Power strip[ / Surge Protector Life

[hockd]

Good morning to all. I am an electrical engineer in the telecom side of the house but have been asked by some of our facilities folks as to how one can determine when to replace a power strip / surge protector? Also what type should we be looking to supply in the company. I really don't know othern than the obvious when it quits working or if it has LEDs and they go out it probably needs to be replaced. If it has an overcurrent device if that won't hold or maybe if it has operated a number of times.

Solicitng your input as this has been classified as a Safety issue for us.

Thanking you all in advnce for your help and the great work this forum does.

Dennis Hock
DTE Energy
Detroit, MI

 

[petersonra]

Good morning to all. I am an electrical engineer in the telecom side of the house but have been asked by some of our facilities folks as to how one can determine when to replace a power strip / surge protector? Also what type should we be looking to supply in the company. I really don't know othern than the obvious when it quits working or if it has LEDs and they go out it probably needs to be replaced. If it has an overcurrent device if that won't hold or maybe if it has operated a number of times.

Solicitng your input as this has been classified as a Safety issue for us.

Thanking you all in advnce for your help and the great work this forum does.

Dennis Hock
DTE Energy
Detroit, MI

First off, it is not a safety issue at all. It might be an equipment protection issue, but it is not a safety issue.

There are SPD that have indication when they have failed. If it is worth it to them, they can pay extra for them.

Personally, I think they are better off focusing on installing SPD at the service point and at panel boards.

It might well be more cost effective to buy the cheapest power strips with surge protection and just replace them every few years rather than spend the time to inspect them for failures.

 

[mgookin]

Since you're saying it's a safety issue, I'd defer to the manufacturer.

But looking at basic principles of operation, a surge arrestor will (hopefully) take the rated hit the first time, then a lesser hit successive times, as decay occurs from surges.

And we all know ocpd's decay with time and use, but in my experience (and I'm not the most experienced on here on this one) the failure results in a failure to hold, not a failure to trip.

 

[cadpoint]

I think your stepping into a mine field! Your question isn't in the scope of the NEC.
IMO

The following is somethings I have listed; first read all of it with an open mind and not be looking for your answer. It's not there. It references it, but a rock solid answer is not there, as you asked your question.

In the NFPA Code book you can read in 100 about power outlet, outlet, receptacle, and receptacle outlet.

In the UL you can read about power strips but this is not an exact match in their listing of this thing for what they call it, they call it, Standard Power for Outlets. UL231.

http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/...andards/catalogofstandards/standard/?id=231_9.

Our Code say that we need to address all the needs of what's required at any application of electricalservice, and in the end it will be the minimun of a Code compliantinstallation. Be it a receptacle or anything else, but guess what are requirements stops at the face of the recepactle!

Your power strip is not a ultization of electrical service, it is an extension for the ultization of electrical service.

OK here's another twist, there is no life cycle in the NFPA. Granted it can be surveyed as dangerous and other factors that require a change or change out but if something was installed for it's intended use there is no limit on it's life time.

You can use this page to find aaplications that have UL cerifications

http://database.ul.com/cgi-bin/XYV/template/LISEXT/1FRAME/index.html

Or you can search from the front page here.

http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/