Power Protection: Are You UL Listed?

Arguably the two biggest offenders in custom electronics hyperbole are the cabling and power conditioning/surge suppression categories.

Other than power cables, the topic of cabling safety has always been innocuous because of the products’ low-voltage characteristics. Taking the safety issue to the next level, however, are power conditioner/surge suppressor components that are said to protect and enhance everything from amplifiers and projectors to wireless modems and telephone systems.

Sorting Through the Hype
When it comes to safety issues, there aren’t many resources that dealers or consumers can turn to for guidance, but standards that have been developed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) provide some assurances. UL is an independent safety company that offers a variety of industry testing services.

There are five major UL standards that CE pros should look for when considering a power product: UL 1283, UL 1363, UL 514, UL 498 and UL 1449:

UL 1283: Covers the requirements for electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters that are installed on or connected to 600 volt or lower circuits that operate at 50Hz to 60Hz, and meet National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements.

UL 1363: Defines the requirements for relocatable power taps (RPT). UL says the standard covers RPTs rated at 250 volts AC or less and 20 amps AC or less. UL says that RPTs are intended strictly for indoor use as an extension of a grounding alternating current branch circuit for general applications.

UL 514: This standard is for nonmetallic outlet boxes, flush-device boxes and covers, and other related products. The standard stipulates that these types of products must comply with NEC, as well as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70.

UL 498: Designed for attachment plugs and receptacles, it states that these types of products that connect to a branch circuit must comply with NEC and ANSI/NFPA 70.

UL 1449: Covers surge protective devices (SPDs) and its requirements include provisions for repeated limiting of transient voltage surges as specified for 50Hz and 60Hz circuits that don’t exceed 1,000 volts. Within the standard there are four designations, and it does not include power cords or plug-in SPDs that are designed for medical equipment applications.

Safe and clean power are qualities that can be tough to verify, so integrators such as Richard Ades, owner of Oklahoma City, Okla.-based Contemporary Sounds, have turned to UL listing as an important part of the power conditioning/surge protection product evaluation process.

Today, Ades says, because of all the diverse technologies that installers are working with in the home it’s easy to get swept up in the terminology of components. When it comes to power protection devices, Ades says his company keeps things simple by educating clients about key points like UL listing over spec claims.

“We all remember the old adage that advises someone to build their audio system by starting with the speakers,” he says. “In today’s world of switch-mode power supplies and tiny processing chips we advise to start where things plug in. We stress the importance of proper certification of power products and we do not sell or recommend products that don’t have certification.”

UL Listing Minimizes Risks
Throughout the past decade, the power conditioning/surge protection category has grown significantly. Much of this growth can be attributed to an increasing interest in the benefits these products theoretically provide, and the desire for dealers to monetize as much of their system sales as possible.

Surprisingly, the UL (and for that matter, CE - the similar safety requirement of the European Union) stamp is not mandated for products sold in the U.S. Because of this, many of the manufacturers entering the category aren’t going through the UL listing process, which includes the adherence to National Electric Code.

It is perhaps understandable, as the cost of listing is steep and that investment may not correlate into sales, so many of the small companies eschew the process.

Companies that do go through the rigors include APC, Tributaries and Tripp Lite, to name a few. In the case of Tributaries, president Joe Perfito says that in 2004 the company decided it was worth the investment because UL listing validated the technologies it was implementing and provided a level of safety for Tributaries’ consumers.

Perfito says installers should consider the benefits of selling UL-listed products not only because it ensures a quality solution to their clients, but can protect the dealer as well.

“It [UL listing] is extremely important because it assures our dealers and the end-user that the unit, having been reviewed and tested by a competent authority, has been engineered according to the National Electric Code [NEC] safety standards, and it is manufactured with 100 percent compliance to the listed specifications and will operate as design,” he says. “From a liability standpoint, if there is a fire that is traced back to an electrical source in or near the A/V equipment and that equipment did not have UL certification, the dealer, salesperson, rep and manufacturer would be in jeopardy of being drawn into a lawsuit.”

When broaching the topic of power and UL listing to clients, Perfito recommends dealers keep it simple by pointing out such products’ safety and reliability in a home environment. “[The message I would tell] dealers and consumers is that when looking to purchase a product that plugs into a 120-volt AC outlet, make certain that it has been certified by a professional safety testing company and that it [the product] has achieved a UL listing,” he advises.

“Anything in a home that carries electric power must be UL rated for safety to protect a family and their investment into their home. Look at the wiring in your walls, your outlets, lighting, HVAC and appliances - all of these products must have UL listing to be sold to a consumer and installed in a home. For safety and compliance with the NEC many of these products must be installed by licensed electricians … a non-UL-rated product may be cheaper, because the company making the product did not invest in the testing and certification.”