2014/09/15 at 10:38 am #11192Steven MillParticipant
Hi everybody, it’s Steven Mill. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays (if you had some). I’m back to tell you about a pretty technical subject: the inspection of voltage drop in conductors. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think!
Conductor allows the flow of electrical energy to move in one and other directions. The pressure or electrical force that helps the current to flow in a conductor is voltage. Sometimes the pressure of voltage fails to provide the desired flow of current due to impedance. This situation causes voltage drop.
It is not affected by the equal number of electrons before or after entering the conductors. The fluctuation in the speed too, does not hurt it. It is only affected by the pressure or release of energy in the conductors. Voltage drop usually lasts for few seconds.
Resistance in the conductor causes voltage drop. There are many factors responsible for the change in the resistance. The use of aluminum in wires causes voltage drop. It is less powerful and does not have much ability to bear the high pressure of electrical force. The use of small wire sizes (diameters) cause voltage drop as well.
It is important to inspect the flow of current. The rate of voltage drop increases with the increase in the flow of current. It is also caused by the loose and intermittent connections in the circuit. If the wire fails to meet the code standards, voltage drop is occurred.
Poor splices in the conductor and insufficient seating of wire in the slot cause voltage problem too. Sluggish and lazy electrical devices, high computer voltages, repeated cable failures and hard starts bring about voltage drops as well.
Consequences of voltage drop
Excess voltage drop proves dangerous. It can result into harmful consequences.
- Low voltage causes no operation in the equipment. The equipment in turn stops working. Sometimes the fault can be repaired, at times the device becomes completely useless.
- Energy is wasted. It greatly affects the efficiency of the equipment.
- Low voltage and high resistance may result in fire. Fire causes destruction which may prove fatal.
- It can cause lights to flicker dimly. This condition forces the device to work harder with less voltage.
- The houses with bad and old wiring face voltage drop very often.
- If the transformer is far away from the wiring system, the resistance increases and voltage drop occurs.
The above mentioned consequences must be carefully observed. If the voltage drop occurs very much, adequate measures must be taken immediately to avoid the unwanted situation.
How to inspect voltage drop in conductors
It is important to ensure that the conductors selected for carrying the current and voltage are powerful. Replace the conductors if the fault is detected. It is necessary to keep a severe check on the voltage. The simple method to check the voltage is to measure it at the origin of the circuit and then at the end of it. Their difference will be a volt drop. Use copper wires. Concentric layer of insulation over conductors will cause voltage drop. Since the problem in the voltage can cause serious harm, one should very careful in selecting the products, i-e, wires, conductors etc.
The products of famous companies that provide guarantee or warrantee, must be used. There are the meters that help in maintaining the level of voltage in the wire. Keep an eye on that. If any negative change is felt, urgent attention is needed.
There are few tests that help in fixing the problems regarding voltage. These drops vary according to the flow of current. Unless you operate it, voltage drop can’t be measured. Resistance free cables, wires, conductors are best in this condition, but sometimes, even in them, voltage drop occurs. If the manuals fail to provide voltage drop values, use the following values as maximum limits:
- 0.00V for a connection
- 0.20V for a wire or cable
- 0.30V for a switch
- 0.10V at the ground
Digital multimeters (DMM’s) have 10-magohm impedance in them. Using DMM is the fastest way to control the voltage drops. It will help in measuring the voltage drop values accurately. A low-voltage scale (0-1 V) will also help in testing the voltage drop. Safe electrical service will help in solving the electrical problems quicker. When the conductor resistance causes the voltage drop, increase the size immediately.
It is important to keep a check on the conductors. Try hard to avoid the unnecessary condition. Little carelessness can cause great damage so take strict measures if you feel any issue.
Thank you for reading,
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