Dirty Power: Avoiding the Evil Within
Source: Shaun Miller
Dirty power can describe any oddity or instability in the incoming electrical quality. These fluctuations can range from the annoying to the deadly.
When I was a young volunteer at my church, I knew nothing about electricity. Anytime I was caught in a conversation related to power, the best I could come up with was saying “1.21 jigawatts!” and hope the other party laughed. One particular time we were having serious issues with our audio system. I had to work with the systems installer and electrical contractor to figure out why; and spouting “Back to the Future” lines wasn’t helpful. It was during this time that I first heard the term “Dirty Power” and apparently we had it.
Dirty power has become the go to word to describe any oddity or instability in the incoming electrical quality. It often involves voltage fluctuations, frequency changes, and other variations that cause the power to be unstable. These fluctuations can range from the annoying to the deadly. What dirty power doesn’t cover though is that annoying humming sound you hear in some sound systems. That is usually caused by a grounding issue and is sometimes lumped in with the dirty power problem. It shouldn’t be. . .