While most people know the dangers blackouts pose to electronic and IT equipment, brownouts, or temporary reductions in the voltage of power supply, often go unnoticed and unheeded, says Robert Brandt, APC product specialist at Drive Control Corporation.
However, these are equally dangerous and can wreak havoc on computers, servers, and other equipment if measures are not taken to protect environments from this event, he states.
Brandt says companies have been lulled into false sense of security, as load shedding and rolling blackouts are no longer publicised and seem to be a thing of the past.
“When power voltage dips, people may not even notice or experience it as a dimming of lights. However, the underlying damage caused by these occurrences is often not apparent to the end-user,” notes Brandt.
He explains that undervoltage, or brownouts, are the cause. “Most technology requires a constant supply of clean, uninterrupted power in order to function optimally, and brownouts force equipment to work harder on less power, which can severely reduce lifespan.”
Damage control
It isn't feasible for organisations to turn off equipment during brownouts, says Brandt. “Organisations cannot tolerate the downtime this would cause, and brownouts are often difficult to detect.” He believes companies need to turn to technology to deal with the problem.
Brandt recommends that all power points have power filters or protectors fitted on them, as these are designed to cut irregular power supply before it can damage equipment. Power filters are easy and relatively cheap to install, and will be destroyed before equipment in the event of a power surge or sag, saving expensive equipment from failure.
He also recommends using voltage regulators, power conditioners, and isolation transformers which assist in keeping the power supply steady, and ensure expensive equipment is not affected by brownouts.
“In addition, a UPS with a power filter can provide backup power when the main power fails, allowing time for proper shutdown procedures to be implemented,” states Brandt. “Most UPS systems will also regulate the power from the wall, eliminating power sags and minimising the effect of brownouts on costly equipment.”
Brownouts have the potential to cause massive disruptions to business and cause damage in the millions worth of expensive electronic and computer equipment, says Brandt.
“In a country that experiences a large number of electric storms, and also has a power utility with as many problems as SA does, it is imperative to have a proactive strategy to protect equipment from this silent killer.”
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