Source: https://www.bijlibachao.com/appliances/voltage-stabilizers-buying-guide-best-tv-ac-fridge-home-guide-india.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 08:44:12+00:00

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Power supply is erratic at most places in India, with voltage fluctuating in both directions (up and down) at many places frequently. These voltage fluctuations can damage appliances, there by causing them to end much before their normal useful life. When voltage goes down, electric current in the appliance increase, which can result in burning of the appliance. Voltage Stabilizers have thus found place in many homes and offices in India. In this article we will talk about voltage stabilizers: what they do, how much power do they consume and how to select “Best Voltage Stabilizers for TV/AC/Fridge/Home in India in 2019“.
In this post we will try to explain the working of voltage stabilizers and provide you some tips to buy a new voltage stabilizers. But before that, we will provide you the information that you came here to look for: The Top Models in voltage stabilizers. For the working of voltage stabilizers and Buying Guide, click: here.
Please note that the lists below are prepared based on our understanding of market, brands and technology. We have evaluated technology & have taken user reviews into consideration to prepare this list.
If you are looking for a voltage stabilizer for your air conditioner (1 to 1.5 ton) then VGuard VWI 400 is a good buy. This voltage stabilizer from VGuard has an input voltage range of 130V to 280V. Which means if the input voltage is between 130V to 280V, it will stabilize it to regular voltage of about 220 V-230 V. If the voltage is below 130 V or higher than 280 V, it will just cut off the appliance from mains. The stabilizer also has Thermal Overload Protection to cut of the appliance from mains in case of power surges. The stabilizer also has a digital display that shows input and output voltages. It also contains Smart Time Delay which is required for the health of your air conditioner (air conditioners should not start immediately in case of power cuts or voltage drops). The stabilizer works automatically, and it does not need any manual intervention. It can also easily be wall mounted. All in all, a great buy.
Key Specs: Input Voltage Range – 130 V to 280 V. Warranty – 3 years.
Most modern refrigerators do not need voltage stabilizers as they have inbuilt stabilizers. But still if you are looking for one for your refrigerator or a washing machine, then V-Guard VGSD 100 is a great option. This stabilizer has an input voltage range of 130 V to 290 V. Which means it can stabilizer any incoming voltage between this range to regular voltage of about 220 V-230 V. It has a current carrying capacity of 4 Amps, which makes it good enough for any refrigerator or washing machines in the market. It also contains Smart Time Delay which is required for the health of your refrigerator (refrigerators should not start immediately in case of power cuts or voltage drops). It has low and high voltage cutoff which means it will protect your appliance (will stop it from working) when voltage drops below 130 V or goes above 290 V. It also has inbuilt thermal overload protection to protect your appliance from power surges. A good model if you are looking for a stabilizer for your refrigerator or washing machine.
Key Specs: Input Voltage Range – 130 V to 290 V. Warranty – 5 years.
Most TVs and electronics have high input voltage range of 110 V – 240 V in India, and surge protectors in general are great for electronics. But if you feel that a Voltage Stabilizer is required for your TV, then V-Guard Mini Crystal is a great option. This stabilizer has an input voltage range of 90 V to 290 V and also has line and noise protection for your TV or electronics. It has a high and low voltage cutoff as well which means it will cut off your appliance if the voltage drops below 90 V or goes beyond 290 V. This model is also compatible with Generators. It can not only handle your TV but can also handle your DTH along with that. It has a time delay of 8 seconds to protect your TVs from sudden drops. The total current carrying capacity of the stabilizer is 1.3 Amp. In general, a good product that can provide adequate protection to your electronics.
Key Specs: Input Voltage Range – 90 V to 290 V. Warranty – 3 years.
In general, we at Bijli Bachao, do not recommend people to go for Mainline Stabilizers as any stabilizer adds about 2-3% to the total electricity consumption of the connected appliances. And a mainline stabilizer has to be kept on for 24 hours and 365 days. But if you feel that your appliances are at risk and you want to go for mainline stabilizer, then Microtek EML 5090 is a good buy. This stabilizer is a 5 kVA stabilizer, so please make sure that you buy it only if your load is not more than 5 kVA. It can handle many kinds of appliances like ACs, refrigerators, etc. It has a input voltage range of 90 V to 300 V. Which means, if the voltage is between 90 and 300, it will be stabilized to 220-230V, but if it is below 90 V or above 300 V, the line will be cut off by the stabilizer. This stabilizer also has an inbuilt MCB for protection of your appliances. It has a digital display to show the input and output voltage. And it has an automatic operation without much manual intervention. If you are looking for a 5 kVA stabilizer, this one is a good one.
Key Specs: Input Voltage Range – 90 V to 290 V. Warranty – 2 years. 5 kVA.
For DeepFreezer (up to 4 Amps )/Refrigerator upto 600 Ltrs.
For OneLCD/LED TV + DVD/DTH.
Voltage Fluctuations typically happen because of bad wirings (to your house or inside the house), overload (be it you using more power than your sanctioned load or your neigbors using more), sudden switching on of high powered appliances (like air conditioners, motors), bad eathing, or short circuits. Whenever you experience voltage fluctuations, do check for any of these reasons.
Sizing of a stabilizer is very similar to sizing of a UPS or Inverter (power backup). The most important thing is to know the load connected to the stabilizer. First you must note down the power (or watts) for all the appliances that will be connected to a stabilizer. The sum total of the power consumption (or watts) will give you the load on stabilizer in watts. But most stabilizer sizes are in VA (Volt Ampere) or kVA (kilo Volt Ampere which is equal to 1000 Volt Ampere). Although to get to actual VA (or Volt Ampere) from Watts (W) you will have to do some measurements, but to give a rough approximation, you can increase the Watts value by 20% to get the approximate VA size that you may need.
Surge Protection (or spike guard) is another good feature in voltage stabilizers. This feature protects your appliance from sudden voltage rise such as those that can happen during lightning strikes or short circuits. Make sure that you buy a stabilizer with such feature so that your appliances are safe during sudden surges.
Are there different single-phase and three-phase voltage stabilizers?
Yes they are. But a three-phase voltage stabilizer is required only if voltage stabilization is needed for a three phase motor or for stabilizing voltage for a full three-phase setup.
All appliances that are used at homes can work on single-phase voltage stabilizer, and a three-phase voltage stabilizer may not be required for residential use unless one is trying to stabilize the voltage of complete house on a three-phase connection.
It is not recommended to put a stabilizer for the complete house because voltage stabilizers also consume electricity, and thus using it for the whole house will result in electricity consumption for all 24 hours. Instead if it is used for individual appliance, then it can be switched off when the appliance is switched off.
How much electricity do voltage stabilizers consume?
Electricity consumption of voltage stabilizers depends on the efficiency of the stabilizer. Typically they are 95-98% efficient. Which means, they consume about 2-5% of the maximum load. So if you have a 1 kVA (or 1000 VA) stabilizer, it would consume about 50 Watts (on peak load). Which means if a 1kVA stabilizer is left on for 10 hours, it would consume about 0.5 unit of electricity. Thus leaving it on for 24 hours can lead to a lot of electricity consumption. This is why we recommend to use voltage stabilizer for individual appliance rather than a mainline stabilizer. A mainline stabilizer has to remain on for 24 hours and 365 days leading to increased electricity bills.
Do modern refrigerators/air conditioners/televisions come with in-built voltage stabilization?
More and more electrical appliances these days have started incorporating electronic circuitry for power management. With electronic circuits like SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply), voltage management has become much easier. Most LED televisions in the market today can work between 110 V and 290V and adding a voltage stabilizer does not help much other than providing surge protection. Your TV can still work if the voltage is low. But a stabilizer with surge protection may prevent it from burning during surges. However, powerful surges like those from lightning can still damage your TV. Similarly, most refrigerators (especially those with inverter technology) can easily work between 110 V and 290 V and again the surge protection feature is helpful. Appliances like ACs and Washing machines do need stabilizers as very few have high voltage range. However, some are marketed as stabilizer free operation, but in those, it is important to check the input voltage required by the appliance and the voltage that you regularly receive in your house.
Is Voltage Stabilizer Required for LED TVs?
Not Really. Most modern LED TVs can work between 110 V and 290 V and thus low and high voltages do not damage them. LED TVs have SMPS (Switch mode power supply) built in which internally manages voltage. But they can get damaged due to Power Surges which are sudden spike in electric current that can happen due to: lightning or even when you suddenly start an appliance that draws a lot of current like air conditioner and your line is bad. To protect your TV from surges you need a Surge Protector. Or you can buy a voltage stabilizer with surge protection feature. But voltage stabilization is not mandatory.
Do We need Stabilizer for Refrigerators?
Most modern refrigerators are designed to handle large voltage range. They can work between 110 V and 290V as they use SMPS (Switch mode power supply). It is important to check the power specifications of your refrigerator before you buy a stabilizer for it. If the operating voltage range is large, then you do not need a stabilizer for it. But if it is less, then you do need a stabilizer. Most old refrigerators do need a stabilizer. Even refrigerators can get damaged due to surges (especially the ones with inverter technology) so either buy a stabilizer with surge protection feature or make sure you buy a surge protector along with it.
Always choose a right sized voltage stabilizer and also try to get them for individual appliances rather than for the whole electricity connection. Leaving them on for longer duration can result in higher electricity bills.

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