Choosing a machine( RCD) on the washing machine

Modern automatic washing machines belong to the class of household appliances with an increased level of energy consumption. The maximum power consumption occurs during water heating, and ranges from 2 to 3.5 kilowatts. Wiring in many residential neighborhoods, especially early buildings were not designed for such a quantity of energy consumption. And today there is a washing machine in almost every apartment. Electrical overloads, power surges and other network malfunctions can cause a fire or damage to an expensive part of the washing machine. To protect household appliances, it is necessary to take responsibility for proper installation and connection of the appliance. It is cheaper to install a special automatic protective device in advance than to repair or buy a new washing machine.

Is a separate RCD required for a washing machine?

Automatic is designed to protect the wiring and electrical stuffing of a household appliance. A washing machine is a large consumer of electricity, which has a high wiring load. In addition, this electric device works in a humid environment, respectively, is in an increased risk group and requires additional protection. Therefore, experienced craftsmen recommend installing a separate RCD for a washing machine, it will not only keep the appliance working, but also protect people from electrical injuries and property from fire.(See also: How to choose a stabilizer for an automatic washing machine?)

How does the RCD and what is difavtomat?

Before you start using expensive appliances, you must decide which way to protect it will be most effective.

A standard residual current device consists of:

• plastic case;
• current transformer;
• electromagnetic relay;
• current release;
• self-testing mechanism;
• in new devices there are additionally electromagnetic cutoffs.

Under normal network conditions, the relay does not work, but if an increased load is applied to the wiring, the installed automatic switch de-energizes the circuit, breaking it.

This situation can occur when a voltage jump occurs in a network, a person touches a bare wire, water gets on the wiring. In the case when the protective circuit breaker operates, there is no need to replace it. Unlike fuses, this device is intended for repeated use.

The maximum protection of the washing machine will be provided by a modern device, a difavtomat, which combines the standard ouzo and the automatic device. Besides the fact that this device provides the whole range of necessary protections, it also saves space in the distribution box.

How to choose a machine for a washing machine?

As it turned out, a conventional RCD for a washing machine is not able to protect against all risks. It is better to set difavtomat - a device that is capable of this task. What protection device to put and how to choose it? After all, this is a fairly new device in the market of electrical appliances. In order to correctly select and install a suitable difavtomat, you need to know and take into account several required characteristics:

1. Power. As with the purchase of any protection device, the dial is designed according to the capacity of the network( single-phase and three-phase);
2. Rated voltage. Characteristic showing the operating voltage range of the network. In a single-phase network, it is 220 V; in a three-phase network, 380 V;
3. Automatic rating and features of the releasers. For household electrical networks, experts recommend choosing an automaton with a characteristic denoting the Latin letter "C".As for the digital designation, then for the outlet network, as a rule, choose the difavtomat C16, less often C25;
4. Features built-in RCD.The most effective difavtomat with integrated UZO for a washing machine is considered class A. Simplified, class AU, for such a consumer is not always suitable.
5. Additional Protection. If the difavtomat is not equipped with a special protection against breakage of the neutral conductor, then if one of the conductors fails, the RCD often does not work for current leakage.
6. Rated current. Experienced experts advise to set the protection to 0.03 Ampere. Of course, a device designed for 0.01 Amps is more reliable, but its price category is also higher. For home networks, in fact, such protection is not required.

Why does the RCD operate when the washing machine is turned on?

There are situations when protection is activated when the washing machine is turned on, which leads to the disconnection of all electrical appliances in the house. There may be several reasons for this:( See also: What to do if an automatic machine knocks out when the washing machine is turned on)

1. When switching on the wiring, there was indeed a voltage jump or current leakage;
2. Incorrect installation of the safety device;
3. A difavtomat not suitable for the parameters of the electrical network is installed, therefore, when turned on, a false alarm is triggered;
4. The washing machine's mains lead closes;
5. The control unit or the engine of the washing machine has failed;
6. Malfunction of the protective device itself.

A competent choice and proper installation of a UZD or diphavtomat for a washing machine will help to keep the washing machine operational, protect it from voltage surges and current leakage, but also protect the house from fires and family members from electric shock. It is better to take care of the protection in advance than to eliminate the consequences of faults in the power network.