What do watts, volts and amps actually mean? The following
basic knowledge helps with the practical handling of electricity in the
household.
Have you ever wondered what exactly Watt or Volt means? Or
why the green-yellow cable in the lamp is there? We'll tell you - so that the
next light installation is well on the stage.
Basic concepts of electronics
In order to explain the installation of luminaires, we must
teach you a few basic terms of electrical engineering - but do not worry, it is
very fast. You may have heard of watts, volts and amps. We summarize briefly
what these terms mean.
Watt is the unit of performance. The wattage tells you how
much energy a device puts into action over a certain period of time. A hair
dryer works with about 1,600 watts, a kettle with up to 2,000 watts. This power
can be calculated: Watt = Volt × Ampere.
Volt is the unit used to measure the electrical voltage that
supplies, for example, a battery or a power grid. This describes how much
energy is in the electrons of the line. A normal power outlet in Germany
provides AC power with a voltage of 230 volts.
Ampere is the current. This is the value that indicates how
many electrons flow through a line in a given period of time. This value is
less common to the layman - most likely in front of the fusebox of a house,
which usually contains fuses of 16 amps (and an extra strong one for the
stove).
If electricity was water ...
To make electricity more vivid, it is often compared to
water, because both elements flow in a similar way. If you think of the power
line as a river, the voltage (measured in volts) equals the slope of the water.
If the river flows leisurely in one plane, this corresponds to a low voltage. If
it flows down a mountain, this is equivalent to a higher voltage.
The current (measured in amperes) corresponds to the amount
of water. The more water that flows by, the more power it has. With a small
stream you can not drive a mill wheel, you will need a big river.
The power (measured in watts) consists of the product of the
two units. A device with a very high performance thus corresponds to a
torrential flow. In this way it is also understandable why sometimes the fuse
flies out: It defines the amount of current that can flow through the line.
Running in a room already several devices with high wattage, even turning on a
hair dryer (1,400 watts), the permitted scope of the 16-amp fuse blow up, and
she is no longer with.
The lighting in a private household moves in a manageable
performance range. If you still think in the wattage of the old light bulbs,
you know: it was almost never more than 100 W. With halogen lamps and LEDs, we
still need much less power today to produce the same brightness.
More power needs thicker cables
If you imagine that our river flows through a hydroelectric
power station, a fourth term comes into play: the resistance , measured in ohms
(O). A hydropower plant can produce more power (watts) the more water flows in
and the higher the gradient that the water encounters on the turbines.
If many large stones were located in the riverbed and slowed
the flow of water, the performance would be correspondingly lower. The stones
correspond to the electrical resistance. The more cross section the riverbed
has on its way into the hydroelectric power plant, the more water could flow
through that river.
A larger cable average therefore also means that the cable
can withstand more current and can carry more power.
Anyone who does a lot also consumes a lot.
With a temperature of around 1,400 watts, a hairdryer is a
true performer. But how much electricity a hair dryer consumes, of course,
depends on how long it is on.
Consumption is measured in kilowatt hours . The abbreviation
kWh you know for sure from your electricity bill. One watt-hour (Wh) is the
consumption consumed by a device with a power of 1 watt within one hour. Most
devices have much more power, so we speak of kilowatt hours: 1000 watt hours
are 1 kilowatt hour (1000W = 1kWh).
The hairdryer with its 1,400 watts consumes 1.4 kWh in one
hour. As comes with the many devices in the household quite something together.
The lighting is often underestimated, but in sum, there can also be an enormous
power consumption here - even if it has been significantly reduced by halogen
and LED lamps.
Other countries, other mains voltages
In our country and in many parts of Europe the mains voltage
is 230 Volt. In the US, however, voltages of 120 volts are common. European
electrical appliances are often not designed for this voltage and can not be
operated in the US. A voltage converter provides relief in such cases. Some
devices can also be switched to the respective voltage.
Modern switching power supplies even adapt automatically to
the respective voltage. About this feature informs the inscription: AC Input
100-240V 50-60Hz. An adapter for the differently shaped plug is still
necessary.
What do the colors of the cables mean?
If you want to mount a luminaire to the ceiling, you must
connect the connections (wires) of the cable coming from the ceiling to the
wires of the luminaire cable, with the correct polarity. This means that the
same colors have to be linked together. Otherwise the current can not flow
properly.
On the graph you can see what function the colors have: The
brown or black cable (the so-called phase ) leads the current into the lamp,
the blue or gray (the neutral conductor) leads him back. For this reason, it is
important never to touch the brown wire unless the fuse is unscrewed.
And the green-yellow cable? This is the protective
conductor(also known as grounding). Whenever you have the opportunity (this is
not always the case with old lights), you should also attach this cable to the
location specified in the relevant manual. For if the current-carrying brown
cable should come loose, it can, for example, energize the housing of a metal
lamp. Someone who touches this case becomes the ladder that leads the stream
into the earth - which can end badly. In such cases, the protective conductor
ensures that the current flows directly from the housing into the earth.
Attention: Before you invest in the house
electrical system, you should always observe the relevant safety regulations.
Above all, this includes switching off the fuse and checking with the phase
tester or a voltage tester. If you want to be on the safe side (including
possible warranty losses), hire a specialist. source: indecortrends.com
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