1. Can you use a surge protector for a refrigerator?
Yes, for sure. Not only you can use it, but you should.
For the refrigerator, any surges are especially critical, since it contains not only sophisticated electronics but also a compressor. The operation of the compressor directly depends on the quality of the electricity it is supplied with, since its main component is an electric motor. It is the compressor that most often fails prematurely, and surges are probable reasons for this outcome. That is why if you do not want to install a surge protector for the whole house, you can find a much more affordable option in the form of a power surge protector for the refrigerator.
Probably, all experts agree in one opinion that it is necessary to choose a protector for the refrigerator, taking into account the starting power + making a small margin of power. Inexperienced users should remember that the starting currents of such equipment as refrigeration compressors are 3-7 times higher than the rated ones. Based on this, it’s recommended purchasing voltage protectors with a power of at least 1500 watts. Then the power of the protector will be enough to start the refrigerator with both low and high voltage.
2. How many joules do I need for a refrigerator surge protector?
Among the factors to consider when choosing a surge protector—how many outlets you have, the optimal cord length and options, but perhaps the most important factor is the surge protector’s joule rating.
A joule rating indicates how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. The higher the number, the greater the protection provided.
Are you protecting an expensive refrigerator? Obviously, the higher the value of your equipment, the higher the quality of surge protector required. While any device that gets plugged into an AC outlet can benefit from surge protection, inexpensive components such as lamps, digital clocks, and blenders don’t need a high level of protection. A surge protector with 1000 to 2000 joules will provide sufficient protection, but consider the highest joule ratings—2000 and above—for home appliances.
Modern surge protectors have many technical characteristics, however, power is of fundamental importance among them.
To calculate the power consumed by a device from the network and, accordingly, the power of the protector, the rated power of the device is multiplied by the multiplicity factor. For example, a domestic refrigerator has an average power of 200W, a multiplicity factor of 5, then, accordingly, at the time of start it will consume 1000W. (for refrigerators, taking into account starting power when choosing a protector is extremely important, since the multiplicity is very high and the starting time is relatively large (for electronic processes) from 1 to several seconds.
3. Can a power surge ruin a refrigerator?
Yes, it may happen. The refrigerator, of course, is not the most economical appliance, but high power is not recommended for its operation. Another thing is that it includes a compressor, and therefore an electric motor. The compressor operates in a cyclic mode, that is, it constantly starts and stops. Each start of the electric motor is accompanied by high starting currents that are several times higher than the nominal one, and therefore a more powerful surge protector should be installed for the refrigerator, for example, 2 kW, or another model,which in accordance with its technical characteristics, has excellent overload capacity, allowing a short starting load.
As for the accuracy of the surge protector, it is not critical for the refrigerator, since absolutely any protector provides the minimum permissible accuracy of 10%. Such a parameter as the operating stabilization range means much more. Exceeding the specified range leads to the shutdown of the protector, which helps protect the consumer when the device cannot stabilize excessively strong and dangerous vibrations.
4. How can I protect my appliances from power surges?
What methods of protection against unstable power supply exist?
There are three: the most affordable voltage relays, more expensive uninterruptible power supplies and surge protectors, which in terms of protection and price are something between the first two and, accordingly, optimal for many purposes. To make total protection of your house may be rather costly.
The great option is to protect only expensive and sensitive equipment. And which one usually has one of the highest prices among all the equipment in the house? A fridge.
Surge protectors are divided into several types, each of which has a set of individual features. From the point of view of directly technical characteristics that can be measured in numbers, only one is necessary, power. First, you need to decide on power.
For example, a surge protector has a power of 1 kilowatt, which is clearly not enough for the starting loads of compressors of rather large two-chamber refrigerators. However, the manufacturer guarantees an overload capacity of up to 3 kW for 8 seconds.
Do not forget about the external performance of the protector.
Of course, modern refrigerators are more reliable in terms of safety and energy-saving, they have a significantly advanced automatic control system (the refrigerator independently selects the operating mode taking into account fluctuations in the ambient temperature). But, do not forget that even the most advanced refrigerator still remains vulnerable in terms of network drops. Because, the more complex and modern technology, the more critical it is to the quality of the power supply.
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Hi. I just purchased a surge protector for my refrigerator. It’s rated 15A 125 VAC 60Hz 1875 W. Is sufficient for my 23cf LG refrigerator?