Today's washing machine is so modified and arranged that many people have already forgotten about the times when several loads of laundry were washed in one and the same water.
Modern washing machine is good in everything and doing laundry with it turns into a holiday, if only there are no surprises in terms of malfunction and breakage.
The machine can not work without electricity, but there is a certain danger.
Unfortunately, power surges often occur and they can put the equipment out of operation. Exacerbated by such power surges repair of the washing machine.
The purpose of the surge protector
The following is an excellent way to do this surge protector for washing machines. It will protect against surges and drops in voltage, stopping impulse and high-frequency interference.
A surge protector is not only an extension cord with a number of outlets and a fuse.
The filter can be built into the technique at the production stage or purchased as an additional piece of protection and connected to the appliance through the power supply.
Built-in surge protector
Modern washing machines are quite a complex appliance, but sensitive to, for example, mains current variations.
It therefore needs reliable protection and stability in the first place, because otherwise a washing machine without a surge protector can, if it receives high or low impulses burn out.
Especially if it is an automatic machine with sensor control. Taking into account the sensitivity of such models, the manufacturer himself during the production process equips the machine with a surge protector. It is located where the electrical cord begins. In case of breakage, the internal filter is not repaired, but should be replaced. The part is replaced by the original part, which is not always easy to do.
Internal filters vary in the level of protection, depending on the manufacturer and model of the appliances to be connected. The level of protection is related to:
- maximum load and maximum current;
- the voltage threshold that can be passed;
- rated current;
- response time after a power surge to disconnection.
External surge protector
Such a device can keep appliances from short circuits and current surges, thanks to the fuse, cutting off the flow of electricity.
Manufacturers offer extension cords with different numbers of outlets and types of protection:
- basic;
- professional;
- advanced.
Some models are enhanced with additional features in the form of an on/off button on each outlet or have child safety.
A large number of outlets on the extension cord filter is relevant when there are several devices standing next to each other. Such a filter is quite powerful, but also more expensive.
The difference can be the length of the extension cord. You need to pay attention to this when buying and calculate the necessary length in advance.
The maximum load is an important indicator.
If you take professional protection, the index of energy surges, absorbed by the filter - 2500 J, and the simple this figure is 960 J.
The filter can contain at once several fusesBut one of them must be fusible, and the others are divided into quick-acting and thermal.
З
Some manufacturers supply the protection mechanism with LED indicatorThis allows you to visually check the proper functioning of the device.
What should you not do when using an external surge protector?
- An appliance operating through a surge protector must not have a power of more than 3.5 kW.
- You can not plug an extension cord into a network with 380 V.
- It is dangerous to connect such appliances at the same time.
- It is essential that the socket outlet be grounded when using the filter.
How the filter works
If the surge protector is built into the washing machine, it can pass vibrations at 50 Hzand the other pulses will immediately be blocked.
This is a significant point, because if you consider power outages and surges, significant spikes in amplitude can cause damage to the systems of the automatic machine up to complete loss of performance.
When using the safety device Do not unplug the washing machine during operation.The filter may break.
Even simple inductor coils with a small capacitance are good, the only problem is that they will not be able to withstand a strong power surge.
Some users are convinced that a surge protector is not necessary. Perhaps older models of washing machines are likely to be able to handle the amount of current.
But, modern appliances without protection will easily suffer another instability in the network, and starting the washing process, the user can lose control panel, motor, heating element etc.
Instability can also occur in the appliance itself. When an asynchronous motor is started, a number of peaks are generated or a dip in currents occurs, which can lead to high-frequency harmonics. But, thanks to the protection filter, this process is smoothed out, because the filter catches such fluctuations and dumps them into the ground. By doing so, it protects devices and appliances connected to the external power grid (microwave ovens, computers, televisions, etc.) from breakage.
It should be borne in mind that if there is a malfunction in the line filter, such as a burnout of an asynchronous motor, the entire washing machine stops for safety reasons.
Filter Faults
The surge protector rarely fails.
It is not always clear how to check the mains filter of the washing machine. Its functionality is determined by By testing the input and output terminals with a multimeter.
There are cases when there is a problem with the input resistance. To solve it is enough to bite on the plug "crocodiles". With split terminals you can't do this, you just disconnect them first and then measure in pairs. The resistance should be 680 kOhm.
If the results are positive to look at the capacitors. They are connected in parallel, and the ratings should be added together. They are switched in turn and the total value of the inverse value is found.
If in the end the summed result is not the same as the values required for normal operation, then the capacitor has burned out.
Do I need a surge protector in my washing machine? The answer is unequivocal - yes. The choice of protective device should be taken seriously. Every user of the washing machine should protect it from power surges and spikes - no doubt.
Good afternoon. Can you tell me if it is possible to replace the internal mains filter of the washing machine with an external one? I have because of a power surge in the LG F12A8HD it failed, and I do not really want to buy a new one (expensive, and the machine is not new anymore).