Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C in Plano, Texas provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Gas & Electric Furnace, and Heat Pumps. Additionally, we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane), Ameristar (owned by American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (owned by York HVAC).
Al’s also provides full-service plumbing maintenance, repairs, and replacements for every plumbing component in your home. Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters. Al’s is near your home in Plano, TX; Allen, TX; and Frisco, TX. We service all homes in southern Collin County, TX; and Denton County, TX with no additional travel charges.
Call Al’s today to discuss any concerns or problems you have with your HVAC System or Plumbing. We will arrange an appointment at your convenience.
Furnace Control Board — Power-Surge Protection
Image Source: Pexels.com
A Furnace Control Board Is Quite Similar To Any Printed Circuit Board (shown) That’s In Any Personal Computer
Plus Power-Surge Protection For The Entire Home
This Is Part 2 of a 3 Part Article:
- Part 1: Control Board – Purpose And Functions
- Part 2: Furnace Control Board – Power Surge Protection -PLUS- Power-Surge Protection For The Entire Home
- Part 3: Other Ways To Help Minimize Furnace Control Board Early Failure.
For Part 1 Of This Article, Click Here: AlsPlumbing.com Furnace Control Board – Part 1
The furnace control-board is a circuit-board much like a computer has. The control-board is the furnace’s “brain”. It tells the furnace which step (in the heating cycle) to perform, and the timeline to perform those steps. For more information about the control-board, click on the link just above.
This Is Electricity’s Path — A Power Grid (external) Power-Surge Can Originate At Any Point Along The Way
Or Skip To: “How Your Home Deals With Recurring (internal) Power-Surges.” (below)
Image Source: ShutterStock
FROM: Electricity Is Generated At A Power Plant
Or Green Energy — Such As A Wind Farm (Wind-Generated Electricity).
Click Here To Learn More About Green Energy & Wind-Generated Electricity In Texas: AlsPlumbing.com Wind Farms & Wind-Generated Electricity In Texas
TO: “Step-Up” Electrical Transformers — That Raise The Voltage Very High — So Electricity Can Travel Long Distances
Image Source: Shutterstock
Shown: “Step-Up” Electrical Transformers
TO: Electricity Transmission Lines — That Carry (very high voltage) Electricity Long Distances
Image Source: ShutterStock
Shown: Electricity Transmission Lines
TO: “Step-Down” Transformers — That Lower Voltage Back Down To What Homes & Businesses Need (120 & 240 volts)
Image Source: Shutterstock
Shown: Step-Down Electrical Transformer
TO: Electricity Distribution Lines (the ones with the gray, round transformers on them) That Distribute Electricity To Homes and Businesses
Image Source: ShutterStock
Shown: Electricity Distributions Lines (they have transformers visible)
TO: Pole-Mount Electrical Transformers — That ReEnergize “used” (0 volts) Electricity (coming from homes & business)
THEN: Pole-Mount Transformers Send “new/renergized” (120 / 240 volts) Electricity Back To Homes & Businesses.
How Electrical Current Flows Inside Your Home’s Wiring
Note: Up To 3/4 Of Power Surges Occur From Within The Home ** — When High Electricity Users (like window a/c, refrigerator or portable electric heaters) Shut Off.
Note: Devices such as electric; kitchen stove, dryer, water heater, central A/C, or electric furnace — are all 240-Volts. These devices don’t affect 120-volt circuits when they turn on & off.
Image Source: Amazon Embedded Link Click On Image To See The Product
- The “Hot” Wire (black) carries Live/120 Volts’ current TO electrical devices.
- As the device uses the current — the electricity becomes used. Used electricity has zero volts.
- As the electricity is used — it flowed from the “Hot” (black) wire into the “Neutral” (white) wire.
- The Neutral Wire (white) carries the used/o volts electricity FROM devices.
- The used electricity travels back to the home’s circuit breaker panel — then back to the neighborhood transformer to be reenergized.
- The “Ground” Wire (green) carries Excess new (120 volt) Electricity Away — whenever an electrical device turns off, or in the event of a short-circuit.
** Source: https://www.NEMAsurge.org/history/ NEMA is the National Electrical Manufacturers Association
*** How Your Home Deals With Small, Recurring, Internal Power Surges ***
A 120-volt Line Could Have A Peak Voltage Of Up To 170 volts.
A power surge is an increase in voltage significantly above the standard voltage. *3 In the U.S. — the standard voltage is 120 volts (or 240 volts for high-demand items like central A/C). When a voltage-increase lasts 3 billionths of 1 second or longer — it’s a power surge. If it’s shorter, it’s called a “power-spike”. The allowable range for power-dip as low as -8.3%. A power-spike is up to +5.8%. *3
If The Voltage (at the outlet) Rises Above The Accepted Level:
- A surge protector absorbs excess current OR diverts the excess current into the ground wire of the outlet. It allows normal voltage current to continue coming through. ***
- We already know the ground-wire will take excess current away — so why do we need surge protectors? Because they react much more quickly than the outlet’s ground-wire alone.
- Better brands of plug-in surge protectors (like Tripp Lite brand) have a resettable circuit breaker inside them that trips if the protector becomes overloaded.
- Also, this brand automatically cuts off power to all outlets when the surge protector is no longer able to provide surge protection. It has a light to let you know it’s still working.
Note: Tripp Lite is not the only brand of surge protector with such features. We reference them because of their reputation for protection and reliability. Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C is not paid for our comments.
** Source: http://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/RMS-voltage-and-current-explained.php
*** Source: https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/home/surge-protector1.htm
When something, that uses a lot of electricity, turns off — for a split-second, the electricity (that was flowing into the device) has nowhere to go. Then, the excess current flows into the ground wire, where it returns to the circuit breaker panel. Then the panel routes that excess electrical current into the earth below or near the home.
Until the ground wire takes the excess electricity away — an “Internal” (originating from inside the home) Power Surge occurs. For many years, incandescent light bulbs would become brighter for a moment during internal power surges.
The “Ground” Wire:
- The “Ground” Wire carries Excess Voltage Electricity away — whenever an electrical device turns off.
Note: The ground wire is typically green OR green with a yellow stripe.
- Until the ground wire has carried away the excess current, A Power Surge Occurs.
- That excess current returns to the circuit panel. The panel has a ground wire that’s connected to the earth — this is where all excess electrical current is diverted into the earth.
- The reason the excess current is routed into the earth is because it has 120 Volts.
- The excess current can’t go back to the neighborhood electrical transformer — because that transformer can only accept 0-volt current.
- These small, recurring, internal power surges degrade electronics & electrical devices over time.
What Happens When A Short-Circuit Occurs
** Definition Of A Short Circuit: A new circuit is formed — and electricity flows through the unwanted circuit instead. This occurs because the unwanted circuit has lower electrical resistance because it’s shorter than the normal circuit (hence the term: “Short-Circuit”) — and electrical current always takes the path of least resistance.
The Purpose Of The Ground Wire In Your Home (green in photo above):
- The Ground Wire is there to divert any live current caused by a short-circuit, away and into the ground under or near the house. **
- Short-circuit current is 120 (or 240) Volts — so it can’t go back to the neighborhood electrical transformer. The transformer can only accept 0-volt current.
NOTE: If you receive an electrical shock, you became part of a Short-Circuit”. The current went through you, instead of the normal circuit.
Since 1962, Homes Have A Ground Wire To Prevent Electrical Shocks
In order for you to receive an electrical shock, there must be 2 points of contact on your body (1 for current to enter & 1 for current to exit). You may think you can’t get shocked by touching a single wire (you can if you touch the “hot”/ black wire). If we are standing on the ground, and we make contact with a “live” wire, we complete the circuit and the electricity flows through us, and into the earth. To prevent this — a home’s electrical system is connected to an “earth-ground” near or under the home (in homes built since 1962).
- The Ground Wire provides a primary path for live electrical current to move safely away, and into the earth.
- If a short-circuit occurs — the Ground Wire will carry current away.
Since 1962, The National Electric Code (NEC) Requires All Electrical Outlets To Be Grounded & Polarized
(Homes built before 1962 were not required to have grounded & polarized electrical outlets.)
Image Source: ShutterStock
Shown: A Grounded & Polarized Electrical Outlet
Polarizing: The outlet’s right vertical slot (the smaller slot) is connected to the “hot” wire. The left vertical slot (the larger slot) is connected to the “neutral” wire.
Grounding: The hole with a flat bottom is connected to the ground wire. Both the neutral wire and the ground wire are connected to an earth-ground wire located inside the circuit breaker box. During normal conditions, the ground wire doesn’t carry electrical current. The ground-wire is a safety-feature — to provide a path for excess current to safely flow away.
Complete Protection From Power Surges Requires A 3-Level Approach
Electrical devices are designed to handle specific voltages. Generally speaking, the larger and longer the power surge — the greater the potential for damage.
- Guard against large, external power surges (like those from lightning) typically cause immediate and total failure of electronic devices.
- Guard against small, recurring power surges — that don’t cause immediate failure. Instead, these surges gradually degrade electrical circuitry (inside the circuit boards, such as a furnace control board) — and can cause the device to fail sooner than if it had been protected from power surges.
There Are 3 Levels Of Surge Protection Available For A Home
- 1. Whole-House Surge Protector stops external power surges from entering the home — such as lightning striking the power-grid near the home. This protects the; circuit-breaker panel, all the home’s wiring, and everything connected to an electrical outlet when the external power surge occurred. Devices that were not connected are exempt from a power surge.
NOTE: A Whole House Surge Protector / Suppressor Must Be Installed By A Licensed Electrician.
Al’s Does Not Sell Or Install Them.
NOTES:
- A whole-house protector guards against only external power surges — it provides no protection from internal power surges.
- 2. Individual, Plug-In Surge Protectors guard against internal power-surges. They aren’t big enough to protect from large, external power surges.
Note: 220-Volt surge plug-in protectors are also available for large, plug-in appliances such as electric clothes dryer or electric kitchen stove.
Image Source: Amazon embedded link
SHOWN: 240-Volt Power Surge Protector
Click On Image To; View Product, Read Details, or Purchase From Amazon.com
3. Protect Your Furnace & Outside A/C Unit From Power Surges
** Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C Sells & Installs HVAC System Surge Protectors (that we sell). **
A. A large, external power surge (like a lightning strike) typically results in an immediate HVAC System breakdown. A large enough external power surge can destroy HVAC equipment.
Note: HVAC Systems’ warranties don’t cover damage caused by power surges.
Note: Some homeowner insurance policies cover lightning damage. The burden of proof that a lightning-strick caused the damage is the owner’s burden.
B. Recurring, small, internal power surges cause ongoing degradation of electrical devices. Both the furnace and the outside A/C unit have control boards. If a control board has early failure — it’s often due to recurring, internal power surges, (or by a large external power surge).
Anything containing a microprocessor-board is especially vulnerable. The tiny digital components are so sensitive that a 10-volt fluctuation can disrupt proper functioning. Microprocessors are found in; TVs, stereo equipment, computers, microwave ovens — and in large appliances like dishwashers, washers & refrigerators. **
** Source: https://www.powerhousetv.com/EnergyEfficientLiving/PowerQuality/PowerSurges
A Side Note: Why Some Electrical Devices Have A 3-Prong Plug — And Others Have A 2-Prong Plug
Three-pronged electrical cords add an additional source of protection from electrical shock. Grounding is to prevent electrical devices from shocking their user. The device’s metal case is connected directly to the ground prong. If a short circuit occurs, the separate ground wire takes the current away.
Electrical Devices Are Rated: “Class 1” or “Class 2”. A product’s classification is determined by its ability to shock to a user.
- Class 1 Electrical Devices: Have Basic insulation + a ground plug for protection. Their metal case is connected directly to the ground prong. EXAMPLE: Microwave Oven
If a short-circuit occurs, a metal cover on an electrical device becomes “live” with electricity. If the metal cover isn’t grounded, and someone touches the device, electrical current will travel through their body and into the earth. If conditions are wet or damp, or the person is outdoors — they are more likely to experience a severe shock. For this reason, any device with a metal cover must have a grounded / 3-Prong plug.
SAFETY NOTE: If using an extension cord with a 3-prong electrical plug, the extension cord must also be a 3-prong. Using a 3-prong device on a 2-slot extension cord does not offer protection from electrical shock.
SAFETY NOTE: If the 3rd prong has been removed — that electrical device is unsafe to use. Replace the cord with one that has a 3-prong plug.
- Class 2 Electrical Devices. Class 2 devices also have basic insulation for protection from electrical shock. If an electrical device’s cover won’t conduct electricity (such as plastic) — the device is considered as “double insulated” and does not require a grounded plug. EXAMPLE: TV.
Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C in Plano, Texas provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Gas & Electric Furnace, and Heat Pumps. Additionally, we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane), Ameristar (owned by American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (owned by York HVAC).
Al’s also provides full-service plumbing maintenance, repairs, and replacements for every plumbing component in your home. Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters. Al’s is near your home in Wylie, TX; Murphy, TX; and Rowlette, TX. We service all homes in southern Collin County, TX; and Denton County, TX with no additional travel charges.
Call Al’s today to discuss any concerns or problems you have with your HVAC System or Plumbing. We will arrange an appointment at your convenience.
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