The power quality of your facility matters; when it suffers, the productivity of your facility suffers along with it. This is why it is essential to avoid or prevent dirty power.
Dirty power does not literally mean that your power is “dirty”. It is a broad term that is used to describe irregularities in the electric flow of a facility. Dirty power is becoming more common as facilities rely more on electronic and automated equipment that alters how electricity flows.
In this blog, we will discuss what dirty power really means, the causes, and the PowerLabs solution.
What is Dirty Power?
Dirty power is an umbrella term for different types of abnormalities in the electricity that runs a facility. Dirty power can include: voltage surges, sags, spikes, transients, fluctuations, interruptions, or electrical noise. Although electrical noise does not always mean audible noise, it can be heard in certain situations. Electrical noise is caused by electromagnetic frequencies lying outside the required range expected from any power source.
Dirty power is often inevitable and can have minimal effects sometimes, which is why it can be ignored by technicians or facility managers sometimes, as it can not be seen. Dirty power is not visible to the eye, as it has to do with the behavior of electrical currents in a facility.
Manifestations like flickering lights can be overlooked as well, but dirty power can have devastating effects if left unattended.
Some common telltale signs of dirty power include:
1. Low Power Factor
2. Voltage Surges
3. Flickering and blinking lights
4. Premature motor or engine failure
5. Frequency Variations
6. Transformer issues
7. Printed circuit board failures
8. Voltage variations
9. Poor Network communications
Dirty Power vs Clean Power
Dirty power consists of electric currents with abnormalities and electromagnetic noise that cause interference to a facility’s power supply and can have devastating effects on equipment and energy assets.
Clean power, on the other hand, refers to electricity coming through an electricity outlet without any noise or abnormalities.
What Are The Causes of Dirty Power?
There are several causes of dirty power; it can either originate from inside the building or outside, that is, causes of dirty power can either be internal or external.
Causes of dirty power can include faulty wiring or the use of old equipment, as well as disturbances in the utility grid or the use of heavy machinery close by.
Understanding these abnormalities helps facility managers identify the type and source of disturbances and take the right corrective actions before equipment or operations are impacted.
What are the Consequences of Dirty Power?
Dirty power can cause equipment and systems to malfunction, overheat, lose efficiency, and in severe cases, suffer permanent damage. In the long run, these issues can disrupt operations and increase costs. Small, repeated disturbances can compound into major failures and expensive repairs.
Here are five consequences of dirty power:
Equipment Damage
Voltage spikes, surges, and electrical noise can damage sensitive components such as circuit boards, motors, and control systems. And these damages can even be permanent.
Reduced Equipment Lifespan
Frequent and continuous exposure to unstable power causes wear and tear, leading to early failure of electrical and mechanical assets.
Operational Downtime
Power abnormalities can trigger system shutdowns, resets, or faults, and this can interrupt daily operations and productivity.
Increased Energy and Maintenance Costs
Dirty power reduces efficiency, causes energy losses, and leads to frequent repairs or replacements, which also causes unnecessary expenses and loss.
Data and Communication Issues
Electrical noise and interruptions can interfere with network systems, resulting in data loss, poor connectivity, and unreliable communications. This can hamper productivity greatly, as most clerical and corporate duties are now achieved with the aid of the internet.
The PowerLabs Solution To Dirty Power
Pai Enterprise uses robust software and a durable intelligent sensor onsite to help facilities detect, understand, and manage dirty power by making power quality visible and actionable. Even better, Pai Enterprise automatically alerts you to a sudden voltage drop, an unexpected load surge, or a deviation in equipment behaviour.
With the provided continuous monitoring and detailed power insights, Pai Enterprise, an enterprise-grade energy management and monitoring system by PowerLabs, enables facility managers to:
1. Track voltage behavior and power quality patterns in real time across multiple power sources.
2. Detect abnormal fluctuations, surges, and instability early.
3. Identify internal and external sources of dirty power, because Pai Enterprise continuously monitors how electricity behaves inside your facility.
4. Reduce equipment damage, downtime, and unnecessary energy costs.
5. Make informed decisions to improve power stability and operational efficiency.
6. Get accurate load distribution analysis, so they can spot problems on time.
If you want to know how to fix dirty power, you should know that dirty power is inevitable; it can only be prevented or managed. However, difficult without visibility into the power quality, and Pai Enterprise provides the visibility needed to take control of your facility’s power quality. This way, you do not have to keep on constantly testing for data power, because you can see power quality in real time and get alerts about it.
Want to know how to manage dirty power better? Talk to an expert on the team! You get a free demo call and the next steps on how PowerLabs can seamlessly help you with managing and preventing dirty electrical power.
Contact PowerLabs by clicking this link.