Our robust equipment deals with the majority of surge dynamics. Having this basic operative need addressed may benefit your system by limiting other problems as well. Please see the index in our December 2015 newsletter to find and study information on a number of different topics.
CLEAN-VOLTTM
- Was approved as a Type 1 Surge Protection Device
- Has the Surge Arrester Certification by CSA
- Was tested and certified without an internal fuse by Underwriters Laboratories
- Has the lowest connected clamping ability in the industry, keeping levels within the parameters of the connected equipment (+/- 10% of RMS)
- Has a response time of a nanosecond when installed with six inch leads
- Uses a patented technology that makes our varistors incredibly stable
- Has proven test results with Dranetz HDPQ Power Quality Analyzer
- Offers a 40-year warranty
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
cETLus (Use logo if possible) Certified as a Type 2 SPD, conforms to UL STD 1449 5th edition & certified to CSA STD C22.2#269.2 .
Clean Volt was originally listed as a Type 1 lightning arrester under the discontinued standard C62.1 which few products could pass this rigorous testing. Now all secondary surge arresters (SSA) and transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSS) are listed together under the same surge protection device (SPD) standard.
40 Year Warranty – should your Clean Volt unit expire, it will be replaced free of charge.
This is a common misconception. Clean VoltTM does not pass all the power being used by the system like a filter, but rather attracts fast-acting current surges to be dissipated as heat. When installed on an electrical panel Clean VoltTM becomes the path of least resistance for damaging activity. Thus it is absorbed and removed from the system.
Absolutely! Most of our clients already had varying forms of surge protection (panel mount & power bars) but still proved further results after installing Clean VoltTM due to our industry-leading connected reaction time. The reason for this is 80% of the current surging dynamics happen within the fundamental waveform and Clean VoltTM is the only varistor type technology that can absorb these occurrences with no degradation
Clean VoltTM has the unique ability to attract current surges being created by the connected equipment without requiring a rare voltage surge to activate. This greatly reduces the interaction that is causing most of the power quality concerns and costing users’ money. Some SPDs have built in filters which can also improve power quality, but only for a short period of time due to the sensitive nature of these electronics.
Yesterday’s technology used capacitors as a main element to improve power factor. Clean VoltTM is not a capacitance type of technology. Therefore, it cannot increase your Power Factor in a traditional way, but rather, it corrects the power factor closer to the connected calculated median of any specific load centers. This is accomplished by limiting the negative heating effect that the current surges produced by our connected equipment creates. It is better for Clean VoltTM to restore median power factor back in line naturally. Then you can better gauge if or where capacitance is required and install it closer to the load requiring it, as a result getting more benefit.
We have found through many years in the marketplace that ROI ranges from three months to three years depending on the size and complexity of your specific electrical system. The more electrical loads and demand on your system, the shorter the period of ROI. You will want to track regular repair/replacements, refrigeration maintenance, saved downtime & electrical billing costs when factoring your ROI calculations.
Yes. By reducing the surge dynamics in the electrical system it allows the system to run more efficiently. Clean VoltTM has the ability to reduce the harmonic effect, which in turn reduces eddy currents and the skinning effect. Without the additional electrical resistance, your equipment operates within a much closer median for which it is designed. See Thermal Imaging.
Clean VoltTM does not save electricity in the conventional way. When Clean VoltTM is installed on electrical panels with modern electronic loads and/or high efficiency rated motors, it does correct the power consumption by bringing it more in line with the actual calculated draw. The robust nature of our industry-leading connected speed and transverse mode of protection enables us to participate within the fundamental waveform. Therefore, the current surging that has a negative impact on the calculated electrical consumption is greatly reduced peak to peak, helping the system run more efficiently. Without Clean VoltTM installed, current surging creates heat, and heat leads to resistance. With a build up of resistance in the system your equipment is obligated to draw more power to overcome this resistance.
Clean VoltTM is an all solid-state robust device using no sensitive electronic circuitry if our unit had indicator lights we would have to implement a circuit board that would:
- Affect our ability to react fast enough to provide proper protection
- Make the protection device vulnerable to damages from the various events we are trying to protect the other electronics from.
If the breaker that your unit is installed on trips, it likely needs to be replaced. Call the installing electrician or Clean VoltTM. Black singeing and/or a protruding rubber gasket around the lid are good indicators that the unit has absorbed a major surge and expired.
Your main overcurrent device or main breaker is designed to trip in order to disconnect your electrical panel in the event of a large over voltage/current event. The problem is the breaker reacts too slowly and by the time the main breaker trips, (if at all) damage can spread to connected equipment. When Clean VoltTM is installed on an electrical panel it has the ability and the robust nature to attract the catastrophic event, buying your main breaker the valuable fractions of a second needed to properly turn off with limited cascading damages. Only Clean VoltTM has proven to enhance this built-in ability within your electrical system to provide a better outcome during a catastrophic event.
Yes. All electrical safety devices require permits as per the authorities having jurisdiction. You will also want to have a permit to ensure there are no conflicts with your insurance.
Note: Clean VoltTM units need to be installed by a qualified electrician. For more complex electrical systems, we encourage you to have an assessment done by a dealer near you.
Clean VoltTM technology is designed to install on the side of the electric panel, and from there it is wired into a breaker. There are different models available depending on the voltage of the panel. In some cases Clean VoltTM comes in an enclosure with its own breaker or lug kit version to house the higher voltage 3-phase applications.
Note: Clean VoltTM units need to be installed by a qualified electrician. For more complex electrical systems, we encourage you to have an assessment done by a dealer near you.
Every electrical system is different and some are very complex. Consult a Clean VoltTM application specialist for details about your specific situation. View our Inspection Sheet.
Clean VoltTM dissipates the transients as heat on a small electron level so you won’t notice any heat buildup on the unit. Our product acts exactly as a lightning arrestor does on a utility pole.
About Harmonics: The word “Harmonic” is used as a catch-all when what is actually happening are current surge transients caused by the reflection of electronic devices during normal operation (AC to DC conversion) deviate the normal fundamental AC waveform. This ‘effect’ is nothing more than a standard current transient and needs to be addressed as such. This is called the “Harmonic Effect”. Any deviation of the fundamental 60 HZ waveform will cause a current surge that MUST be absorbed by the entire system. The “Electronic Conversion Deviation” happens with the normal function of the electronic device doing its job, period. The ‘effect’ of deviating the fundamental waveform ’causes’ the very same problems as any current surge event generated within the entire electrical system. Reducing ANY current surge event will help the system operate within normal connected parameters.
How our product helps: These frequencies generated in your system by your connected equipment have a negative effect on the voltage waveform, which translates to surge dynamics on the current waveform. Clean VoltTM does not reduce harmonics, but by eliminating the surge dynamics created by the harmonics, Clean VoltTM greatly reduces the harmonic effect, restoring your electrical environment to a more acceptable level for the connected equipment.
Utilities can have what is called sags (where the voltage drops) and Clean VoltTM is a passive device and does not “top off your voltage”. Clean VoltTM will limit the current surges that occur right after voltage sags and keep the damaging dynamics away from your equipment. If sagging is a problem for your day-to-day operations you may need to introduce a UPS back-up device.
In addition, if your utility voltage is consistent, flickering can be due to poor wiring practices such as bad ground and loose connection points, for example. You may want to have a certified electrician check the integrity of your electrical system. Clean VoltTM cannot reverse damages to sensitive circuitry caused by poor power quality before the Clean VoltTM device was installed.
Clean VoltTM units come with an industry-leading 40-year warranty for the originally purchased unit. Be sure to register your unit’s warranty after a licensed electrician has installed it.
Simply call us and let us know what happened. If your unit was properly registered upon install, all you do is ship us the expired unit and we will ship you a new one. We do this one- time replacement for originally purchased units.
Absolutely. Have it removed from your panel and reinstalled at your new property by a certified electrician and you will not void the warranty.