Everyone knows that in the house or office there is an electrical panel through which household appliances receive power. However, most often the equipment at the substations is old, and the wiring in the house may not be new, so household electrical networks are not designed for the constantly increasing power of devices in the room.
All equipment in your home is designed to operate on a 220-230V network. But in reality, the voltage in the network can "walk" in the range of 140-290V. And every jump, that is, over or under voltage, is a danger to your household appliances, which can simply burn out. Therefore , voltage stabilizers for the home are almost an essential element of any home network. But most often people don’t think about it, and when a power surge occurs, the equipment simply burns out. And under the guarantee, burned-out devices cannot be repaired as a result of a power surge, because warranty service is possible only if the device was operated in accordance with technical requirements (voltage 220V).
Will traffic jams or machines save?
If you still use traffic jams in your shield, change them as soon as possible. At a minimum, you need to install machines that can save wiring from exceeding amperage in the network. It is the current strength. Unfortunately, most machines cannot provide 220V surge protection for homes. Please note that on the machines they usually write: 25A or 40A. This means that an automatic machine designed for 25A (namely, these are most often used in apartment panels) will automatically cut off the network when the current in the network reaches 25 Amps. However, the voltage, for example, at 380V, he will freely pass. He will miss the higher voltage, and only when the current reaches the mark of 25A, then the machine will cut off the supply of electricity. By that time, household appliances in the house will have already burned down.
Ways of protection against power surges 220V for home
One of the protection options is a special device against surges in the form of a network filter. This is the cheapest device, which is a fuse, it just burns out during a power surge, but it saves both wiring and household appliances in the house. However, in the case of undervoltage, such a device does not work at all from power surges. Undervoltage is also harmful to household appliances.
Therefore, it is appropriate to use voltage stabilizers for the home, which today are the most effective means of protection. These are multi-level instrument protection systems, and they fix swings over the years.
What are voltage stabilizers?
These are devices that keep the voltage in the house constant and unchanged. In this case, the input voltage (to the stabilizer) can "jump" from a low value to a high one. Household appliances in the house do not feel any interference, impulses in the network or fluctuations due to the fact that the stabilizer “filters” all these interferences.
These devices can be used in domestic and industrial power networks with a voltage of 220 and 380V. Thanks to this device, residents and manufacturing companies can save money on the replacement of equipment or spare parts for it, which have become unusable due to a voltage drop. One emergency jump - and the stabilizer emergency disconnects the network from an external source, which is unreliable. As soon as the voltage stabilizes, the device again supplies it to the internal network.
Security setting
If you have at least a little experience working with electrical equipment, then you can make the installation of protection against power surges 220V for the house yourself. The process is as follows:
- Open the terminal box to access the mounting screws.
- Thread the cable through the rubber cuffs of the pads, fasten the second cable with screws. Pay attention to the diagram attached to the stabilizer. Wiring should be done according to this scheme.
- Tighten the screws firmly. The contact on the terminal block must be of good quality. It is very important. If the contact is poor or the contact area is small, then this will not allow to remove the full power from the device. So the stabilizer will not work correctly. And in general, from time to time you need to look and tighten the connection screws.
- Connect the wires and lock box.
- Turn on the opening machine.
- Switch the switch from the "Network" position to the "On" position.
As you understand, there is nothing complicated in installing a voltage stabilizer. This is an extremely simple process that does not take much time. No permissions or documents are needed to install it.
Rating models
In the Russian and European markets, completely different devices are sold. For example, ZUBR voltage relays and similar things are generally absent in Europe. Manufacturers do not even release voltage relays, because there they are simply not needed. Due to the high quality of the equipment at the substations, a nightmare called “neutral breakage” can be eliminated altogether. In Russia and Ukraine it is possible.
Let's start the review with the popular model.
ZUBR relay
This is a fairly popular model of Ukrainian production, which is expected to be in great demand in Ukraine, but it can also be found in Russia. The manufacturer gives a 5 year warranty on this device. Judging by the reviews, ZUBR voltage relays with an index of 25D are designed for 25A, they do their job well and fairly accurately maintain a stable voltage in the network. There are models for more loaded networks, but popular household options have an index of 25 and 25T (with better thermal protection). One advantage is the low price. In the Russian market, the cost varies between 1,300-1,700 rubles.
AZM-40A module from the Resanta company
Resanta is a Chinese manufacturer that has become very popular in the Russian market. Its cheap products are in demand, in particular, the AZM-40A module.
Pros:
- The price is around 500 rubles.
- Lack of any controls. Due to the absence of any “twists”, the relays cannot be configured for incorrect operation. Although this implies some disadvantages.
Minuses:
- Wide voltage range. According to the specification, this module operates in the range of 170-265V and does not turn off the power supply if the voltage is within these limits. And these boundaries can also negatively affect the technique. And there are no regulators here either, so there is no way to influence the operation of the device.
- Slow performance. The device stops supplying voltage for 1-6 seconds. It is difficult to understand why such a wide spread. If the relay does not work in 1 second, then all the equipment in the house will have time to burn.
- Short delay before switching on. If the voltage "subsides" and the relay trips, then it will supply voltage after 2-3 minutes, and this is not enough. Of course, this is not important for household appliances, but not for the refrigerator. For refrigerators, the delay before switching on should be at least 5 minutes.
- Dimensions The device is large and clumsy, takes up a lot of space, but these are trifles.
This is a cheap budget device that can provide protection from 220V power surges for the home, although not the most reliable one.
RN-111M from Novatek-electro
Manufacturer Novatek inspires confidence. This is a serious company that makes good equipment, including voltage relays. The RN-111M model has certain advantages:
- Very high speed (0.2 s). Compared with the response time range of the previous relay (1-6 seconds), the RN-111M turns off the power with lightning speed.
- Wide range for adjusting the lower and upper voltage limits. You can also set the reclosing time.
- Digital indicator showing operating mode and values.
The disadvantage is that the load capacity is only 16A, which is very small for an apartment. Therefore, it is recommended to use an additional contactor and circuit breaker to protect the relay. As a result, this will result in additional costs, and the entire structure will cost 2,500 rubles. This company also has a model PH 113 with a load capacity of 32A. However, the price there is much higher, and 2,500 rubles can not do. But, given the advantages of such a module, you can overpay a little money. Relay PH 113 from Novatek can safely buy. This is the case if you could not find the model below. We also recommend that you pay attention to the Volt Control circuit breakers from this company, which also boast reliability, the ability to adjust voltage ranges and quick response.
Voltage monitoring device UZM-51M from the Meander company
St. Petersburg company "Meander" makes industrial automation, which today is one of the most efficient and reliable.
Advantages:
- Very wide range of adjustment of the lower (160V) and upper values (280V).
- Very short response time - only 0.02 seconds. None of the household appliances will have time to feel a surge in voltage.
- The load capacity is 63A. This is enough for a huge apartment with the most powerful household appliances.
- Additional varistor protection against surge surges, which "eats" pulses with an energy of not more than 200 J.
- Small dimensions and no need to buy additional items.
- Price. The cost in the market of such protection against voltage surges in the region of 2,000 rubles.
If you find this device, you can safely buy it. But they should not be limited. There are other interesting suggestions.
Tessla D25 and D25T Relays
Both modules will cost only 1,000 rubles, or maybe even cheaper. They are designed for a current of 25A and a power of 5.5 kW. The upper voltage limit is adjustable - from 240 to 270V, the lower - from 120 to 190V. A Tessla voltage relay with a T attachment has thermal protection, so it will cost a little more. Both modules are popular in Ukraine, but are also sold in Russia.
This list can be continued for a very long time. However, these models will be enough. All of them are on the market and are extremely easy to install.
Uninterruptible power supplies
These devices are batteries that first accumulate energy and then give it away if the voltage disappears. A modern UPS can perform protective functions from network overloads and save equipment by stabilizing the current strength.
Most often, such devices are used in offices, but they also have a place in apartments. However, the cheapest UPS is not able to protect the wiring and equipment in the house. In the event of a power surge, it will burn out, as well as other consumer electronics. However, you can choose a reliable UPS with overload protection and high capacity. As a result, during a power surge, household appliances will not only not feel a power surge, but will not even turn off, because they will receive stable and even power from the UPS.
Which is better: UPS or stabilizer?
Stabilizers are special protective devices that are the most reliable to use. Their sole purpose is to protect the wiring of the network and household appliances. Batteries have a slightly different purpose - they provide power to household appliances (usually computers or boilers) for a while, which allows, for example, turning off the computer safely and saving data.
Also, stabilizers are much cheaper, because they do not have expensive energy batteries, which are necessarily in the UPS. Well, and most importantly - cheap UPSs do not protect equipment from increasing voltage, but they work when it is reduced. Ideally, you need to use a reliable stabilizer in conjunction with an uninterruptible power supply. The first will turn off the voltage supply to the apartment network, and the second will supply all the equipment in the house until the voltage stabilizes. However, to supply all the equipment, you need a very powerful IPB, or small-capacity models for each element of household appliances separately. But most often, IPBs are used for computers and electric and gas boilers. The latter can be used to provide home heating, and their automation does not work in the event of a power outage. Therefore, it is very important to use uninterruptible power supplies for gas boilers in homes where the lights are often turned off or the voltage jumps. In the latter case, it is necessary to install a stabilizer. In general, these two devices should ideally work in pairs.
Last tip
Use only high-quality equipment and do not buy cheap Chinese stabilizers that cannot ensure the safety of all your household appliances in the event of voltage surges. Examples of good modules are given in this article.