DITEK Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Find a number of questions that we often hear at DITEK, along with their answers. These questions cover a wide range of surge protection-related topics. If you think a new question should be added here, please let us know!
Surge Protection Basics
NRTL certifications may not always be required; however, the primary purpose of surge protection devices is to protect your staff, equipment and facility from damaging power surges. Because of the critical nature of this goal, it only makes sense to choose products that have been designed and tested to the highest national standards. Learn more by reading our whitepaper.
Yes. A low impedance ground is imperative to both surge protection designs and power quality. An SPD is a passive device until there is a change in voltage (overvoltage). Then the SPD turns on and shorts the energy to ground and away from the protected circuit. When the fault has cleared, the SPD resets and is ready for the next event. Learn more about the importance of grounding in our Bulletin.
Power surges are impossible to predict or prevent, and can cause massive damage to any device on your power grid or IP network. The best way to reduce your risk of damage and destruction caused by a power surge is to take proactive measures to protect your critical business equipment. Read more about how being proactive when installing surge protection can help keep your business running in our whitepaper.
According to the Insurance Institute of Business and Home Safety, lightning strikes account for just two percent of all surge-related damage. That means 98 percent of the damage is caused by the hundreds of smaller power surges that typically go unnoticed every day. Learn more about power quality in our Bulletin.
Surge protective devices (SPDs) deliver a critical defensive function for electronic equipment and systems used to run businesses by ensuring that power surges do not damage or destroy them. An SPD may survive to protect your business for years – or only for a few days – depending on its exposure to surges. Knowing when to replace it means reading our blog.
Surges come from utility supplied power, human error, mechanical equipment or natural and atmospheric events. 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. Learn more about where power surges come from and how to protect your electronics from them in our whitepaper.
AC Power Protection
A minimum 30A, 2-Pole breaker or 30A, 3-Pole breaker, depending on model selected.
You can use wire nuts on the Phase and neutral wire only, but not the ground wire.
Ground conductor needs a low impedance ground point for the device to reference for proper dissipation of surge.
In most cases, yes. Any device that is hardwired to a meter, panel or circuit must be installed by a certified electrician.
As long as the SPD you are installing is listed for TYPE1, then you can use it at the Mains/Line side.
Type 1 listed SPDs can also be installed to the Load Side as well.
Ethernet and PoE Protection
It is “best practice” to protect both ends of a cable or wire run because when overvoltage surge energy is applied to any metallic conductor it will travel in both directions trying to find the least resistive path to ground. This is usually right through your equipment.
No, DITEK Ethernet and PoE surge protectors use state-of-the-art circuitry to provide the highest level of protection in the industry, and are compatible with network speeds up to 10GbE without signal degradation. Learn more about all of our 10GbE Surge Protectors.
Fire Alarm Protection
We recommend protecting loop circuit wires before they terminate at the Fire Alarm Control Panel. If the conductors are protected when they first enter the building, there is a risk of surge damage after the surge protective device.
At minimum, we recommend protecting loop circuit wires when they breach an outside wall. For maximum protection, we recommend protecting ALL loop circuits.
Wireless communicators require an antenna kit to attain an acceptable signal strength. Since antennas are external to the building, they become an avenue for damaging transient surges to enter your system through the coaxial antenna cable. Learn more.
View our Protecting Life and Fire Safety Systems Surge Protection document here for helpful information and tips. You can also contact us to answer any questions you may have.
Low Voltage Protection
How long must the conductors be from the protected side of the SPD to the equipment being protected?
You must have no less than 3 feet wire lead length (minimum) for the SPD to be able to open the path to ground for proper response time.
Field conductors should be installed on the side marked “IN” or unprotected, to where the “OUT” or protected side is wired to the equipment being protected.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
- On-Line UPS
- Uses double conversion method with AC input, then it rectifies that to DC current which passes through a rechargeable battery, then it inverts back to AC current for powering the protected equipment.
- Suggested DITEK models: DTK-UPS1000RE, DTK-UPS1500RE, DTK-UPS2000RE, DTK-3000RE. Visit our UPS product solutions here.
- Line-Interactive UPS
- Uses an inverter in line and redirects the battery’s DC current path from charging mode to supplying current when there is a loss of power. This is done with the use of an AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation).
- Suggested DITEK models: DTK-UPS600, DTK-UPS800. Visit product page here.
- Standby UPS
- Uses as AC power as its primary power source and switches to battery, and inverts to AC current, in case of failure of the primary source.
You can download software for your UPS by going here.
Software for DITEK UPS’s provide greater functionality, such as shutting down your computer or server when the UPS encounters a low battery event.
Software is not required to operate DITEK UPS’s.
Poor power quality and short term power outages have the same effect on your sensitive electronic equipment as power surges, including missing or corrupt data as well as equipment degradation.
