Don’t Fall for These 5 Surge Protection Misconceptions

Surge protective devices (SPDs) are essential safeguards against dangerous voltage spikes. They divert excess energy away from electrical and electronic equipment and play a critical role in protecting the systems that keep workers safe.

Many facilities, however, have not been hardened appropriately against surge events, in part due to common misconceptions about voltage surges and SPDs. For professionals involved in building management and maintenance, understanding these devices and the misconceptions surrounding them is crucial to the well-being of workers and smooth business operations within a facility.

Misconception 1: Surge protection is only necessary at the service entrance.

SPDs at a building’s main entrance reduce or eliminate surges that originate from outside of the facility. SPDs at the point of use eliminate surges that have originated from inside a facility or have migrated into the facility through other means, such as induction or from exterior equipment installations. Point-of-use SPDs also may serve to further mitigate residual surge content from high magnitude surges originating outside of the building.

Different SPDs exist to offer protection to different areas of a facility. The industry standard applicable to SPDs, ANSI/UL 1449, classifies SPDs into various types. Typically, Type 1 SPDs are intended to be installed ahead of the main overcurrent protective device (OCPD), though they can be installed anywhere within a facility, often between the secondary of the service transformer and the line side of the main service equipment, or at the electrical meter that provides power to the building. Type 2 SPDs are listed to be installed after the main OCPD at the main service equipment, sub-distribution panels within a building, or point-of-utilization equipment. Type 1 and Type 2 SPDs are permanently installed by a qualified professional. Type 3 SPDs, or point-of-use surge protectors, connect directly to an electrical device. Types 4 and 5 SPDs are often built into equipment at the component level but do not offer standalone surge protection. Combining Types 1, 2, and 3 SPDs using a layered approach is vital to ensure a cascaded defense against internal and external surge events, which can put both personnel and business operations at risk if proper protection is not in place.

Misconception 2: Surges are only caused by external events.

Typical external sources of surges include nearby lightning strikes, utility grid issues (like a substation coming offline or online), and downed powerlines. While many facility managers primarily focus on external factors of surges (only 37% of respondents in the Electrical Safety Foundation International’s survey were aware that motor stops and starts and load switching inside a facility can cause surges), internal causes of surges can pose just as much of a risk. In fact, more than half of surges are created from within a facility.

Faulty wiring, on/off cycling of machinery, and electrical overloads are all common internal causes of surges. For example, frequent cycling of HVAC systems in a facility can create voltage spikes that travel through shared wiring to other devices within the building. These surges often go unnoticed because they may not immediately cause device failure. Implementing a comprehensive surge mitigation plan will protect a facility from both external and internal causes of surges.

Misconception 3: Maintenance is enough protection against surges.

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) conducted a survey of industrial and commercial facility professionals to learn about SPD usage behavior and identify areas for improved surge mitigation. The survey found that two-thirds of reported devices damaged in surge events were less than five years old. Newer electrical and electronic devices may, in many cases, be at heightened risk for damage from surges because of the increasing intricacy and decreasing size of modern electronic components.

Misconception 4: SPDs are too expensive.

Surges can cause fires when wires or circuitry overheat, and inadequate surge mitigation can result in costly downtime and affect the equipment that keeps workers safe. If surges are not mitigated, fire alarm systems, access control systems, PA systems, connected safety systems, lighting, and machinery interlocks can all experience failure due to surges. Surges also carry real economic risks; they are responsible for billions of dollars nation-wide each year in lost operations time and equipment repair and replacement. At the individual facility level, unplanned downtime can cost anywhere between tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars per hour. The cost of a single surge event can far exceed the cost of hardening a facility from surge events.

Misconception 5: SPDs protect against direct lightning strikes.

When lightning strikes, it creates a massive spike in voltage. SPDs are not able to protect against direct lightning strikes to a facility. Luckily, these types of events are rare. Facilities are much more likely to be impacted by instances of nearby lightning, where surges can stem from a strike to communications or power systems connected to the building. In these instances, cascading systems comprising Types 1, 2, and 3 SPDs are highly effective at mitigating the sudden spike in extra energy (provided an adequately installed and maintained grounding system is present).

Lightning also creates electromagnetic pulses (EMP). These high-voltage discharges through the air can induce a voltage into aerial-run cables, which channel the voltage surge into the equipment that these wires connect to inside the building. Pole-mounted camera systems in parking lots, for example, are prone to this type of EMP damage.

Conclusion

As facilities become more reliant on interconnected, sensitive electrical and electronic equipment, and as grid reliability factors change, the proper selection and application of SPDs have never been more crucial. Overlooking or misunderstanding surge protection in a facility puts safety equipment at risk and leaves expensive resources vulnerable to failure and malfunction.

If you are in the process of making your facility more resilient, remember that surge protection is just one crucial piece of a safe electrical system, and always choose devices that have been listed and approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory when purchasing any equipment for your facility.