In industrial electric networks, special protective devices are installed for the normal operation of the equipment, but they are not in the interfloor distribution boards of residential buildings. Housing and communal services is not responsible for the breakdown of household electrical appliances due to poor operation of the electrical network. Therefore, the presence of complex electronics in the house requires mandatory protection from the harmful effects of power surges. To do this, you can use a line filter or voltage regulator. What is better to use, everyone decides independently, but at the same time you need to know at least approximately what they are and from what factors they protect.
What kind of interference?
External influences are divided into high-frequency and pulsed. The latter, in turn, come in two classes:
- natural - a lightning strike near the power line (during a thunderstorm, all household electrical appliances should be turned off);
- technogenic - the result of an accident at a substation, switching processes when connecting (disconnecting) a large number of consumers, worn-out power grids.
Impulse noise is inherent in industrial areas and urban areas. They occur in all networks and can reach 6 kV in 10 -6 -10 -9 s. The equipment is protected from surges by connecting through line filters and voltage stabilizers.
The causes of RF interference are the same, only power tools and household appliances are added to them. It is impossible to exclude them, since the transmission takes place by wire and through space.
So what is better: surge protector or voltage regulator? What is better for household appliances? When addressing these issues, consumers first look at the price. In most cases, they confuse protective electrical devices, especially not separating them. Many often do not take what they need.
Choosing a UPS, stabilizer or surge protector
Each protective device solves a certain range of tasks, and it is necessary to determine how this corresponds to the current need.
Network Filter Features
All people who use sophisticated electronics can not imagine how to work without network filters. The device smooths the pulses and is a stabilization unit with a group of outlets. It consists of two parts: a voltage limiter and a filter. The first includes varistors - active resistances that change parameters depending on the magnitude of the voltage. They are included mainly between phase and zero. High-sensitivity devices are protected from high-frequency oscillations and pulses using an LC filter, which can also contain inductors.
The line filter operates according to the classic single-phase circuit. Note! This circuit must include grounding with a three-wire power supply! If not, the filter also does its job, but worse. All impulse noise must go to ground.
Varistor VDR1 is a variable semiconductor variable resistance, non-linearly changing the characteristics simultaneously with the voltage. It is installed at the input to suppress voltage pulses. Varistor takes them upon himself, not passing further.
In addition to protection against interference, surge protectors provide for disconnection of consumers during short circuits and overcurrent.
We have to solve the question: surge protector or voltage regulator - which is better. First, pay attention to the price, which is to some extent an indicator of quality. Cheap devices do not save technology. But they can be used if you "bring to mind" with your own hands.
There are many low-quality products on sale where there is no protective and filter circuit. In this case, line filters serve only as extension cords or protect equipment from dangerous voltage surges. At the same time, you need to know that they do not serve for stabilization.
The purpose of the voltage regulator
The device is designed to maintain the mains voltage at 220 V. If it exceeds a preset value, it is aligned, and if it is reduced, it is increased, how much the transformer can handle it. When the external network is working poorly, users pay more attention to it when they make the choice of a voltage stabilizer or power filter.
During emergency surges, the load is switched off. In addition, impulse surges to the consumer are not missed when switching electricity.
Stabilizer circuits
In the stabilizer, the voltage is regulated in various ways. One of them is switching the secondary windings of the transformer.
The voltage is changed by electronic keys controlled by the processor. Data comes from the sensor and are switched using an electronic switch on the thyristors.
In parametric stabilizers, the phenomenon of avalanche breakdown at zener diodes is used, when the voltage remains constant with a significant change in current. To enhance power, the load is connected via one or more transistors.
As high-frequency filters, capacitors are used in the circuit. The stabilizer is a complex device, which may include a surge protector.
The resistor at the input allows you to keep the transistor open, and also supports the zener diode in the active region.
The stabilizer is selected according to the power of consumers. Nowadays, electronics is used everywhere, for example, in the control units of energy-saving lamps. Therefore, it is needed not only for computers, but also for lighting systems. If it is used for electric motors, you should know that the starting current of the latter is several times higher than the nominal. Despite the fact that stabilizers allow short-term overloads, here the power margin should be taken more.
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
In a specialized store, salespeople can vying to offer a stabilizer, surge protector and UPS. What is better to get - it’s difficult to immediately decide with the existing large selection of models with different names and properties.
Many people buy UPSs to eliminate one possible malfunction in the network - a sudden loss of voltage in order to correctly shut down electronic devices. Imported models stand for UPS. It is advisable to purchase them with the stabilizer function to eliminate radio frequency and electromagnetic distortion and interference.
If the supply voltage disappears or decreases outside the required range, the UPS switches to battery operation. Depending on the model used, the operating time of an independent source can reach several minutes or hours. The device is selected for the power of the protected equipment.
An important characteristic of UPS when running on battery power is the form of output voltage. For cheap devices, it is rectangular, and in frequency and amplitude it is equal to the mains sinusoidal voltage.
Multifunction UPS
UPS protects devices not only when disconnected, but also when the voltage drops below an acceptable threshold by switching to batteries. Intermittent operation shortens battery life. It is advisable to additionally connect a voltage stabilizer before the uninterruptible power supply. For some models, this is not necessary. A modern UPS may contain a built-in filter or voltage regulator.
It is impossible to correctly measure the voltage of a modified (rectangular) sinusoid with a conventional voltmeter. Indications will differ significantly from the actual values.
What is the difference between a voltage regulator and a line filter?
The stabilizer is preferable to use, due to the fact that protection is carried out at several levels. It may include a surge protector as a separate part (for example, Sven products). By itself, it does not correct undervoltage, which negatively affects the durability of the devices.
When it increases, the fuse in the device burns, which will have to be changed. But the models are constantly being improved, and it is desirable to correctly determine by their characteristics which network filter is better.
The stabilizer gently disconnects the power from the network, which is then easily restored. He is given preference because the price of a mid-range model is the same as that of a high-quality surge protector. The power reserve of any protective device is taken at the level of 20-30%.
The purchase of a quality stabilizer is justified in the following cases:
- unstable operation of the external network (relevant for the village);
- the total cost of household appliances should be significantly higher.
Conclusion
By acquiring valuable electronics, you should decide the question of which one to take a surge protector or voltage regulator, which is better suited, and how to do it is beneficial for yourself. With the right choice, protective devices provide reliable power supply to home appliances. It is important to determine how the external network of the apartment works, as well as the price and characteristics of the purchased product. The advantage remains with the stabilizer, which reliably protects expensive electronics from power surges and high-frequency interference. For computers, it is imperative to purchase a UPS, which allows for the correct shutdown, increase their service life and save valuable information.