YOUR ENERGY, YOUR FUTURE
Power blinks are annoying, but they show the electric system is working properly By Scott Turner
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Reducing blink’s effects at your home Your co-op employs methods to reduce blink 22 DECEMBER 2010 Carolina Country
Scott Turner, P.E. is a former electric co-op employee who consults on electrical engineering through his firm, JD Engineering, PC, in Hamilton, Mont.
Pella Cooperative Electric
At one time or another, we’ve all returned home or woken up late for work to see a blinking “12:00” on our digital alarm clock. You then have to reset every digital clock in your household that doesn’t have a battery backup, from the microwave oven to the answering machine. Usually, this state of “eternal midnight” was To avoid having to reset clocks, you can use digital clocks equipped with battery backups. caused by a “blink” in the electrical system. While blinks can be annoying, they do show that frequency. Tree trimming is probably the easiest and an electrical system is working exactly as designed. most common way, and one area where you can help. And while your electric cooperative has taken steps to If you know of a potential problem with any trees or reduce the number of blinks across its power system, limbs located too close to a power line, contact your there are measures you can take as well. electric cooperative. Let’s look at blinks. These momentary power interMeanwhile, you can reduce the frustration of blinks ruptions can occur anywhere by purchasing an alarm clock equipped with a battery along a power system—from the backup. This type of digital clock offers “ride through” Having an uninterruptible time electrons are generated at ability for momentary outages. It will also keep the power supply (UPS) on your a power plant to being shipped correct time and sound an alarm in case of a longcomputer can minimize across transmission line to subduration outage, provided a charged battery is in place. stations, or during distribution As an added benefit, these devices only use the battery adverse effects of blinks. from a substation to your home. in the event of a power interruption. Blinks affect all electrical equipment, not just digiWhy do blinks happen? tal clocks. If there is a blink while you are operating a Blinks are created when a breaker, or switch, opens computer, your computer may be interrupted and you along any portion of the power system. The breaker may have to restart it, hoping all the while that there usually opens because of a large, quick rise of electriwill be few affected files. cal current. This large rise, called a fault condition, An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on your can occur when a tree branch touches a line, lightning computer can help prevent information loss. The strikes or a wire breaks. UPS incorporates surge suppression technology with When this happens, a relay senses the fault and tells a battery backup and provides you some time to save the breaker to open, preventing the flow of power to whatever you were working on and exit your computer the problem site. After opening, the breaker quickly properly. closes. The brief delay, which allows the fault to clear, Electric cooperatives operate active system mainteusually lasts less than two seconds. nance programs and work hard to fix sources of service If the fault clears, every home or business that interruptions. Even though blinks may never disappear receives electricity off that power line has just expefrom our electrical energy delivery system, by working rienced a blink. This could include thousands of together with we can minimize effects of the interrupaccounts if the breaker protects a transmission line or tions and the frequency with which the occur. a substation.