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Frequently Asked and Answered Questions:
Q: Why is Leveler® different and why should I use Leveler technology?
Q: How do I differentiate a power problem from a system or software problem?
Q: Isn’t a UPS a power conditioner? Doesn’t it protect me?
Q: Doesn’t an Isolation Transformer protect my equipment?
Q: How do I know that the power experienced by my computers coming out of that outlet is right?
Q: Doesn't the power utility make sure I get "clean" or correct power?
Q: What can I do about my large numbers of "trouble not found" calls?
Q: Besides my computer, what other devices of mine can fall victim to poor power quality?
Q: Are there costs to using the various power conditioners?
Q: Why is Leveler® different and why should I use Leveler technology?
A: Our technology is designed to focus on protecting your electronics from the harmful effects of poor quality voltage and current on Line, Neutral and Ground, and we have the patents to prove it. No other “protection” device can back up that claim. Our technology is also bi-directional, meaning that it also improves the power going back to the main source from the load. Lastly, we condition on three levels; 1) Harmonic and noise filtering, 2) surge energy suppression, and 3) power factor correction.
Back to topQ: How do I differentiate a power problem from a system or software problem?
A: One form or another of this question arises as a result of the increasing prevalence of “no trouble found” calls. Poor electrical power quality is the cause of more computer downtime than most people want to believe.
Symptoms of electrical power quality issues experienced by electronics are
- Random system lockups
- Premature component failure (power supplies, hard drives, etc.)
- Hum or vibration out of speakers and power components
- Hotter-than-expected surfaces near the power supply
- Multiple machines experiencing similar lockups or crashes that have been determined not to be caused by a software or hardware configuration
- Sudden change in a reliable system no longer being reliable (excluding major upgrades)
Q: Isn’t a UPS a power conditioner? Doesn’t it protect me?
A: An Uninterruptible Power Supply is just that: it is a power availability device. Nowhere in its name does it say it protects or conditions power because it doesn’t. A UPS passes electrical power events such as surges right through itself to the loads it powers. A UPS is in itself a load with electronics that require protection just to operate satisfactorily. Most UPS systems use a circuit known as a transfer switch, which is in charge of determining when supply voltage is no longer available or with an expected range. This switch will engage the AC inverter to supply power to the load from the battery. Transients, surges, brownouts, in-rush current, and wave shape faults, which are all short-duration events, can cause the transfer switch to engage the batteries. This constant switching on and off of the batteries to produce power shortens the lifespan of the battery overall, and reduces the run-time available from the battery. Leveler technology placed before a UPS in most cases eliminates the triggering of the transfer switch for power events that are short-lived, like transients and surges and wave shape faults. Furthermore, the downstream devices, such as your PC, are better protected than anything offered by a surge strip or other device.
Q: Doesn’t a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor or common Surge Suppressor Strips provide adequate protection for my equipment?
A: It is Leveler’s stance that voltage-based TVSS devices such as Suppressor Strips do not provide any of the necessary protection and conditioning required at the supply to the electronic device. TVSS devices are voltage-sensitive only, and do little-to-nothing to reduce the amount of damaging current flowing to a load during a surge or transient. Its technology was developed to protect motors and other linear devices. Linear devices are sensitive to the voltage sine wave and operate based on its shape. Non-linear devices such as PCs rely on the peaks of the AC sine wave to generate current that becomes DC. Transients and surges are peaks in the AC sine wave when they occur. Non-linear power supplies turn on when the peak is highest, presenting a closed circuit that goes straight to the motherboard, CPU, memory, and hard drives. Only Leveler’s patented system offers current surge protection, ensuring no excess energy is experienced by the PC.
Q: What about these $50,000 to $150,000 surge protection warranties? Doesn’t that show that the manufacturer is sure of its products performance?
A: Did you know you could go to a large home improvement store and buy a $50,000 equipment protection warranty for $14.99 plus tax? Surge Suppressor strip manufacturers want you to believe you can. A protection warranty such as the ones marketed today to consumers only illustrates the adeptness of marketing and legal departments at confusing and misleading consumers to thinking they are buying a good product. If a product works, you should be able to show it working, and the facts should stand on their own merit. We know that one of the manufacturers who has popularized this marketing ploy has never paid out once on this warranty. Why? Read it and you will discover that it is impossible to prove to them that a lightning strike or surge caused your damage. Leveler knows from its own testing that if a surge-strip and electronic device combination is still operating after the first surge, it usually takes just a few more surge events to render the electronic device unusable. We believe that this is one of the bets the warranty is waging; the tolerance of your electronics to withstand the energy their “protection” allows to pass is enough to get them out of the liability.If any of the packaging from these companies actually showed you how they perform under load, you would not consider them much protection. By the way, you do not typically see this kind of warranty on the same equipment sold to corporate customers because they know it is impossible to value and too much of a come-on.
We suggest that everyone puts a few graphs or numbers on the type of electricity the load experiences during a standardized surge on the package, and not useless Joule ratings or outrageous warranties. Our challenge would be mostly unmet because the current let-through they would show would scare you.
Q: Doesn’t an Isolation Transformer protect my equipment?
A: Isolation transformers are only sensitive to voltage conditions, relying on an air gap to isolate harmful events from the load. An isolation transformer can actually elongate the current surge versus a TVSS subjected to the same surge current. Isolation transformers are good at protecting linear loads, which are much more tolerant of current changes than an electronic load.
Q: How do I know that the power experienced by my computers coming out of that outlet is right?
A. You don't know. The truth is that computers 1) are most susceptible to any power changes and 2) are some of the most blatant misusers of power. Leveler knows through its research that a "power interface" is needed between an outlet and a PC. As proof, we have a process so unique in showing you the data that matters to you, it's patent-pending.
Q: Doesn't the power utility make sure I get "clean" or correct power?
A. Without being cras, the power company does not really care about how clean your power is because they don't know how you are using it. They deliver power to a certain standard, and that's it. "Clean" power for an elevator motor is a lot different than "clean" power for a firewall and a web server. Leveler knows that the causes of most poor power conditions are actually caused by all the different devices that share a drop from the power company. The only way to make sure you have "clean" power is to condition it at the point of use, which is what Leveler does best for you.
Q: What can I do about my large numbers of "trouble not found" calls?
A. Assuming that you have eliminated actual software, hardware, and user issues from this category, the only variable left is power quality. NTF calls account for up to 30% of all help desk calls, and data shows that close to 80% of those calls are traceable to poor power quality. Can you put a dollar value on that? Of course you can. The answer is to use Leveler's "power interface" technology that bridges the gap between power delivery and power use by electronics. Problem solved. Go forth and be productive.
Q: Besides my computer, what other devices of mine can fall victim to poor power quality?
A: Any device with a microprocessor is susceptible to poor power quality. Fax machines, laser printers, plotters, UPSs, copiers, postage scales, phone systems, voice mail and alarm systems all rely on AC/DC converters and a clean, solid ground for DC reference.
Q: Are there costs to using the various power conditioners?
A: Surge Strips, by their design, do not impose a draw on your system during normal operation. However any transformer-based conditioner is going to add to your electric bill because it imposes a load (this is excluding any lights or fans which would also impose a load). Typically an isolation transformer can consume the power of a 60-100 Watt lightbulb on its own, without a load present. Plus, it generates heat.
Leveler's technology reduces the amount of RMS current needed to power a load, with no votlage change. Leveler products do not generate heat under normal conditions and do not consume electricity to operate its primary circuitries (lights and accessories excluded.)
Q: What is the purpose of having an “isolated ground” outlet supply power to my electronics? What is the origin of this requirement and do I need them?
A: An isolated ground is an attempt at creating a Neutral to Ground voltage condition of ideally 0 (zero) Volts. A true isolated ground circuit, one which has a dedicated, uninterrupted ground path to Physical Earth, is not actually allowed by the National Electric Code. All Grounds are to be bonded at the service entrance. Two separate Ground paths is an electrical hazard to humans. The “Isolated Ground” or more correctly the “Orange Outlets” you may have just have their grounds bonded at the “farthest” physical point in the electrical infrastructure. Well, this opens the doors for ground loops and inductive couplance for both Neutral and Ground. Leveler has examined many so-called IG outlets at customer sites, only to uncover that they are no better than a correctly wired regular service outlet.