The Technical Aspects of a Power Outage

Power is an essential part of our day to day life, and when there is an outage, the economy can also suffer. Power outage within an area can be caused by a number of factors such as human error, transmission overload, natural causes, faults at the source of power generation stations, and damage to power lines caused by wildlife. Installing Critter Guard’s Line Guard and Pole Guard systems can help prevent against the latter.

Problems Encountered During Power Failure

Damage on Electric Machines

Expensive commercial machines can easily become damaged when a power outage occurs. Home electronics and appliances such as computers, television sets, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. can also become damaged during the restoration of power surges.

Data Loss in Computers

Information can be easily lost in the event of a power outage. Because computers usually need time to shut down properly and back-up information they have been fed, recently entered data may be corrupted or lost.

Loss of Revenue

For many businesses, revenue can be lost during outages due to the amount of downtime of equipment used to perform specific tasks that generate income.

Causes of Power Outages

• Transformer Failures. Transformers are used to boost up electricity's transmission strength. When an overload or power surge occurs, transformers can fail, causing loss of power in that area.
• Weather. Lightening is one common cause of outages as it can strike power lines or stations, damaging the equipment. Other natural occurrences including high winds and heavy snow/ice can also cause power to fail by damaging power lines and utility poles.
• Squirrels and Other Critters. Squirrels and other wildlife that find their way onto power lines can damage the lines by chewing on them and interfering with the transmission of electricity.

Power outages are not only inconvenient, they can also be dangerous. While Critter Guard can’t protect power against natural causes or human error, we can help prevent one of the leading causes of outages: critter damage. Our Line Guard and Pole Guard systems humanely prevent animals like squirrels from accessing utility poles and power lines and causing damage. For more information on how to prevent power outages in your area, contact Critter Guard today!