Talking about PDU’s or Power Distribution Units

Written by Oren Shemesh Tuesday, 10 August 2010 00:00

Power Distribution Units are multi-plug receptacles that will allow you to power multiple pieces of equipment at one time in one place. The Power Distribution Units comes in various options for you to choose from. Some of the basic feature options include: number of receptacle outlets provided, horizontal or vertical mounting options, and electrical current flow that the PDU is required to handle.

Selecting how many receptacles you may need or which mounting option you prefer is fairly easy. However, selecting the PDU that can handle the current flow needed for your equipment is sometimes overlooked by customers.

You will need to verify the voltage and the amperage rating for your equipment, meaning, what is the voltage and what is the electrical current it consumes. This information will help you choose the Power Distribution Unit that can provide and handle the electrical power that is required by your equipment.

The current flow (amps) required by the equipment or device should be provided by the equipment manufacturer. You can find this information written in the equipment manual or on a label that might be on the equipment itself. Verifying this information before you buy a PDU will allow you to choose the right PDU to handle your equipment needs.

Since you are probably going to hook up multiple pieces of equipment to the PDU, you will need to calculate the overall amperage (current consumption) that will be consumed by all units combined. For example, if you have six pieces of equipment, and three require 1 AMPs and three require 0.5 AMPs, the total current consumption is 4.5 AMPs. Therefore, a 15 AMPs PDU is more than capable of providing your equipment with its electrical current needs.

However, if six pieces of equipment will require a current flow of 3 AMPs each, then the total current consumption comes to 18 AMPs. In this case, you would need to choose a PDU that can handle a current flow up to 20 AMPs since the 15 AMPs will not be able to handle the sufficient current flow needed.
SETT offers PDU’s that are rated 15 AMPs meaning that they can handle and provide electrical current flow up to 15 AMPs (15 amperes). These PDUs feature a standard 3 prong electrical plug outlet.

A picture of a standard 3 prong plug outlet

SETT offers PDU’s that are rated 20 AMPs meaning they can handle and provide electrical current flow up to 20 AMPs (20 amperes). These PDU’s have a different electrical plug outlet and require a matching 20 AMPs receptacle.

A picture of a 20 AMPs plug outlet

If your equipment requires a current flow of more than 15 AMPs and up to 20 AMPs, then you will need to get the 20 AMPs PDU. In this case, you also have to make sure that you have the receptacle matching plug inlet that is shaped to accommodate the 20 AMPs plug. Needless to say, that power source also has to provide and handle this extra electrical current needed to run your equipment.

A Drawing of a 20 AMPs plug receptacle

SETT offers rack mount PDU’s with 8 or 14 outlets or the vertical PDU with 24 outlets which will allow you to hook up many devices to one power source.
SETT’s PDU selection can be found on our website under the accessories page at:
http://www.get-sett.com/accessories

If you have any questions, please e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 1-215-322-9301 during business hours and we will be happy to assist you.

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