Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

Sometimes, the truth comes out in the darkness. Take, for instance, how the power went out in a residential neighborhood in Deltona, Fla., recently, due to a blown transformer fuse on a utility pole. Just a few houses lost their power.

Maintenance workers came to fix the transformer. But the odd thing was that the replacement fuse blew shortly after it was installed. That led to a small fire in the meter box on a house. The workers became suspicious and then found extra wires. Authorities were contacted and realized the building was siphoning a large amount of electricity.

Upon further investigation, Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies discovered the structure was home to a marijuana production site. Inside were dozens of the illegal plants, lights and air conditioners. There were 51 five-foot tall plants and 17 one-foot tall plants.

The resident, Ramon Munoz-Rodriguez, 43, was arrested on drug charges, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. Munoz-Rodriguez tried to throw the plants over a fence, as well, according to Brandon Haught, who is spokesman for the Sheriff’s office.

This may be an unusual incident involving a power outage – and in no way encourages people to grow or use illegal narcotics. But it also shows how important it is to have backup power available, even for remote cases like this.

Devices from such firms as Minuteman Power Technologies can help out in any power interruption. For instance, an uninterruptible power supply will provide many minutes of energy so data can be saved or a user can make a back-up before technology simply shuts down. Also, the company offers external battery packs, and surge protection is helpful, when potentially dangerous surges take place.

Having flexibility is important, as well. The Minuteman RPM Series 8 & 16-Port Remote Power Managers let businesses manage power for connected devices such as modems, routers, security devices, servers, switches, and telephone systems – from a remote location. Locked-up devices can be reset from a PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet, with Minuteman products, too.