Hi, and happy new year!
Hehe
*Reps god-tier merch*
A lot of people ask me to check these "power saver" devices that are supposed to save you tons of
money by reducing power usage at home.
What these things claim to do is a power factor correction when plugged in,
and if you search about them, you'll see tons of videos talking about what a piece of garbage these are!
But WAIT until you hear my opinion about it!
That is, if YouTube is not blocked in your country.
That's why this video is sponsored by ExpressVPN!
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*Russian national anthem plays*
*Russian anthem stops* BUT WAIT!
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Anyway, I bought my own "power saver" from Amazon.
This one says, "INTELLIGENT ENERGY SAVER; THE RESULT IS THE BEST."
So there must be some smarts in it.
Let's cut it open!
*Slow, intense, appropriate, piano music plays*
*Music stops* Well, there is an LED and some resistors in here to indicate that you have plugged it in,
in case you're deaf and can't see that you have plugged this GIANT brick into the wall.
[I CAN'T HEAR IT'S TOO DARK IN HERE]
And then, there is this potted, black box that...I suppose the brains are in here.
Let's cut it open!
*Cue same montage piano music from before*
*Music stops* THE F*CK?!
This black box is a single component, a high voltage capacitor,
with a value of
around
2.1 Microfarad
There is no "brain" in this sh*t!
They lied!
All of them lied! Those f*cking son of a...
*Cutting himself off, sighing* Okay, wait.
So, this is the same garbage as all of them.
Just a capacitor placed directly on the power lines.
But, capacitors are, in fact, used to improve power factor.
See, as I explained before, there are two types of AC power.
One of them is 'real' or 'active' power, where the load comsumes the power and does the work,
and the voltage and current are in phase.
It is like walking:
the force you apply that moves you forward does the work for you.
The other type is reactive power that is due to capacitive or inductive loads and doesn't do any work at home
because the net 'active' power draw by these components is zero.
And depending on if the load is more inductive or capacitive
The current lags or leads the voltage by 90 degrees
Like when you walk, you have to lift your leg and body up and down.
That force doesn't move you forward but results in inefficiency and waste of power at the source.
And the combination of active and reactive power is called "apparent power".
And the power factor is just the active power divided by apparent power.
We want the power factor to be 1, so that all the power transmitted is used.
The downside of the reactive power is that
although it doesn't do any work, it results in current flow through the power line, increasing the power losses.
It is significantly higher in factories and industries
that use tons of AC motors and transformers
That's why most reactive loads are inductive
with current lagging behind the voltage.
And we know that in capacitors the current is leading the voltage
So if we add a capacitor parallel to the inductive load
With the peak current equal to the inductor current 180 degree out of phase
They add up and cancel each other
Power factor fixed!
For example, most fans with AC motors
don't have a capacitor in them to correct the power factor
It is drawing 0.7 Amps and i have a 10 microfarad capacitor
Watch the current carefully as i connect the capac-
*OOF* F*CK!
*Oh Mehdi*
The capacitors used on powerline are rated for high voltage and are not polarized
Anyway at home the reactive power is not doing anything for me
I shouldn't have to pay for it
In fact, lemme check with BC Hydro or local power supplier
*CALL WAITING MUSIC*
*trying to be sexy voice* Uh i have a question about my
Power factor
*Female voice over the phone*: Cutting out i can't hear you hello?
Depending on the power factor you charge differently
Is that for business customers only?