers that are connected to a modem need surge protection too as do phone lines and cables leading into buildings. 

It is important to determine how many devices you need to have plugged into your UPS when running a small business or medium enterprise. 

Most SMEs cannot afford to have downtime and loss of revenue, and if this can be avoided altogether, even better. Damage to your computers, modems, phones and other electrical devices puts pressure on the revenue of businesses that are reliant on their electrics. 

Always buy more than you actually need – most burgeoning businesses employ more staff members and need more devices to work on as they expand and grow. 

Here are three important things you need to know about investing in your UPS 

• Most UPS systems provide protection on some ports only. In many instances, the outlets that are actually powered by the battery will be less than the maximum amount of ports 

• A much less expensive UPS System can cut expenses by providing power (battery backup power) by supplying between four and six outlets with power; the remaining outlets are left without power. It is best to be aware of the configuration of a cheaper UPS especially when caught unaware when the power goes out. Being forewarned is being forearmed 

• You need to find out how much power the devices connected to your UPS unit will use. Should the collective amount of power add up to more than the UPS can deliver, they will not work. In most instances, the amount of power that is being supplied is usually stated before the letters “VA” which stands for Voltage Amps. It is advisable to ask your UPS supplier for assistance if you are unsure of the amount of power needed 

Once voltage and wattage have been configured – you should think in terms of how long your office electrics will need to run when the power goes out. Many businesses require UPS systems to save work after the power goes out; then again, other entrepreneurs and small business owners invest in UPS systems to carry on work when the power goes out, which could be in the region of an hour. Many small business owners are thinking smart and doing everything in the cloud, resulting in work being retrieved when needed. 

Think smart and think out of the box by getting surge protection for your business – this is especially useful if you run a small to medium enterprise. 

Before you start shopping around, there are a couple of great tips you might find useful when investing in surge protection in the workplace. Surge protectors are great for adding a couple of extra electrical outlets and for protecting the sensitive equipment that you don’t necessarily want to replace as a result of damage caused by unstable power. 

Choosing surge protection for your business can be confusing with the wide range of offerings – in other words, it is confusing what you can get for your money, what is not worth the money spend etc. 

• Bear in mind that surge suppressors and power strips and surge protectors differ from one another – they are not the same devices – power strips are multi-outlet products that are cheap and assist in giving users more plug outlets for their devices and do not offer any protection whatsoever from unstable power 
• Surge protectors are cost-effective and unlike power strips, they protect your sensitive electrical appliances against dips, hikes and surges 
• You will soon discover that your surge protector will protect your electrics in joules. The more joules you have the better the protection (if there is a mammoth surge, your appliances will then be protected against this) 
• When surge protection has many joules, it can also protect multiple devices against surges 
• Your surge protection will diminish over time and therefore will lose its effectiveness in protecting your office equipment 

• Keep an eye out for surge protectors that offer a guarantee on the devices that are connected to the surge protection device – it might be worth your while if your equipment is damaged even though it is connected to a surge protector 
• It’s a smart move to invest in more outlets than you need – as your business grows and you hire more staff, there will in all probability be more devices to plug in. This will prevent you from having to invest in more surge protection gear 
• Your phones can also be affected by power surges – get surge protectors that have phone cable outlets to protect your phones from lightning strikes or any other power surges that could damage your electric equipment 
• If your surge protector has USB outlets it might be a smart move to check the output amp rating for speedy charging 

It is a wise option to invest in a surge protector for your small to medium business but how much you need will vary from one situation to the next; most surge protectors are inexpensive, therefore worth getting. 

UPS is a device that guarantees that there will be no lapse of continuous AC power to the electrical devices connected to the grid when power is interrupted or unstable. Some UPS systems integrate surge protection to protect the attached device from current fluctuations or lightning strikes to guarantee a perfected current that is noise-free and free from voltage instability. 

Once you have decided to invest in a UPS the next thing to ask yourself is what size UPS will you need and where do you find one? 

It is best to find a company well-versed in UPS Systems with a good track record. There are, however, certain methods you will be able to put into place prior to shopping for your UPS so that you can choose the right size UPS for your needs. Knowledge is key and the more you know the better equipped you will be in finding the perfect size UPS for your equipment. 

• List all the equipment that requires protection from dips and surges, brown-outs and blackouts 

• It is important to include items such as monitors, external hard drives and routers as these also need protecting from unstable grid power 
• The next step is to list the amps and volts of each device  
• Most amps and volts ratings are found at the back of your electrical devices  
• Multiply your Amps by Volts to get your VA (VoltsAmps) reading 
• Some electronics list their power in Watts only 

• These need to be converted into VA readings  
• Divide the Watts by the power factor – an example is – Servers have a power factor of around .9 
• Multiply the VA by the number of electronic devices to get the VA subtotals 
• Add all the VA subtotals together 
• Multiply the total by 1.2 to get the grand total (this step is important if you need to increase your UPS at a later stage) 

• Use your grand total to choose the right UPS 
• When investing in a UPS device remember to check the total VA requirement as this should never be more than your VA rating on the UPS of choice 

Use the grand total to select a UPS. Perhaps one of the most important points to consider when selecting UPS devices, be sure that the total VA requirement of maintained equipment does not surpass the VA rating of the UPS.