The abundance of manufacturers of protective automation, offering their products on the Russian market, can confuse the novice master at their acquisition. It’s quite difficult to figure out which of the brands is worthy of attention, and what should not be spent on. Today's article will talk about one of the most famous brands under which machines are manufactured - Legrand. This French company has long established itself in the Russian market as a manufacturer of high-quality equipment, the cost of which is acceptable for people of any income - in the product line you can find devices of any price category.
A bit from the history of Legrand
Initially, after its formation in 1866, table porcelain was produced under this brand. However, with the advent of electricity, the direction has changed dramatically. After the leadership was assigned to industrialists from the north (Jean Verspieren and Eduard Decoste), the production completely headed for the manufacture of electrical products.
In Russia, the brand first appears before the 1980 Olympics. Then Legrand fully assumes the equipment for the protective automation of the Cosmos Hotel, which it successfully copes with. But due to the policies of the Soviet Union, the brand cannot immediately gain a foothold in the market. Only in 1993 was their first representative office opened in Moscow. Today Legrand machines are one of the most popular and bought in our country.
Equipment manufactured under this brand
The devices offered by the brand are quite diverse - the line includes all types of protective equipment for electrical panels in an apartment or private house, as well as for indoor electrical installation in rooms. Among the products you can meet:
- circuit breakers ;
- voltage monitoring relay;
- differential automata;
- sockets, dimmers;
- protective shutdown devices.
Legrand circuit breakers do their job perfectly and are quite durable. However, widespread fame has led to the emergence of many fakes for the brand. Therefore, when choosing and purchasing equipment, it is worth paying attention to some features that distinguish falsified products from the original.
Distinctive features of low-quality products
The first thing you should pay attention to is the appearance of the product. The counterfeit will be indicated by uneven gaps between the case and the keys, extraneous inclusions in the plastic, different in color, fuzzy printed markings. The technical documentation that comes with the device will also help in determining the text - in a fake text may be blurry and difficult to read.
Another feature of circuit breakers is the round plug on the side panel. If it can be pulled out and a bimetallic plate is visible under it , then the product is original. Manufacturers of counterfeit products do not bother with unnecessary details. For this reason, such a cork can simply be printed on a plastic case, and it will not be possible to open it. This suggests that the product is 100% not original and is unlikely to work even if a short circuit occurs, not to mention the heating or overload on the line. Such devices are not only useless, and sometimes even dangerous when installed in an electrical panel of an apartment. Indeed, in this case, the owner is confident that the network is protected, which is not true.
Legrand submachine guns: varieties and features
Such devices may vary in their technical characteristics. The most common models of circuit breakers Legrand DX3, in the line of which there are products for 1 or 3 phases. The current strength at which the cutoff occurs may also differ.
Legrand DX3 single-phase machines are perfect for protecting individual lines of a home electrical network. They are used to separate the incoming current into groups, regardless of the rated voltage. But three-phase devices are used as input machines in 380V networks. Moreover, they are also suitable as protection for various electric motors or other equipment operating from high voltage. At the same time, users note a greater number of responses in case of emergency situations on the line than with Chinese or even German counterparts, without harm to performance.
Legrand DX3 protective automation can have a rated current of up to 36A - such devices are used in enterprises. For domestic use, such products are useless.
Residual Current Devices Legrand
RCDs manufactured under this brand deserve special attention. They are distinguished by excellent performance, which makes their use rational even if there is a lack of high-quality grounding. It makes sense to understand the algorithm of such devices.
In the case of correct and stable operation of the ground loop, when a breakdown occurs in the insulation of the phase conductor on the housing of the household appliance, current begins to flow along the path of least resistance. RCD "Legrand", detects a leak and turns off the voltage to the line. But what happens in the absence of normal grounding? In this case, the conductor with the least resistance becomes a person who has touched the metal housing of the household appliance, which has turned on under voltage. And here a huge role is played by how quickly the residual current device can recognize a leak.
The huge advantage of UZO "Legrand" is that in such a situation a person almost does not have time to feel the effects of electric current, while some other brands do not save from a sensitive and rather unpleasant discharge.
Residual current circuit breakers
AWDT Legrand gained popularity due to its reliability and reliability. The cost of such products of the brand is slightly higher than other competitors, however, it is worth noting that as a result, the costs are less due to rarely occurring breakdowns requiring replacement of equipment. For household networks, difavtomat 16A are used. It is such a rating that is most acceptable due to the fact that sockets mounted on premises are designed for such a current.
AVDT combines the protective functionality of AB and RCD, which eliminates the need for switching additional equipment, for which often there is not enough free space on the DIN rail. Often, this factor is crucial when purchasing a device. To be precise, a difavtomat can occupy 1 or 2 modules, while RCDs with additional protection require 3.
If it is decided to protect individual lines, then devices with a lower rated current can also be used - their cost will be lower. But the installation of more powerful equipment, in the case of using devices on separate lines, is not recommended. Difavtomat 16A is believed to be the most optimal option.
Voltage monitoring relay
Similar devices in new buildings are rarely used. The fact is that transformer substations installed relatively recently have a sufficient power margin, which virtually eliminates power surges. But for apartment buildings of an old construction with non-modernized substations, surges and voltage drops are not uncommon. The same applies to private sectors. In such cases, installing a voltage monitoring relay can save expensive household appliances, for which a voltage drop can be even more dangerous than a sudden surge.
Such devices can be configured by the user to a certain range. The output of the voltage value for the set thresholds will lead to a power outage. After a certain time, the relay will again try to supply voltage to the network. If the cause of the operation is eliminated, the line will continue to operate normally.
Video review of machines Legrand
For those Dear readers who want to understand in more detail the characteristics of the equipment of this brand, it is proposed to watch a short, but very informative video.
What can be said in conclusion
Despite the fact that Legrand equipment is in a higher price category than protective devices of other brands, this does not affect the brand’s popularity, due to the quality and reliability of the manufacturer’s products. In general, the safety of the power grid, as well as human life, is not an area that should be saved. Having paid a slightly higher price, the home master can be completely sure that there is no threat to himself or his relatives. And this is exactly what the owner achieves when installing protective equipment.