Expert advice on choosing a voltage regulator

Before you go to the store for a voltage regulator, you need to find out how many consumers of electric energy you have at home, maybe you have to purchase them in the near future and what total power consumption they make up. After all, the purchase price of the stabilizer directly depends on the load that it can hold at 220 volts, without consequences for itself. That is, the parameters should not be selected end-to-end in terms of power consumption, but with a margin so that the device does not work constantly at maximum, and in case of emergency it can easily transfer them. In this article we will tell you how to choose a voltage regulator for the home and which one is better in terms of power and manufacturer.

Content:

Determine the power
What else to look for?
Top manufacturers
Rating models

Determine the power

To determine the power, you need to find out the most likely number of simultaneously working electrical appliances. After that put their watts together. How to find out the power of consumers we told in one of our articles. After determining the total load, using the formula we can calculate the total power S va (volt-amperes).

This parameter takes into account, in addition to active consumers of electricity (these are heating elements in heaters and incandescent lamps), also reactive consumers. These include all kinds of motors, fans, transformers, chokes, capacitors in electrical appliances.

We need the S parameter, because it is its manufacturers of stabilizers that indicate in the passport data of their device. In order to find S, in the device passport we look at the consumption and the parameter cos (φ). If there is no passport at hand, you can select the standard value from the table:

If this parameter is missing, take an approximate value of 0.7.

Also, when calculating the stabilizer, it is necessary to make a margin of safety for such devices that consume a current several times greater than the rated data during startup. For example, in order for the engine to start, a current pulse arises in the windings of the electric machine and gradually decreases to the nominal one, with an increase in the rotor speed. Air conditioners, washing machines, ventilation system, pumps, vacuum cleaners, lifting mechanisms - all of these units have an electric motor in their mechanism.

Having estimated the real load of their devices, it is necessary to add another 20-30% when choosing a stabilizer for a private house or apartment. Manufacturers themselves recommend this, since when stabilizing at a low input voltage, the device operates in a mode close to extreme.

In most cases, based on the data of manufacturers and distributors, for an average city apartment, taking into account the above, a device with a capacity of 7500 VA will be enough. For a private home ownership with a contractual 15 kW load, a 22,000 VA unit is required.

You can significantly save on the purchase of a stabilizer of a lower price range if you reduce the group of consumers to justifiably necessary ones. Through a protective device, connect such consumers as a refrigerator, a computer, a boiler and so on in a separate line. In this case, the remaining unstable line should be protected with voltage relay.

What else to look for?

In addition to power, which is one of the main criteria for choosing a voltage stabilizer, there are also additional parameters that you need to pay attention to. So, to choose the device that is optimal in price and quality, consider the following nuances:

For a house, apartment and cottage, it is best to choose a relay type of device. As a last resort, if you are looking for an inexpensive model, consider electromechanical CH. More about types of voltage stabilizers we told in the corresponding article.
The input voltage must match the condition of your mains. If you constantly low voltage in the house, you need to choose a model that works in the range of 140 volts. If observed network overvoltage, it is better to choose a model that works with a higher input voltage.
The stabilization accuracy should be as low as possible. This parameter is the error of the output voltage. The optimal range is from 8 to 5%. A stabilization accuracy of more than 8% is a poor indicator to avoid. If you want to choose a stabilizer for the refrigerator and other sensitive appliances, we advise you to find a model with a stabilization accuracy of 5%.
Efficiency, or as you understand work efficiency. 90% is considered a good indicator, although on the market now you can find many models with an efficiency of 97%.
The type of installation can be floor or wall. For an apartment, it is better to choose a wall-mounted mounting option to save space. In the country and in a private house, the floor stabilizer will not become an obstacle.
Moisture proof housing IP degree of protection maybe 20, if the installation is implied in a dry, heated room and IP24, if there is a possibility of moisture entering the case.
Extra security. Well, if the voltage regulator that you decide to choose is equipped with an automatic shutdown system when short circuitoverheating either overload. Also, having a display on which the voltage and light indication of probable errors in the operation of the device will not interfere.

We also recommend that you study the information on how to choose a generator for home and garden! Useful expert advice will help you choose the right option for the price and quality!

Top manufacturers

And of course, it is important to make the right choice in favor of the voltage stabilizer manufacturer. Much will depend on this, starting from the quality of work and ending with the service life of the protective device.

So, today the best manufacturers of voltage stabilizers are:

APC by Schneider Electric. French quality and reasonable price. The SN range from Schneider Electric is more aimed at protecting individual sensitive devices, therefore their power, as a rule, is 600-1500 VA.
RUCELF. Fairly good quality from a domestic manufacturer of protective equipment. In online stores you can find enough inexpensive but good stabilizers that you can choose for a private house or apartment.
RESTAURANT. A well-known company on the market that produces inexpensive stabilizers with a lot of positive feedback from customers. The price segment and the average build quality make them one of the best options when choosing for a house and a cottage.
Lider. Country producer - Russia. The company specializes more in electronic voltage regulators. In general, the quality is good, prices are average in the market, the range is quite large, there is plenty to choose from.
Energy.Completes our ranking of the best manufacturers of protective devices. A lot of good reviews about the devices of this company. Price and quality are acceptable. I would also like to draw attention to the stylish black color of the case and the presence of a display on which all important parameters are displayed.

In addition to these manufacturers, I would also like to note that devices from such companies as Sven, IEK and Calm are in demand, however, reviews about these products are rather ambiguous, so we decided not to include them in the rating so as not to mislead you.

You may also be interested in tips on choosing an uninterruptible power supply for the home!

Rating models

Well, the last thing I would like to talk about, which models of voltage stabilizers are the best. So, we recommend choosing one of the suitable options from the list below.

For an apartment, a single-phase device for 5-8 kW is suitable:

Energy Classic 9000;
SVEN AVR PRO LCD 10000;
RUCELF SRWII-9000-L;
RESANTA ACH-5000/1-C;
RUCELF STAR-10000.

For the whole house, in order not to miscalculate, it is better to choose a stabilizer with a power of 10 to 15 kW:

RUCELF STAR-12000;
RESTAURANT LUX ASN-10000N / 1-Ts;
RUCELF SRFII-12000-L;
RESANTA ACH-10000/1-C;
RUCELF SDWII-12000-L ;.

That was all we wanted to talk about choosing a voltage stabilizer. Finally, we recommend watching a useful video on the topic:

Now you know how to choose a voltage regulator for a private house, apartment and cottage. We hope that the recommendations provided and the list of the best models came in handy in choosing the right device for your own needs!

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