Almost every apartment has a refrigerator, washing machine and other household appliances. These devices make life easier, the last thing you want to lose is such help. Due to sudden voltage fluctuations and extraneous noise in the network, equipment may fail. In the first case, everything happens instantly, and in the second, the process lasts a long period of time. To protect yourself from unnecessary expenses, you need to acquire reliable protection in the form of a surge protector or stabilizer.
Home appliance protection
Modern home appliance engineers are leaning towards compactness and energy efficiency. The approach has a minus - sensitivity to voltage drops. As a result, the owner receives a nasty repair bill and damaged nerves.
The standard voltage in the network should be 220V, GOST provides an error of 10%. In theory, the network should not be less than 198 and more than 240 V, but in practice the network jumps from 35 to 400 volts. Even equipment that is protected from drops will not be able to withstand such a load.
With a power surge, the refrigerator and computer are the first to fail. The power supply unit provides minimum protection for such situations. Most often, everything ends with burnt coils and swollen capacitors. The same goes for flat-panel TVs and monitors.
With small household appliances, everything is simple, but with refrigerators and washing machines, things are worse. If at the moment of overvoltage the equipment was in the network, the motor often fails. Burnt parts must only be replaced. As a result, repairs are much more expensive than a conventional voltage regulator or voltage filter.
Protection devices
Power surges can cause a lot of material damage, so it is important to choose a quality product. Engineers offer several options that differ in terms of operation and cost. There are three main types of surge protection:
- uninterruptible power supply;
- Voltage regulator;
- electric network filter.
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), great to be paired with a desktop computer. A capacious battery can extend the operation of the monitor and the system unit from 3 to 30 minutes. The operating time depends on the capacity and wear and tear of the battery. But the battery is expensive and breaks down quickly. Replacement is carried out on average once a year.
The stabilizer does not include expensive consumables. After a strong surge, only the blown fuses will have to be replaced. The disadvantages are the limited number of connected devices and the high price. The instrument will not help save data during a voltage loss. At the same time, it protects the expensive parts of connected household appliances.
A surge protector is a relatively budget option with great capabilities. The principle of the standard device is the actuation of a button that cuts off the voltage supply during a large surge. This type of protection works like a fuse. Some models are capable of collecting noise, which has a positive effect on sensitive equipment. The higher the cost of the product, the better the performance.
Features of work
Each filter is equipped with an automatic device that cuts off the power supply in the event of a short circuit or critically high voltage. Also, extension cords are capable of filtering noise in the mains.Such interference can be created from a generator, grinder or welding machine. Only good devices are capable of eliminating noise. Cheap extension cords are equipped with simple machines.
The mains noise filter will work correctly only with a grounded cable connected to it. The principle of operation is to drop all noise to ground. Thus, the service life of important SMD elements of sensitive equipment will be extended.
Almost all surge protection surge protectors have the same circuit design. The input contains a backlit switch, varistor and LC filters. The principle of operation of a varistor is that when a surge occurs, it overheats and fails, while breaking the circuit. LC filters are a cable-wrapped ferrite core that picks up high frequencies and aligns the AC sine wave.
Filter or stabilizer
To determine which option is best, you need to familiarize yourself with the positive and negative sides of the devices.
A voltage stabilizer, unlike an extension cord with an installed fuse with protection against voltage surges, has a complex multi-stage system. Some models are capable of real-time display of the input voltage and the converted voltage.
If the voltage constantly drops (blinking or dimming the light), the surge protector will not help. A modern extension cord with a built-in input voltage regulator is able not only to dampen high surges, but also to raise a noticeable drawdown.
A device of sufficient power can be installed on the whole house and thereby protect all electrical appliances. This is not possible with line filters.
At high voltage surges, the stabilizer performs a soft shutdown. This approach helps to preserve all the elements of protection. In the filter, the opposite is true. With a sharp jump, the fuse is guaranteed to blow. As a result, you have to disassemble the case and make a replacement, or buy a new device.
An extension cord with a filter and a stabilizer are devices of different price categories. If you need reliable protection at all costs, an expensive converter is the best option. It is recommended to install the stabilizer on expensive equipment with a long service life.
For small chargers or inexpensive appliances, cheap surge protectors will do. They will work reliably in an emergency, and will also remove extraneous noise. This filter does an excellent job with high spikes. Therefore, it is better to place it where there is no power drawdown.
