Voltage stabilizer for Home UPS

[indy1811]

I recently installed a smart plug to monitor the power being drawn by Home UPS. While the power consumption was normal what worried me was the voltage. During the day it varies between 240-248V which is alright I guess but at night it shoots up to 260V. Few questions here:

1. How bad is it if the current stays at 255-260V for a few hours at night?
2. Will a voltage stabilizer help in normalizing the voltage? I don't know how long it has been since the voltage has been high but I've not had many device/electronics failures.
3. If I need a voltage stabilizer, what wattage should I get? My house has 5KW load but the UPS is only 1.5KV(~1000W). I plan to connect the voltage stabilizer directly to the mainline and then connect the UPS to it so that all equipment other than the higher load ones like AC, refrigerator etc. are covered since those already have individual voltage stabilizers.
4. Any particular brand that is recommended?

 

[lockhrt999]

Umm, all UPS and inverters come with voltage stabilizers.

You don't want to use voltage stabilizer for voltage stabilizer. If you do, then you'll have to install one more voltage stabilizer for voltage stabilizer for voltage stabilizer... It'll become stabilizer inception or in short 'stabilization'. As Decaprio says, avoid limbos.

And don't worry much about voltage now that you have UPS setup. If it can't handle the voltage, it'll disconnect from the main. It's at least that much smart. Voltage fluctuates from 215 to 260 and that's pretty normal.

I plan to connect the voltage stabilizer directly to the mainline and then connect the UPS to it so that all equipment other than the higher load ones like AC, refrigerator etc. are covered since those already have individual voltage stabilizers.

The way UPS works, it already isolates the load regardless the quality of the mains. Meaning, UPS is always going to maintain a constant good voltage inside your house no matter how bad outside electricity is.

There's no more action needs to be taken from your side. Sit back and relax.

 

[stefanm]

Umm, all UPS and inverters come with voltage stabilizers.

You don't want to use voltage stabilizer for voltage stabilizer. If you do, then you'll have to install one more voltage stabilizer for voltage stabilizer for voltage stabilizer...

And don't worry much about voltage now that you have UPS setup. If it can't handle the voltage, it'll disconnect from the main. It's at least that much smart. Voltage fluctuates from 215 to 260 and that's pretty normal.


The way UPS works, it already isolates the load regardless the quality of the mains. Meaning, UPS is always going to maintain a constant good voltage inside your house no matter how bad outside electricity is.

There's no more action needs to be taken from your side. Sit back and relax.

In my experience those stabilsers mostly put out the same voltage as going in, which I find rather strange. Aren't they supposed to keep the voltage at 220~240 vac?

 

[lockhrt999]

In my experience those stabilsers mostly put out the same voltage as going in, which I find rather strange. Aren't they supposed to keep the voltage at 220~240 vac?

If I have to guess, normal voltage stabilizers work like normal inverters. They wouldn't engage step-up or step-down transformers as long as incoming voltage is within acceptable limits. They would pass through the mains, if everything is normal. So load would experience same small spikes or irregularities from the main grid. Maybe that's what you mean.

But I'd expect stabilizer to engage step-up transformer if mains drops to something like 130v. Did you experience stabilizer not keeping comfortable voltage when mains voltage is out of normal limits?

 

[stefanm]

If I have to guess, normal voltage stabilizers work like normal inverters. They wouldn't engage step-up or step-down transformers as long as incoming voltage is within acceptable limits. They would pass through the mains, if everything is normal. So load would experience same small spikes or irregularities from the main grid. Maybe that's what you mean.

But I'd expect stabilizer to engage step-up transformer if mains drops to something like 130v. Did you experience stabilizer not keeping comfortable voltage when mains voltage is out of normal limits?

Yes, at best it smoothes the voltage. Maybe next time we're having fluctuations I should check with both of my multimeter's

 

[lockhrt999]

Yes, at best it smoothes the voltage. Maybe next time we're having fluctuations I should check with both of my multimeter's

If the stabilizer couldn't keep voltage within the limits then it's not a good stabilizer. Unless,

1. The wattage load is more than what stabilizer is rated for.

2. The mains AC frequency isn't 50Hz. Traditionally AC voltage stabilizers used transformers for the stabilization. You might be aware that transformers output voltage depends upon the ratio of number windings for incoming voltage to the number that of output voltage windings. We usually don't consider that it's also directly proportional to AC frequency. A normal 9v transformer would output only 4.5v if the AC frequency drop to 25Hz even if mains is still at 240acv. So, maybe Hz changed in your case. Multimeter doesn't show Hz. But in any case this is super rare to happen these days as we are connected to national grid and it must maintain same Hz. That's of paramount importance to all electricity boards. I have never seen Hz to delve more than 0.02Hz away from its normal 50Hz. But it was not uncommon in the olden days as per the folks.

 

[adder]

If you have a home Ups or aka inverter, there is No voltage stabilization. But if you change the switch (in inverter located at the back or front on some inverters) from appliance to computer, then when the voltage goes above 265v or whatever the setting from factory is, the inverter will switch to battery.

Inverters that give constant voltage regardless of the input mains are online UPS.

Some UPS like the APC smart series does voltage stabilization when the voltage exceeds 253v and it will continue to do so until the voltages goes to 280v or so. After which it switches over to battery.