How to protect electrical devices during load shedding
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Power utility Eskom has announced that it will implement stage 2 load shedding from 11:00 am on Wednesday morning till 05:00 am next week Monday. This is due to a shortage of generation capacity following the breakdown of two generators. Load shedding increases the risk of damage to compressors and motors, such as fridges and pool pumps, which adds unnecessary maintenance and replacement costs for already cash-strapped South Africans.
Dr Andrew Joannou, Business Development Manager: Engineering & Innovation Technology at CBI-electric: low voltage says that voltage instability before and after load shedding are among some of the harshest negative effects on our electrical grid. “This means that there may be voltage fluctuations that are either higher or lower than the standard voltage supply of 230V AC.”
He adds that these high and/or low voltages can damage appliances and the best way to protect against this is to only allow voltage to the appliance once it has stabilised. “With smart home automation devices, users can quickly and easily set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’ via an app. Hence, if the voltage is not stable, the smart device will police the voltage levels and only allow power to the load (appliance) when it is within a safe operating voltage range.”
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