| Power Problem | Definition | Cause | Solution | ||
| Series 3 Protection Level |
Series 5 Protection Level |
Series 9 Protection level |
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Power Failure |
A total loss of utility power
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Can be caused by a number of events: lightning strikes, downed power lines, grid over demands, accidents and natural disasters | |||
 Power Sag |
Short term low voltage | Triggered by the startup of large loads, utility switching, utility equipment failure, lighting and power service that's too small for the demand. In addition to crashes, sags can damage hardware | |||
 Power Surge |
Short term high voltage | With voltages above 110% of nominal, surges can be triggered by a rapid reduction in power loads, heavy equipment being turned off, or by utility switching. The results can potentially damage hardware. | |||
 Brownout |
Reduced line voltage for extended periods of a few minutes to a few days | Can be caused by an intentional utility voltage reduction to conserve power during peak demand periods or other heavy loads that exceed supply capacity. | |||
 Electrical Line Noise |
High frequency waveform that piggyback on the line waveform | Can be caused by either RFI or EMI interference generated by transmitters, welding devices, SCR driven printers, lightning etc. | |||
 High Voltage Spike |
Instant and dramatic increase in line voltage | Can be caused by lightning strike and can send line voltages to levels in excess of 6,000 volts. A spike almost always results in data loss or hardware damage. | |||
 Frequency Variation |
A change in frequence stability | Resulting from generator or small cogeneration sites being loaded and unloaded. Frequency variation can cause erratic operation, data loss, system crashes and equipment damage. | |||
 Switching Transients |
Instantaneous high voltage increase | Normal duration is shorter than a spike and generally falls in the range of nanoseconds. | |||
 Harmonic Distortion |
Distortion of the normal waveform generally transmitted by nonlinear loads | Switched mode power supplies, variable speed motors and drives, copiers and fax machines are examples of non-linear loads. Can cause communication errors, overheating and hardware damage. | |||
Solution to a Power Problem
