Power Conditioner: Uses, Benefits, Costs and More
Electronic equipment rules our daily lives. Your home office computer for work (or play), your television, your coffee kettle, gaming console – the list goes on and on. Ensuring that these devices stay performing, and last long is important to maintain our routine. Common electrical occurrences like power fluctuations, voltage irregularities, radio frequency interference, and electromagnetic interference can all cause your devices to perform irregularly, or limit their lifespan. Power conditioners are the safety solution to making sure your devices stay working for you. Let’s talk about power conditioners.
What is a power conditioner?
A power conditioner is a piece of equipment that safeguards your electrical devices. They are designed to enhance the quality of electrical power that is coming to any connected equipment by offering a stable and clean power supply.
How is a power conditioner different from a surge protector?
All power conditioners are surge protectors, but not all surge protectors are power conditioners. A power conditioner is more of an all-in-one solution to protecting from most electrical inconsistencies, not just power surges and spikes. They also address issues like voltage sags, electrical noise reduction, and frequency variations. On top of protection, they actively improve the quality of power.
How do power conditioners work?
Power conditioners work to enhance the quality of power by voltage regulation, noise reduction, and surge protection. Voltage regulators stabilize the voltage that is supplied to your connected equipment, this avoids any potential damage due to irregularities. There are two types of electrical noise: EMI (electromagnetic interference), and RFI (radio frequency interference). Both of these disrupt electronic signals and affect your device's performance. Power conditioners contain noise filters that reduce this electrical noise. As stated above, power conditioners include measures to safeguard against power surges and spikes.
What benefits are there from using a power conditioner?
The benefits of using a power conditioner are aplenty:
Data integrity due to consistent power
Noise reduction from filtering out unwanted electrical noise
Extended lifespan of electronic equipment due to less stress on the connected devices
Improved performance of your electronic equipment from clean and regulated power
Your equipment is protected by a power conditioner’s power surge defense and their ability to prevent voltage irregularities
What’s the average cost of a power conditioner?
Just like any other electrical device, power conditioners can vary in price spending on brand, features, and capacity. Most entry-level power conditioners for personal, hobby, and home use are $50-$200. More large and industrial units can cost substantially more, as they contain more capacity and features. They range from several hundred to a few thousand dollars! Regardless, clean and safe power is a worthwhile investment to your business or home.
The different types of power conditioners available
There are a few different types of power conditioners, so let’s discuss them below.
Passive-filter power conditioner
A passive-filter power conditioner uses passive components (resistors, inductors, and capacitors) to mitigate voltage fluctuations and filter out noise. These are considered basic power conditioners, and the lowest level of protection and filtration.
Balanced transformer power conditioners
Balanced transformer power conditioners use what are called isolation transformers to ensure a stable and balanced power output. These types of conditioners can handle significant fluctuations in voltage and are very effective in reducing noise and power regulation. These are a higher quality of protection than the passive-filter power conditioners.
AC regenerative power conditioner
AC regenerative power conditioners are the top of the line conditioners that offer the most extensive and comprehensive protection and power conditioning. These devices convert the incoming AC power into DC power, and then back into AC power. This creates a stable, regulated and clean power output to your electronic devices. Although this method is highly effective in conditioning, these types of devices tend to be much more expensive.
Young Cardinal Electric can help you decide and install your new power conditioner!
As you can see, choosing the right power conditioner and amount of conditioners you need requires thorough and extensive thought. Young Cardinal Electric can help guide you through the process, in order to make sure you’re making the right decisions. On top of that, our team of expert electricians can help you with your install so that you can reap all of the powerful benefits of your new protective power conditioner device! Call us today and allow our skilled technicians to set up your power conditioner for optimal performance and protection of your important devices.