Whether the campus is small or large, universities serve a large number of people on a daily basis. Colleges in the United States, for example, can have between 5,000 and 15,000 enrolled students, although there are some with just a few hundred. That’s not including professors and other staff members. Not everyone will be on campus every day, but a large number of enrolled and employed people will be there each and every day.
Having a large number of people on campus at any given time is totally normal, but nearly all the activities that occur on campus rely on electricity. When the power goes out at a university, it inconveniences thousands of people at once, and that can be a huge problem.
Failed transformers are a common cause of power outages
There are a whole bunch of reasons for a power outage, like a fallen tree that takes out some power lines or a car crashing into a pole. Most of the time, however, power outages are caused by transformer failure.
Universities serve the needs of thousands of people every day, and nobody can get anything done without power. It’s critical that universities have a plan in place to provide power during an outage, but it’s even more crucial that they install high-quality equipment that won’t fail prematurely.
Unfortunately, premature transformer failure is common when the transformer is poor quality. For example, a lot of manufacturers build their transformers with low-quality insulation that just doesn’t hold up for any length of time. These companies either don’t provide a warranty, or the warranty is short enough to expire just before the issues start to occur.
Transformers generate a significant amount of heat, and units made with poor-quality insulation can’t distribute the heat properly, which leads to failure and sometimes fires or explosions. High-quality transformers are insulated with better materials that won’t degrade easily. Buying a high-quality transformer won’t prevent the power from going out completely, but it will avoid preventable failures.
Universities should take care to install the highest quality transformers, and here are some reasons why.
1. A failed transformer can cause long-term downtime
When a transformer fails, it has the potential to disrupt campus activity for a long time, sometimes many months. For example, a failed transformer at Central Washington University took nearly a month to replace.
The original transformer had been sealed in the basement 48 years prior, which is an impressive amount of time for a transformer to last. It failed because of its age, and was replaced with a refurbished unit. Had the school chosen to wait for a brand new transformer, they would have had to wait a couple more months.
If you search news articles for instances of transformer failure on college campuses, you’ll find that it happens often. Generators can only work short-term, so it truly is a disruption.
2. There is a transformer shortage
Thanks to a materials shortage, there has been a transformer shortage across the United States for the last few years. For new buildings, that isn’t much of a problem since there is enough lead time to order ahead, but when a transformer fails, it takes a long time to get a new one – sometimes a couple of years.
3. Students will be delayed
If any students are working on time-sensitive courses or degrees, a power outage can prolong their plans and put them behind schedule in a way that negatively impacts their plans. For example, if someone is trying to finish a course in time to take a professional exam, and course completion is a requirement, they might miss the deadline and have to wait for the next exam.
4. Food will spoil
A power outage can cause massive food spoilage on a large college campus. Food quickly reaches dangerous temperatures, at which point it must be thrown away.
Some estimates say a university can lose around $453,000 in spoiled food just from one failed transformer. It’s definitely in a university’s best interest to install a transformer built to last.
5. Safety will be compromised
For students and staff who are on campus at night after sundown, not having any power poses a risk to their safety. Parking lots will be dark and riskier for pedestrians, not to mention the potential for criminal activity under the cover of darkness.
A good transformer will prevent premature failure
Nobody can predict or prevent all the potential ways the power can go out at a university, but having a reliable, well-made transformer will prevent some of the most common causes of power outages on campus.
