Voltage fluctuations are quite common in India. In fact, a few rural areas in India face a serious issue with respect to the power outages and fluctuations. If you want to take care of your valuable home equipment and safeguard them against the damage from voltage fluctuations, you would definitely need to have access to a good quality voltage stabilizer.
How to choose a stabilizer for your equipment such as televisions, refrigerators, and other essential electrical equipments.
A stabilizer is a static device that regulates or “stabilizes” the voltage before it can be delivered to your connected device. The connected device, in this case, can be anything right from a TV, a refrigerator, or an air conditioner.
A stabilizer, as the name itself should be indicative, regulates the voltage supplied to your equipments. If the voltage is too high, it will tame the voltage and reduce it to the optimum level. In case it is too low, the stabilizer increases it to the right level. In essence, a voltage stabilizer detects the voltage fluctuation and then corrects it as per the requirements of the device you have connected to it.
How to Choose a Stabilizer?
Well, when picking the best stabilizer for your needs, you would need to check out a few key factors to ensure that you have access to the best experience and assured safety for your equipment. Some of the simple tips to select stabilizers would be:
Check the input voltage & power consumption of your devices
Check for spike & short circuit protection in the stabilizers
Digital Techonlogy
etc…
Of course, there would be a few specific requirements that you may need to focus on when picking your choice for the best stabilizer. Selecting the best stabilizer can be something critical. Make sure you understand the exact nature of the power supply situations in your area and find the right one for your needs.
Check out the best buying factors for a few key equipment options. We will check out TVs, refrigerators, and air conditioners and the right factors you would need to opt for in your choice of the best stabilizers.
How to Choose a Stabilizer for a Refrigerator?
Well, picking the stabilizer may not have any specific requirements as such with respect to the equipment in use. The primary option would be to check its capacity to withstand voltage fluctuations.
A few key factors can include:
Input Voltage in your Area
The prime factor you need to have a look at would be to check the input voltage in your area. Indian cities typically have an input voltage of 230V. The brief idea about how low or high the voltage can go will provide you with a good idea into what range you need to opt for in terms of voltage stabilizer that you buy.
For instance, a voltage stabilizer with a 150V to 270V range would mean it can handle the voltage fluctuation between those two values.
The capacity of the Refrigerators
This is yet another factor you need to consider when picking the right stabilizer for your refrigerator. The capacity of a refrigerator is expressed in litres and ranges across 300 L to 1000 L. You should find the stabilizers designated with the capacity of the refrigerator. Make sure of the compatibility before finalizing your purchase.
Number of Doors
The number of doors of your refrigerator is yet another factor you need to pay special attention to. The stabilizers designed for the refrigerators come with specifications as per the number of doors. Refrigerators normally come with a single door, double door, and three-door configurations.
Additional Features
It may be a good idea to go with a refrigerator based on the other extra features that would improve efficiency and functionality even further. Spike protection and short circuit protection are a couple of features you would rather find more effective. The availability of LED indicators would be one more feature that provides you with a one glance view of the functioning.
How to Choose a Stabilizer for an Inverter Air Conditioner?
Power surges can have a detrimental effect on the normal functioning of an air conditioner. Picking the best voltage stabilizer would have to be based on a few critical parameters for the right degree of performance.
Mounting
A voltage stabilizer should never be placed on the round. The amount of power and voltage within the stabilizer may be too high. Handling a stabilizer can get too risky if it gets wet. A proper mounting arrangement for the AC stabilizer should be an essential factor to be considered. With plenty of mounting options available, it may be extremely important to give serious thought to the mounting option that suits your individual requirement.
Time-delay systems
Stabilizers for air conditioners should always have a feature of the Time Delay System. This time-lapse feature will help the compressor to develop the requisite voltage and thus keep the balanced current flow. This feature comes into force when the power resumes after a short break. A minimum time delay system of three minutes would be advisable.
Digitized
Most of the stabilizers for air conditioners come with digital technology. This will ensure that the stabilizer adapts to the different voltage conditions. This would also be helpful in providing different layers of protection for each of the devices. In fact, a digitized stabilizer would be best suited to work with other devices as well such as TV or a refrigerator along with an AC.
Overload Protection
The Overload protection will ensure that the stabilizer is turned off when it detects a short circuit or any sort of burn out due to an overload. This will protect your air conditioner against the thermal overloads and other burnout conditions.
Indicators
It would be an excellent option to find the indicator option on your stabilizer so that you would have access to a quick knowledge of the voltage and current while the stabilizer is protecting your air conditioner. Most of the latest models of stabilizers come with an LED light indicator.
How to Choose Stabilizer for LED TV?
Most of the LED televisions come with an inbuilt stabilizer. However, it may be a good idea to check out the best stabilizer as a means of added security.
Some of the factors you would need to focus on when buying the best stabilizer for LED TV can include:
Check the Power Consumption of Your Devices
Check the power requirements of your device before buying your voltage stabilizer. The device comes with the power in Watts. A stabilizer, on the other hand, comes with its capacity labeled in VA or kVA. You would need to convert Watts into VA or kVA. The capacity of the TV should match with that of your stabilizer.
Check Voltage Fluctuation in Your Area
It may be a good idea to check the voltage fluctuation range in your area before picking your choice of stabilizer. For example, let us assume that the voltage range in your locality lies between 100 to 300 V. Buy the stabilizer that works within the same range. This will help you get access to a better degree of protection.
Mounting Options
The mounting options may not matter much when you pick your stabilizer for your TV. However, if you have areas that may get wet, it may be necessary to opt for the right mounting options. Choose a location that helps you get proper protection for your new stabilizer. Keep it away from the heat, moisture and of course, reach of children. It may be a good idea to check a stabilizer that offers you a wall-mountable design.
Additional Features
A few of the extra features may be worthy of attention when buying a stabilizer for your LED TV. Some good options would include Time Delay functionality, thermal overload protection, indicators, and digitized design. We have already explained these features above. The features like digitized design and time delay functions may not be essential in case of a stabilizer for an LED TV.
FAQs That Would Prove to be Handy
Well, now that we have gone through a few critical vital factors you should focus on when picking the best stabilizers for a specific device such as air conditioners, TVs and refrigerators, it may be a good idea to check out a few FAQs that you have always wanted to find answers for.
Q - Can you use the same stabilizer for all devices?
A – No. When it comes to an AC, you would need to use the specific stabilizer designed for an air conditioner. The stabilizers used for regular models of TV and refrigerator may be interchangeable. An air conditioner stabilizer requires features such as tie delay system, thermal overload, and other additional features.
Q - Do the stabilizers save electricity?
A – A stabilizer is not a device that saves electricity. The basic task performed by a voltage stabilizer is to control the voltage fluctuation and protect your device against the damages caused by these fluctuations. Of course, it may save a little power, but it may not necessarily be the major factor in the choice of your stabilizer.
Q - Can voltage stabilizers be repaired?
A – Well, they can definitely be repaired, but you should entrust the responsibility of repairing the stabilizer with a trusted and reliable personnel. Some of the minor issues should be resolved with the help of the instruction manual.
Concluding Thoughts
Well, that was how to choose the best stabilizers for your LED TV, air conditioner, and refrigerator. Do note that stabilizers do not come with the universal compatibility. That would mean you would not be able to use a stabilizer designed for a TV for an air conditioner. This holds good for almost every stabilizer type.
Check out the essential parameters such as power consumption and voltage fluctuation and pick the best options among the wide range of choices available at your disposal.
A mom to 2 kids, Sandhya has been passionate about cooking and home decor since her early twenties. She loves spends more than enough time researching & then buying useful home & kitchen appliances and trying out new recipes.
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Sandhya Sinha
A mom to 2 kids, <b>Sandhya</b> has been passionate about cooking and home decor since her early twenties. She loves spends more than enough time researching & then buying useful home & kitchen appliances and trying out new recipes.
