Voltage fluctuations: what are the effects on various devices and how to prevent them

It is now unthinkable to live without electrical and electronic devices. They are used in houses and offices, but also companies and businesses.

Electrical and electronic devices make life and work easier, but for obvious reasons, they require far more electricity to power them than is provided by electricity suppliers. This means that voltage fluctuations are quite frequent and, with them, all the consequences that inevitably follow.

 

What are voltage fluctuations?

It happens frequently that voltage fluctuations compromise equipment that operates electronically, causing a temporary malfunction or, in the most extreme cases, an irreparable failure.

To overcome this problem, it would be enough to take care not to exceed the tolerance standards and to ensure, therefore, that there are no changes in the voltage of the electrical grid.

 

 

What kind of damage causes a power surge to electrical equipment?

When voltage fluctuations become more frequent and nothing is done to avoid them, the electrical system may be irreversibly affected. In this case, it will be necessary to contact a trusted electrician and redo the wiring, which is going to be a very expansive task.

If you have the intention to take action before it is too late and before the equipment that caused the power surge “burns out”, you shall ask to an electrician for advice and for a quote to determine how much it would cost to make the adjustments and improvements that the electrical grid needs so that it can expand its standards of tolerance.

The last thing to understand is why voltage fluctuations are so potentially harmful to household appliances and electrical and electronic appliances.

When power surges are frequent, they can burn the transformers that supply them. The damage is still minor.

However, it cannot be ruled out that this phenomenon may cause much more serious consequences such as damage to the electrical system and telephone networks, the total breakdown of computers screens or the failure of a household appliance and everything else powered by electricity.

 

 

How can voltage fluctuations be prevented?

Speaking of measures to be taken to prevent voltage fluctuations there are few adjustments that can be made to limit or prevent power surges. The appliances in use can be connected to filtered sockets or to special overcurrent filters whose ultimate purpose is to isolate all the excess voltage when necessary, avoiding the direct effect on the electricity network.

Another way to avoid the consequences associated with power surges is to disconnect all electrical and electronic devices and any appliances when the weather conditions are not favorable: just think that it is during thunderstorms that the most dangerous voltage surges occur and burn all appliances powered by electricity. Attention must also be paid to water infiltration which, in the most extreme cases, can even cause a short circuit.

The best way to avoid all these events, however, is to apply a lifesaver to the general counter that is located in every home, office, business and commercial activity.

Overly old electrical systems should be avoided and replaced with new generation systems complete with insulated cables: one of their main characteristics is that these cables are protected and, even if they were to come into contact with water, they would not produce a short circuit.

Finally, it is essential to have a voltage stabilizer that kicks in if the output voltage, which tends to vary and is never stable, fluctuates as it normally days. Electrical devices generally tolerate these continuous and frequent fluctuations well, but when they become excessive, they can cause real drops and peaks in voltage, which should be prevented.

Sometimes, they reach such a level as to burn the audio and video endings of radio and television, thus forcing to face an unforeseen expense that, with some caution, could have been avoided.