Double Booster / Triple Booster stabilizer - do they draw voltage from neighbours?

U

Udaykhan

Recruit
Hi,

I always had this query in mind... if my neighbour has a double or triple booster stabilizer and is using it to run his AC which wouldn't run otherwise, then does it mean he is drawing voltage from his neighbours' "quota"? One of my neighbours (in the same building of 5 flats) got a triple booster stabilizer last summer and were using their AC. The rest of the people made such a hue and cry for "using up" their "quota" of voltage, whereas I felt no such thing - of course I didn't have an AC but the lights and fans were alright, other devices were working OK. Could someone please clarify?

Thanks
Uday
 
Whaat ... No way. To put it simple terms ,Triple Booster works at very low voltage where as Double booster or normal one won't work.
Stabilizers step-up in case the given input voltage low.
Triple booster are bigger in size , since they has bigger step-up transformers built in.
For AC work it requires 220V . Consider there is only 150 volts of power available if you use Triple booster it received 150volts step-up and gives 220volts but in same case Double booster wont work.
For my Triple booster to function 110 volts is required , below that it won't swtich on.
For Double booster minum volts required would be in the range of 160 - 170. (this varys with manufacturer).
 
Alright so if it doesn't use up the neighbour's voltage, where is the extra voltage coming from? Is the stabilizer generating it on it's own?

One more thing someone mentioned. If AC needs 220 volts and currently only 170 volts is available, it consumes more current and thereby puts more strain on the wires and so they heat up soon. Can someone throw some light on this?
 
@Udaykhan your thinking could be right.

there must be some kind of quota system. i don't have any sources to link my theory to but here's what i think:

consider a scenario where there is one transformer for a row of 10 houses (a colony). each house is allotted (quota) a maximum amount of current to be consumed at any given time (not average). each transformer can handle a specific load only. now, if each house is sanctioned enough load to run just one AC and if 9 houses don't run ACs then the 10th one can run 10 ACs, without any load on the colony transformer. of course, this 10th house needs to have appropriate load bearing circuit to handle that much amount of current.

10th house won't cause any extra electricity bill for the other 9 houses but yes, it's going to eat up others 'quota'... this is my theory and logically, it's correct.
 
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Actually its the stablizer which boosts up the voltage. It has a step-up transformer inside which increases the voltage levels from low to normal operating levels. The size of the transformer has to be larger for it to stepup more than a single boost one and this is why the stablizer itself is so huge and heavy.

Since the stepup is done by the stablizer, it should not ideally affect the neighbours but in practical cases, there might be a tiny tiny interference. One more thing is since the size of transformer is bigger, the loses during voltage stepup also increases compared to single boost transformers.
 
No. it is not going to eat up other's voltage. the stabiliser has capacitors to charge extra current for the inbuilt step-up transformers to do their stuff. yes the current draw is increased because of the inefficiency in stepping up the voltage by the transformers. a typical 3-star 1.5ton AC will draw upto ~8A while operating and 3times that for starting (inrush current) which is just momentary and the lines are capable of handling. a typical household is limited to ~20A for single phase. so a few extra amps for the booster stabiliser is not going to be over any 'quotas'.

it is just the technically challenged neighbours assuming things so that they can get hold of something to quarrel over :p

@Praks
yes the stabiliser will consume small amount of power as the capacitors slowly lose charge. the older it gets the power consumed will slowly increase.

@namrata
it's funny how dramatic you make it out to be. the person is not secretly running a flux capacitor in his basement. it's just a simple stabiliser.

@vpraveenis
bingo.


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Udaykhan said:
Alright so if it doesn't use up the neighbour's voltage, where is the extra voltage coming from? Is the stabilizer generating it on it's own?

One more thing someone mentioned. If AC needs 220 volts and currently only 170 volts is available, it consumes more current and thereby puts more strain on the wires and so they heat up soon. Can someone throw some light on this?
Click to expand...
Nothing is being generated. The mistake is assuming devices consume 'voltage' when they consume 'power', i.e. Watts i.e. Volt-Amperes. Your electricity bill is for (Kilo)Watt-hours/VA-hours, not voltage. In a stabiliser VA in = VA out (minus inefficiencies). If the input voltage is low, the input current drawn will be higher.

The same applies to your wire query. A device needing say 10A on a 220V line will draw 12.9A if the voltage is lower -> 220V x 10A = 170V x 12.9A.
More current requires a thicker gauge of wire and thinner gauge wire will heat up. If the wiring is heating up, it means you aren't using the right gauge of wire and haven't added any overhead for safety.

Rico said:
Triple booster are bigger in size , since they has bigger step-up transformers built in.
Click to expand...
vpraveenis said:
The size of the transformer has to be larger for it to stepup more than a single boost one and this is why the stablizer itself is so huge and heavy.
Click to expand...
Small correction : If you need a higher step-up voltage you just change the transformer's primary:secondary winding ratio. Size/weight has nothing to do with it.

DigitalDude said:
yes the current draw is increased because of the inefficiency in stepping up the voltage by the transformers.
Click to expand...
Nothing to do with ineffiency. A transformer trades voltage for current.

namrata said:
but yes, it's going to eat up others 'quota'... this is my theory and logically, it's correct.
Click to expand...
Except anyone exceeding it would blow a fuse/trip a circuit breaker first. The fuse is your quota. Nobody will link you to a transformer without a fuse.
 
@Crazy_Eddy, what is the sanctioned load mentioned in electric bills? For some meters its 1KWhr. For others its 0.5 or 0.4KWhr (saw in new electronic meters).
Does this mean, the meter will register 1 unit for every .5 KWhr drawn through it if its an electronic meter? How much power can house connected to the meter draw? Can say 3KW be drawn by AC connected to it?
 
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^ If you're set for a higher current draw, the transformer would also have to be be uprated to sustain the peak loads of you + other 9 houses, in which case you're still not stealing anyone's quota. Its poor practice to provide an under-spec'ed transformer or install fuses that exceed its parameters.

6pack said:
what is the sanctioned load mentioned in electric bills?

How much power can house connected to the meter draw? Can say 3KW be drawn by AC connected to it?
Click to expand...
Sorry no idea about this sanctioned load.
As for how much peak power you can hypothetically draw, your fuse box/circuit breaker ratings should give you an idea. A 1.5T AC can draw anywhere from 1.4~1.8KW.
 
namrata said:
@DigitalDude - did my post talk about any stabilizers?
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I was just comparing the OP's scenario to the one described by you. ofcourse if someone is going to run 10 ACs (assuming all other provisions and no fuses) there will be voltage dips, but for OPs case it doesnt apply.

it will be obvious if the concept of 'voltage' is understood clearly. someone cannot overdraw extra voltage from the lines, there is no such thing, one gets what voltage the lines are at. on the other hand current can be overdrawn and if it exceeds the limit, the fuses will trip preventing voltage dips. so there is no chance someone is going to go over the amperage unless the mains fuse is tampered.


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To my understanding, sanctioned load is in KVA and not KW... For households its upto 3KVA and for businesses varies according to requirements...

And measurement is one unit = 1 kw = 1000 watts, usually. power consumption calculation is in kwh, so if a 50watts bulb is left on for 24 hours, it consumes 24*50 = 1200 = 1.2 units
 
DigitalDude said:
I was just comparing the OP's scenario to the one described by you. ofcourse if someone is going to run 10 ACs (assuming all other provisions and no fuses) there will be voltage dips, but for OPs case it doesnt apply.

it will be obvious if the concept of 'voltage' is understood clearly...
Click to expand...

and i was just helping OP in understanding how his neighbor can eat up his "quota"... he had a doubt around that. moreover, i never mentioned anything about "voltage".
 
Logically - not possible, its not a fixed pipe like water. If the current demand increases, the "Draw" on the grid increases and some extra power is supplied to meet the demand from the transformer. So the power supply is elastic in nature. Same way, at night, when there is minimum power consumption, the power is not wasted, rather the supply in the pipe reduces to meet the lower levels.
Since we are talking of a house, these values are negligible. In industry, these values can be large, so are limited to the output capability of the transformer.
 
Thanks to everyone for your inputs. Ok here is my understanding so far. Since the AC WILL take 1500 Watts to operate, I am definitely consuming 1500 W, be it 6.8 Amp @ 220V or 8.8 Amp @ 170V. So other than possible effects like wires heating up / MCB tripping etc, my power bill is going to be the same right? Please correct if otherwise.

In Chennai, this low voltage thing is a perennial problem, the only difference being some areas are a tad better than others. So what is it exactly that I am losing due to this (assuming all devices have auto low voltage cutoff stabilizers)?

Sorry for the noob questions but I think it's better to ask and learn instead of pretending to know it all.

Thanks
Uday
 
Yes the electricity bill will be the same as it is measured in watts per hour and not voltage..

You lose the initial amount spent on the stabilizer and the few excess watts of electricity used by the stabilizer..

Where r u in chennai... M near tambaram n d voltage drops to 160 @ 9-10 pm, tge time where all ACs go on...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using TechEnclave Forum mobile app
 
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