What is the significance of the UL 1449 2nd Edition Listing?  Why was it changed?

    Underwriters Laboratories (UL) changed their standards for a number of reasons.  The original standard was more than 13 years old and a lot had changed in the industry since that point.  The "real world" was the primary reason for the change, though--0it was found that the existing standard did not reflect what was really affecting equipment and facilities in the field.

    A number of additional tests were added to the standard. For example, equipment must now be capable of withstanding a 25,000 amp fault current at the full-phase service voltage--it even requires the unit to withstand over 7 hours of sustained high voltages!  In all, the old standard contained approximately 39 pages of requirements--the new standard is a full 10 pages long.

 

What does "User Serviceable" mean?  I've been told it's a feature I should look for.

    It is a feature you should look for...and run from as far and as fast as possible.  Some manufacturers try to tell you that fusing is a requirement for UL approval and this is not true.

    The only "user serviceable" parts you can possibly see in a surge suppressor/arrester are fuses and modules which contain the actual "active components".

    If such a "user serviceable component" fails, you are left with no protection, and in the case of fuses, it is likely that when the fuse "clears" (blows) you will be left unprotected in the middle of an event.

    Such antics result in a condition where a manufacturer of surge suppressors/arresters is applying protection to THEIR equipment at the expense of YOURS.

    Equipment that is designed to operate on your industrial lines to protect your equipment should be robust enough to avoid exploding (one competitor actually describes this as "imploding").  Our equipment is designed to sacrifice itself to protect your equipment and it is robust enough to survive such an explosion without creating a shrapnel of component or enclosure parts.

    From your perspective it doesn't make much difference whether a "user serviceable part" fails or the device itself is rendered inoperable because of a catastrophic event.  If our equipment fails we will replace it within the warranty period (15 years)...no questions asked.  We will usually have specified a system so that you will have multiple modes of protection and can survive a missing device for the short amount of time it requires us to replace your failed unit.

    Most important, our design will allow protective equipment within your facility time to react.  Since your equipment can't react in the amount of time we do, this is critical.  You may suffer the inconvenience of a tripped breaker or a blown fuse, but it's a substantial improvement over days of downtime (or weeks) to replace damaged equipment.

 

Can Stedi-Power Surge Suppressors help me during a "brownout"?

    Stedi-Power does not store voltage.  For these types of problems you need some form of power storage or an alternate source of power.

    As far as we're concerned, when you do source and install such equipment you have simply provided more equipment for us to protect, or even in some cases, to protect you from.

    First, most storage systems have only rudimentary surge suppression.  Our experience with such systems is that their protection is, for all practical purposes, a weak imitation of what we provide.

   Second, if you have a system to produce energy, you have demonstrated a tremendous need for surge suppression to protect you from the poor power quality such systems regularly produce and to protect you from the possibility of equipment failure.

 

Will installation of Stedi-Power equipment reduce motor heat and noise?

    It depends upon what you are describing as "motor heating".  We have had customers measure bearing temperatures, for example, and complain that they have seen no reduction of heating.  If you consider the overall temperature of the motor in question, temperature reductions can range from none (meaning not measurable) to 15 degrees Fahrenheit over a 48-hour period.

    This is dependent on the size of the motor and the "activity" of your electrical system.  Our definition of "activity" encompasses the switching on and off of all inductive devices (motors and transformers) and the operation of equipment that tends to produce a large amount of transient activity (like variable speed drives, electronic ballasts, triac-controlled temperature and lighting controllers, inverters, and office equipment such as printers and copiers).

    If by "noise" you mean that generated from vibration, you should see (more accurately, "hear") an improvement almost immediately.  It's more effective to actually measure the change in vibration, though.  Some component of motor vibration is related to transient activity in the power supply.  It is this "component" of motor noise that we will eliminate.

 

Do Stedi-Power Systems require maintenance?

    Stedi-Power systems are completely solid-state.  There are no moving parts, and no parts that require measurement or "testing".  We do, however, recommend that you check our indicator lights to assure yourself that you are "protected".  If this, in your mind, qualifies as "maintenance"...we require "maintenance".

Stedi-Power, Inc
5044 B U Bowman Drive #102
Buford, Georgia 30518
PHONE: (678) 546-6780

Last Updated: 07 Jun 2004
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