Are you experiencing power-related symptoms with your machines, panels, or electrical wiring? Although it is a given fact that Fluke tools can undoubtedly solve these issues with a simple click of buttons, it is also a good practice for electricians and caretakers to know what is causing them. Remember that action prevention is always better than relying on tools alone. Therefore, knowing the causes of power quality symptoms also takes a substantial chunk regarding understanding the process for it to go as smoothly as possible.

Importance of power quality

When we touch upon the topic of power quality, it relates to things that consume power. And for electronics and machines to function properly, they need a good consistent flow of voltage. Power quality is important because, in the modern world that we live in today, electricity and power are widely used and saturated in most businesses and households. Imagine what it would be like when your power is tripping or acting up. This will cause unwanted downtimes for businesses, and it will also cause pricey maintenance assistance.

Remember the famous quote “health is wealth”? It does not just apply to people’s health, but it also applies to electrical aspects as well. Keeping your power lines in their peak condition and maintaining their optimum power quality will be beneficial for your business and households overall.

Causes of poor power quality

If you are experiencing these issues with your lights or electricity in general, then it might be high time for you to contact someone to look at your powerlines. Take note that the causes of poor power quality can happen to any electrically powered thing when it is starting to age. According to ICAR, here are some of the possible causes of poor power quality…

Probable causes:

• Power failures (Release switches, fuses blowing).
• Breakdowns or malfunctions of machines.
• Overheating of machines (transformers, motors, etc.) leads to reduced useful life.
• Damage to sensitive equipment (computers, production line control systems, etc.).
• Electronic communication interference.
• Increased distribution system losses.
• The need to oversize systems to cope with additional electric stress results in higher installation and operational costs.
• Luminosity flickering

A quick run-through of power quality symptoms.

Let us not make things complicated. There are a lot of possible causes of why your electric machines or your panels are malfunctioning. Here, we are going to quickly run-down the most common ones that you will experience. We will state the issues, their symptoms, and their possible potential causes.

Dips and Sags

One of the most common occurrences of electrical or power-related issues is “dips and sags”. You will know it when it happens when you start experiencing dimming lights, computer lockups, equipment shutdown, systems shut down, and unexplained shutdowns in general.

One of the main causes of dips and sags are extreme weather conditions that can really shake up electrical lines and cable posts. In line with this, starting large loads, especially large inductive can also be a reason for electrical dips and sags.

Electrical Swells

You might want to watch out for electrical swells. You will know when your power lines are experiencing this when your power supplies are failing. Also, overvoltage shutdowns and alarms on variable frequency drives can be in the works when electrical swells take place. The potential causes for this are capacitor bank switching, sudden load decrease, or faulty single phase of three-phase systems.

Transients

One of the most dangerous causes of power quality symptom transient usually triggers arcing effects and flashovers that are very harmful to maintenance men and women when they are exposed to them. In line with this, it also triggers damaged insulations, computer lockups, and failed electronics.

To prevent this occurrence, try and watch out for these things that are causing them.

• Lightning strikes
• Switching of capacitors
• Reenergizing systems after a power failure
• Sudden stoppage of large equipment
• Dirty or worn contactors

Harmonics

Its symptoms consist of overheated electrical functions. To prevent this, watch out for the overheating of your conductors, transformers, and inductive motors. These elements can cause damage to your harmonics. Also, like other causes of poor power quality, you may also experience unexplained shutdowns of your electronic equipment. But let us not forget about its potential causes.

Causes of harmonics:

• Nonlinear loads such as switching power supplies
• Converter sections of uninterruptible power supply (UPS), VFDs, and battery chargers
• Welders
• Arc furnaces

Power Interruptions

This is one of the most common faults that people experience when heavy rains or storms occur. technically, this entails a total power shutdown of appliances, lights, or anything that is powered by electricity. In simple terms, it is a momentary loss of utility power. Power interruptions may seem like a simple and common thing, but it is also a cause of unwanted downtimes that can affect a business’s productivity. Not to mention, some downtimes can be costly to some industries as well.

Resolve these failures using Fluke Tools!

Hey, you made it to the bottom! Are you currently looking for the best-performing test tools in the market to run daily maintenance checks on your machines? You are in luck cause Presidium PH is an authorized distributor of Fluke test tools in the Philippines. Prevent these faults from penetrating your machine by using the best test tools there are!

If you want to know more about Fluke tools and their functions, visit our website for more info! This is a one-stop-shop for the best test tools within Metro Manila.