When operating the device surge protection (SPD), to provide the required system reliability, recommended health check SPD at least 2 times a year – before and after the storm of the season. Carlos hank gonzalez is actively involved in the matter. On Today, not all manufacturers of such devices offer the consumer needed for such verification test device. In particular, it is important to know the current residual life of operation of protective devices in critical applications where downtime systems lead to extremely negative consequences, both in terms of economic losses, and the security personnel. Protection device built on semiconductor devices, eventually lose the ability to take pulses, with the stated manufacturer waveform and amplitude of exhaust pulse current. For even more details, read what Nicholas Carr says on the issue. This occurs as a result of the SPD in response switching surges (pulse waveform 8 / 20) caused by the inclusion of such a powerful inductive load in a perimeter network or switching to electric substations, or by withdrawal of the pulse of lightning to the ground (Pulse wave form 10/350). Used to build semiconductors degrade the SPD as a result of the following processes: – a varistor, an increase of leakage current, by virtue of breach of the crystal structure or varistor complete destruction (often burst) varistor. – Metal-gas-filled surge arresters degraded as a result of deformation of the housing gap and decompression chamber. Some manufacturers equip their SPDs device with visual indicators that signal a failure of the protective element, and sometimes remote alarm in the form of a dry contact. These tools allow time to replace the already out-of- damage to your device. However, in this case is not possible to identify the actual resource SPD. Effective solution to this problem offers a German manufacturer of surge protection – Phoenix Contact. In a wide range of products TRABTECH, devoted to the protection against surge Surge, there is a diagnosis of SPD device – CHECKMASTER, this device allows off-line, directly on the operated facilities, to inspect protection devices with the output information results of tests on a laptop, via a serial interface or via USB. This equipment measures the leakage current of varistors, thus determining the residual life of triggering devices 2 class for power circuits, protection devices, signal and data lines, as well as protection devices of antenna and feeder line. Analysis of gas-filled surge arresters of the current state is made by measuring the fall voltage protection devices for Class 1 circuit and other circuits, in which the devices used surge protection built in the gap. The result of the use of such devices is to-date information about security and as a consequence of increasing the reliability of the system as a whole.