About Dave Gattis

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So far Dave Gattis has created 12 blog entries.

November 2023

Understanding the 2023 NEC Rules for Surge Protection

2023-11-08T17:01:33-05:00

In 2023, the committees of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) published their most recent updates to the NFPA 70, better known as the National Electrical Code or NEC. Updated every three years, the NEC is the benchmark for safe electrical design, installation, and inspection to protect people and property from electrical hazards. New requirements specifically relating to surge protection emerged in both the 2020 and 2023 NEC iterations. And while NEC adoption by state varies, the consequences of failing to comply with NEC codes can be costly, endangering both people and property and resulting in expensive fees/repairs. Therefore, it [...]

May 2023

Understand the Importance of Surge Protection to Boost Sales

2023-10-31T11:56:28-05:00

In distributor and retail settings, sales are made one of two ways: passively or actively. In a passive sale, a customer comes in knowing exactly what item they want and purchases the product with no questions asked. Active selling requires counter sales, inside and outside salespeople, and even branch managers to actively assist their customers in finding the solution they need. The goal in active selling is to explain the benefits and importance of a product while appearing knowledgeable, so the customer is confident that they are making a good purchase decision. But before active selling can happen, the people [...]

Do You Know How Much of Your Power Budget You're Using?

2023-10-31T09:56:59-05:00

Integrators and end users love Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices for their cost and time saving benefits as well as their ease of use. By delivering power and data over the same Ethernet cable, PoE devices can easily be connected, disconnected, and moved without the need for extensive cabling or electrical work. From IP cameras to access control systems and beyond, PoE is now the go-to solution for locations where power outlets or network connections are hard to come by. The low-voltage install of PoE devices is further simplified by PoE switches, which provide power to peripheral devices via a [...]

Cost of a Power Surge

2023-10-31T09:59:13-05:00

A common misconception about power surges is that devices are only at risk during extreme weather, but power surges can happen at any time without warning. According to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, lightning strikes account for just two percent of all surge protection damage. That means that 98 percent of the damage is done by the hundreds of power surges that are mostly unnoticed every day. These surges could be the result of something as simple as your air conditioner cycling on or off. They could also be caused by something much farther away - for [...]

Surge Protection Grounding and Installation Best Practices

2023-10-31T09:59:59-05:00

For proper operation, install all Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) per the guidelines set forth by the manufacturer. Improperly installed devices will not perform as intended and consequently, will not protect the equipment.  The conductor length between the SPD and the protected equipment should be a minimum of three feet in length to allow enough time for it to react. The conductors can be greater than 3 feet as long as they are isolated and are not subjected, or directly exposed to internally or externally-generated, transient voltage spikes and/or surges. Always make sure that the field wiring (unprotected wires) and the [...]

5 Reasons to Install DITEK Surge Protection

2023-10-31T10:02:21-05:00

In the world of systems installation, there is perhaps nothing more exciting than closing a big sale. Tallying up the bill of materials (BoM) on a multi-piece security system or campus-wide HVAC system feels like a win – because it is! However, many installers and electricians may be unaware that they are leaving valuable opportunities on the table by forgetting about one crucial line item – surge protection.    Surge protection has long been thought of as an add-on to electronic systems when, in reality, they are a critical piece of equipment that installers and electricians should take advantage of. [...]

DITEK Surge Protectors - MOV vs. SAD vs. GDT

2023-10-31T10:03:50-05:00

When evaluating surge protection for your networked devices, its essential to choose the right product to do each individual job. There is more to surge protection than simply hooking up a device – in fact there are several different types of surge protection, each engineered with differing core components performing the “dirty work” of dissipating surges away from your critical devices. The three most commonly found core components are MOVs, SADs, and GDTs; most surge protectors are built around one of these three and are defined by the capabilities of that component. There are also hybrid, multi-stage models available that [...]

How to Know When Your Surge Protector Reached End of Life

2023-10-31T11:58:56-05:00

Surge protectors function as a shield, protecting your important electronic systems and devices from common power surges and spikes. As a vital part of their useful life, surge protectors absorb sudden rushes of electrical power – from utility grid switching down to the hundreds of small power surges spikes that occur every day. Such spikes either cause a surge protective device (SPD) to deteriorate slowly or all at once as the SPD prevents more important systems from suffering the same fate. This self-sacrifice eventually causes a surge protector to reach end of life (EOL). Once a surge protector has reached [...]

April 2023

An Installers Guide to Surge Protection for HVAC Systems

2023-10-31T15:18:55-05:00

  As an experienced HVAC installer, you may already be aware of the critical protection that surge protection devices provide for your customers’ HVAC systems. And with the increasing frequency of power disruptions and their unpredictability, there’s a growing need to install surge protection solutions to ensure that these systems remain up and running when needed most. This informative guide is designed to help you answer one critical question, why surge protection? Both from a customer’s and installer’s point of view. Armed with this information, you can confidently educate your customers on the exciting value proposition that HVAC surge protection provides, while [...]

March 2023

Don't Get Burnout from Brownouts

2023-11-03T11:14:58-05:00

As some cities record their hottest temperatures ever and the nation grapples with aging infrastructure, the frequency of brownouts is occurring at a rapid pace. The fallout from such brownouts can be as minimal as dimming lightbulbs or as extreme as loss of refrigeration for life-saving medication. But what can be done to prevent the worst? And why does it matter now? What even is a brownout? We’re here to answer these questions and more. What is a Brownout? An electrical brownout occurs when a facility’s power system experiences an intentional or unintentional drop in voltage. In an intentional brownout, [...]

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