Surge Protection and Voltage Regulation: What's the Difference?
Surge protection and voltage regulation serve completely different purposes, but both are required for a reliable electrical system.
Surge protection is the foundation. TPD surge protection devices (SPDs) are specifically designed and listed to handle surges and disturbances in power that damage electronics over time. Surges can be generated by lightning, but they can also be generated by things within the building such as appliances and HVAC systems. This is why at least one layer of surge protection is now mandated by the National Electric Code at the service entrance of a building. In practice, we strongly recommend additional layers of surge protection be applied throughout the system to further reduce internally generated surges and improve overall performance.
Voltage regulation solves a different problem. TPD voltage regulation stabilizes voltage. This is different from UPS devices, which maintain power during an outage. Voltage regulation helps sensitive equipment operate consistently by maintaining proper voltage to the equipment. Voltage regulation devices, however, require surge protection themselves: they do not do the work of an SPD. While voltage regulators and UPS systems may contain internal protective components, these components are not a replacement for a properly installed SPD. In fact, they rely on upstream surge protection to operate reliably. Without it, they are exposed to the same surges that damage everything else in an electrical system, and may become damaged themselves without proper protection.
To have a successful power quality system in place, we recommend starting with layered TPD surge protection to control surges throughout the system. Then, if voltage instability or uptime becomes a concern, add TPD voltage regulation or a UPS where needed. Each device has a role, and when applied correctly, they work together to create a unified system.
Surge protection is not optional, and voltage regulation does not replace it. They are two separate tools that have two different, yet important, functions to solve power quality problems.
Questions about power quality? Contact us at info@tpdsurge.com or 888-281-7856. We would love to chat with you!
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