Electricity flowing into your homes and apartments has its own certain standards. For example, if the mains voltage is 220 V - the deviation should not be more than 10 percent of the nominal value. This variation in voltage can negatively affect the proper functioning of household electrical appliances and lighting fixtures.
Specialized organizations that supply electricity use transformers designed to convert electrical quantities. This is where the electricity comes from in homes and apartments.
The line shows the lower voltage limit when operating under heavy load. If the load subsequently increases, the normative limit goes down, this is due to the exhaustion of the capacity of the substation. The same principle applies to the 380V network, this can be easily explained by the operating conditions of the installations under standard conditions. If we look at the picture more realistically, in the cold season the supply of residential voltage is lower than in the summer.
Synopsis. Voltage fluctuations and its unstable operation can be corrected with the help of special stabilizers, whose function is to normalize current parameters. Stabilizers are widely used in different places, they have a fairly low cost, and are easy to install and connect. All the work related to the stabilizer can be done by yourself, without resorting to the help of specialists.
Contents
Determining the type of protection
To date, stabilizers are divided into 2 main types:
- Stationary devices for voltage stabilization, their installation is done for the whole house;
- portable models, they can stabilize just a few electrical devices.
Also, stationary stabilizers are divided into single-phase and three-phase, all depending on the conditions in which they are to be used. In your home or apartment, it will be more appropriate to install and connect the stabilizer near the power distribution board, with this step you can prevent malfunctions and overloading of the entire network.
The choice of installation place
Important! If you decide to install the regulator yourself - the responsibility for the device proper operation rests on your shoulders. You must clearly follow all the requirements and rules of the PUE.
There is a certain list of recommendations for choosing the right place for installing the power stabilizer:
- The room where the installation is planned should have a minimum level of humidity and always be well ventilated. Such conditions should be observed to minimize the risk of moisture entering the unit;
- If the stabilizer will be installed in small enclosed spaces (for example, in a cell near the power distribution board), think in advance about making sure that the facing materials in this area are not flammable and easily combustible;
- Be sure to leave a gap of at least ten cm between the stabilizer box and the wall;
- When attaching the power stabilizer to the wall, take care in advance to fix it as securely as possible, as well as its location was convenient for operation.
What you need for connection
To connect a single-phase power stabilizer, you will need:
- Single-phase stabilizer.
- Three-core cable VVGNG-Ls (the cross-section of this cable must be identical to your input cable, which is on the breaker itself or on the main circuit breaker). This cable will carry the electrical load for the entire house.
- Three-position switch. It differs from standard switches in that it can be in three states.
- Multicolored wire type PUGV.
We will use three states for this switch:
- Connected through a stabilizer;
- Bypass, i.e. without stabilizer - dirty power;
- Off.
Important! During the wiring process, you can also use a circuit breaker of the modular type. But you should keep in mind that with this scheme, if you have to turn off the power stabilizer, you will be forced to turn off the power in the whole house and rewire every time.
With a three position switch, you can cut off the stabilizer in one simple motion, leaving the living space with power directly.
Remember that a single-phase power stabilizer must be installed after the electric meter.
Even while the power stabilizer is running with the minimum load, it has an idle and consumes a small amount of energy, which you need to consider and keep an accurate count of it.
There is another important point. In the house where you plan to install a single-phase stabilizer is desirable to have RCD or differential circuit breaker. This is a recommendation from the leading brands of stabilizers on the world markets. Examples of such companies are:
- Resanta;
- Sven;
- Leader, etc.
A common input differential circuit breaker can be a device that protects equipment from power leaks.
Connecting the stabilizer
Wiring diagram of a single-phase power stabilizer in the network with a voltage of 220 volts
Important! When you connect the stabilizer equipment first of all disconnect the electricity in the house! This is one of the main rules of safety.
To comply with this rule you need to turn off the input circuit breaker, which is located in the switchboard, then you need to check once again whether the power is off. For this purpose, use a special pointer.
Basically, the stabilizer turns on immediately after the voltage is applied. The power stabilizer has a sequential type of switching. A small cheat sheet for you can be a scheme of connection of the stabilizer, printed on its body by the manufacturer.
Single-phase stabilizer has three contacts that are involved in the connection process:
- Take the phase wire from the input circuit breaker and connect it to the "input" point in the wiring block at the stabilizer;
- To the "output" connect the phase wire responsible for load distribution;
- The last step. Find the neutral contact of the stabilizer, and connect it to the neutral wire of the network, avoiding a break.
The neutral wire should be connected to the stabilizer first, then - to the common neutral wire of the network.
What to do if the housing stabilizer 4 contacts to connect
It happens that when inspecting the power stabilizer you can observe at once 4 contacts for connection. This looks as follows:
- Phase - "input";
- 0 - "input";
- phase - "output";
- 0 - "output".
With such a scheme in the voltage regulator, the connection to the network is as follows:
The neutral and phase wires of the electrical panel are connected to the corresponding contact, called "input" on the protective device body. The neutral and phase wires, which are responsible for the load, are connected to the terminals marked "output".
When the installation process is complete, check again whether you have connected all the wires correctly. Before you turn on the device for the first time, it is necessary to de-energize all electrical appliances, and take out all the plugs from the sockets.
When the stabilizer is turned on, carefully check its proper operation. It should work quietly without crackling noises, etc.
Important! For the voltage stabilizer to work efficiently and reliably once a year it is necessary to carry out preventive maintenance, which consists of tightening the bolts and screws. Timely performance of such procedure will help to minimize the risk of fire or deformation of the insulation layer, which can be caused by a deformed or loose contact.
Also, you can find voltage stabilizers with low power (P<1.5 kW) on sale. They are available as a complete independent unit, which is equipped with a cord for connection to the mains with a standard plug. There are several sockets on the surface of the device body.
Any electrical device, the operation of which you want to protect against risk, is connected to the voltage regulator through such a socket. Based on this, we can conclude that the devices that protect the electricity and appliances based on it, are a kind of additional link between the load and the electrical network, which provides reliable protection against power surges and overloading of the network.
Checking Circuit Functionality
If your house has a three-phase network with a voltage of 380 V - it is recommended to use three single-phase voltage stabilizers for connection. Each must be connected strictly on a separate phase.
When you first connect the stabilizer to the network, you must exclude all possible loads. All circuit breakers should be switched off. Only the input circuit breaker and the circuit breaker that goes directly to the stabilizer should be working. Once you connect the regulator electricity. It will start idling, and your task is to monitor its work. Watch for extraneous noises (normally they should not be), pay attention to the input and output voltage parameters, and check the correctness and accuracy of the technical data which can be seen on the electronic screen of the meter.
Connection mistakes
The most common mistake in the connection of a single-phase voltage regulator is the wrong choice of location for installation or the wrong location of the device. Even if the circuit is connected correctly and all recommendations are followed, the voltage regulator may overheat and shut down, there will be constant faults and errors on the display.
Incorrect switching of AVR from operation mode to bypass mode. It is necessary to adhere to the exact sequence for the transition. Namely:
- Disconnect power to the circuit breakers directly on the panel of the device;
- Change the normal position of the switch to "bypass" or "transit";
- Only after completing the above steps can the circuit breakers be turned on again.
Important! Many people mistakenly underestimate the importance of following such rules, and change the position of the switch under voltage, which eventually leads to malfunction of the device or breakdown.
When connecting the stabilizer, a wire with a smaller cross-section was used. Be sure to adhere to all necessary cable parameters, taking into account the total load of the house.
There are no lugs on the stranded conductors. Do not skimp on the terminals, buy them immediately after purchasing a single-phase stabilizer. According to the rules of PUE terminators for stranded conductors are required
Breaks the circuit breaker in the electrical panel. It happens and such a problem, given that when you turn off the stabilizer all functions normally without failure. Many people in such situations, mistakenly believe that the device is faulty, or blame on the wrong connection circuit and take the stabilizer for repair under warranty. But the reason may lie in a completely different problem. For example, you have insufficient voltage in the network, 150 V, instead of 220 V. If the voltage is normal, the current in the network will be much higher.
Be sure to pay attention to all the problems mentioned above before you take the stabilizer to the store and claim it is defective.
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