Surge suppressors are used to protecting circuits from transients (sudden, brief increases in voltage). Transients of widely varying magnitudes are caused by such circuit components as motors, coils, magnets, relays, and transformers. They are found in all electrical systems and are notorious for damaging diodes, SCRs, transformers, triacs, and relay contacts.

Surge suppressors can be connected across individual components, part of a circuit, or to supply to an entire circuit. When the voltage is normal, they are in an “off” state and do nothing. However, when a transient raises the voltage, they react very quickly and conduct the excess around the components they protect. When the transient has passed, they return to a normal “off” state. It is cheaper to use surge suppressors than it is to buy new components or have equipment out of service. Surge suppressors can be polar (for direct current circuits) or non-polar (for alternating current circuits) and can be assembled in different configurations to offer surge protection from 3A to 130A.

CEHCO surge suppressors are assembled from high-quality selenium cells.  We are a selenium surge suppressor replacement specialist. These suppressors are characterized by extremely smooth operation. They pass increasing amounts of current as the voltage increases without the sudden changes that tend to characterize other types of surge suppressors. They have a high shunt capacitance (0.05 MFD per square inch). They react faster and have higher wattage capability than silicon suppressors. Selenium Surge Suppressors are commonly used in the elevator industry. CEHCO has done many applications for elevators and elevator companies. A brief description of selenium cells is shown below.