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ronincolima

Nov 22, 2011, 7:51 AM

Post #1 of 15 (5360 views)

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Need a voltage regulator ?

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We have a Vitamix food processor that was brought down from the USA. It is rated 11.5 amps, 110V.

Do we need to use a voltage regulator with this appliance for use in Mexico?

I understand the need for a regulator for desktop computers and sound systems but does a motor driven appliance need one?

Thanks for any advice.

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
You might find
You'll get what you need. (Jagger, Richards)

RickS

Nov 22, 2011, 9:38 AM

Post #2 of 15 (5334 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Just a general thought.....

Since a food processor is used for such an infinitesimally small amount of time (minutes if not seconds), I can't imagine the need to have it 'protected' by a regulator UNLESS the voltage in one's house is constantly over/under voltage by a critical amount. One can invest, for little or nothing, in a small portable voltage detecting device, either analog or digital, to plug into an outlet to make sure the household voltage is OK (or to check in general when one thinks the voltage might be suspect).

Now a refrigerator, that's a whole different story.

(This post was edited by RickS on Nov 22, 2011, 1:13 PM)

johanson / Moderator

Nov 22, 2011, 12:45 PM

Post #3 of 15 (5306 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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I like the recommendations above. I too have seen things rated at 110 Volts in the US. My normal US voltage is 120 +/- 5 volts. And I haven't had problems up North. However, as you may know in Mexico the voltage is slightly higher 127 +/- 10%. I wouldn't be worried if your voltage was always below 127, but if it were approaching 140 volts I would worry

My line voltage is often 124 to 134 in Mexico. Items made for Mexico are just great, but I use a voltage regulators on expensive products like satellite receivers etc meant for 120 volts.

I wish I had a definitive for you.

Pete

raferguson

Nov 23, 2011, 7:02 PM

Post #4 of 15 (5236 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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I would not worry about motor driven equipment, especially motor driven equipment which is only used occasionally for short periods of time. A motor might run a little faster on high voltage, or maybe get a little hotter. Sensitive electronics would be more of a concern, especially expensive electronics. If the power supply in the electronics is stout, it should handle it. But the power supply might run hotter, not good for long life of the power supply.

You should, however, buy an inexpensive voltmeter that plugs into the wall, so you can monitor your voltage. I have one for my RV that just lives on the wall, I look over and read the voltage, it gives me a quick reality check, so I know if there is anything to be concerned about. Search for "RV Voltmeter" on Google, or look at Camping World.

As our moderator said, 140 Volts in Mexico is not out of spec in Mexico, even though it would be way out of spec in the USA. If you routinely have over 140 volts, I would be more concerned about refrigerators, air conditioners, etc., equipment that runs a lot.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

(This post was edited by raferguson on Nov 23, 2011, 7:04 PM)

chicois8

Nov 23, 2011, 8:43 PM

Post #5 of 15 (5228 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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I would think a surge protector would be more useful than a voltage regulator......

HarryinNM

Nov 24, 2011, 9:23 AM

Post #6 of 15 (5188 views)

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Re: [chicois8] Need a voltage regulator ?

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I am using a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) battery system - with surge protection - to run a desktop computer. Will this suffice to protect the electronics?

stevebrtx

Nov 24, 2011, 9:49 AM

Post #7 of 15 (5180 views)

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Re: [HarryinNM] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Should be OK. I run a 370VA Koblenz UPS/regulator on the PC desk and it has two features I like, it's good for about 30 minutes if the power goes out and then does a gentle shutdown of Windows on the PC before shutting down itself. Also, it will boost voltage some, when it drops down below about 98 volts it can't, but in the low 100's it will boost it up a bit. All that being said, earlier this year a nearly new one sacrificed itself when the CFE did something, so while the electronics survived it actually took out the regulator.

The smaller Koblenz are just "chopper" relays, they click when cutting off spikes.

One thing to also consider, the small regulators eat about 4 watts unloaded, the bigger UPS sucks 25 watts 24/7 because it's charging a battery and then converting that to AC, so it adds to the bill.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

HarryinNM

Nov 24, 2011, 10:06 AM

Post #8 of 15 (5171 views)

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Re: [stevebrtx] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Looks like mine is a 1200VA made by APC. Over kill?

RickS

Nov 24, 2011, 11:35 AM

Post #9 of 15 (5160 views)

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Re: [HarryinNM] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Over-kill?

Not necessarily.... you just paid a bit more than would have been necessary for a desktop unit and monitor. BUT, you get a larger battery and thus longer backup time when power goes off. The electronics, regulators, surge protection etc. are generally the same in the various models at that lower end.

YucaLandia

Nov 24, 2011, 12:54 PM

Post #10 of 15 (5146 views)

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Re: [HarryinNM] Need a voltage regulator ?

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How has your computer been working? Dirty power can be a bigger issue than out-of-spec high voltage, where dirty power can be a combination of noisy voltage and odd harmonics.

Most cheaper modern UPS's do not regulate voltage well, (some not at all), and others just use fast switches to try to clip out noise, which is not the best way to protect electronics. Older and larger UPS's tended to use transformer-based protection and some expensive UPSs offer some filtering: using medium to large sized transformers damp out much of both dirty power issues. e.g. If you live in a neighborhood with lots of air conditioners being used, every time one of the neighbors' compressors kick on or off, they dump noise onto the circuit. They can also drag the circuit's base voltage down as they start, and they thn cause voltage to shift up as they shut off.

One factor you can look at in considering regulators or UPS's for line conditioning (voltage clean-up) capacity is their noise suppression rating (40 dB for a good entry level supply). If you rely only on a UPS, you might want to check out their noise suppression ratings. (Hint: most UPS manufacturers, except Tripp, do not list their actual noise suppression ratings. because UPS's are poor at noise suppression.) Typical UPS's are designed for BATTERY BACKUP, and as such UPSs are not designed for cleaning up noise, nor for absorbing voltage surges.

Voltage stabilizers/Line conditioners are also characterized by their joule ratings (1000 W-sec is typical for a very good conditioner) that describe how much damaging electrical energy they absorb before failure. To emphasize that UPS's are designed for battery back-up, and not for line conditioning: APC's 650VA UPS have a joule rating of just 365 joules and APC's bigger 1400VA units are rated for only 420 joules. Tripplite has a reasonable discussion of these issues at: http://www.tripplite.com/...sor-how-it-works.cfm 200 joules = minimal protection, 400 joules = some protection, 600 joules = ok protection, over 1000 joules = good protection.

This means that the APC 1200VA UPC offers good battery back-up time for controlled shutdowns during power outages, but it offers only very modest surge suppression and noise suppression protections - and is not overkill - but offers a little bit more than bare-minimum protection from common damaging electrical problems.

These are some of the reasons that there is no one-size-fits-all single solution that is a cure-all for all the problems that can occur here, which is why it takes 4 -5 different types of devices to get good entry-level protection for the devices in our homes.

Fortunately, when considering how to protect your computer and its peripherals, power quality problems in most neighborhoods are usually adequately handled by a good UPS (costing more than $100-$125). If your computer equipment is experiencing hardware/electrical problems, and you or your neighbors have big pool pump motors or big A/C compressors turning on and off, then you might also need a line conditioner/voltage stabilizer.
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

HarryinNM

Nov 24, 2011, 2:41 PM

Post #11 of 15 (5128 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Thanks for your comprehensive input.

Harry

ronincolima

Nov 12, 2012, 8:12 AM

Post #12 of 15 (1729 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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It quit working recently. Need to find a repair person now.

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
You might find
You'll get what you need. (Jagger, Richards)

johanson / Moderator

Nov 12, 2012, 9:20 AM

Post #13 of 15 (1721 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Did you notice the date on the post preceding yours? Nov. 2011. But no big deal. If you have a simple voltage regulator it is often easier just to buy a new one. Of course if it's larger then a repair person could be the answer. Sadly, I would not know who to recommend in Colima.

Good luck

YucaLandia

Nov 12, 2012, 3:14 PM

Post #14 of 15 (1705 views)

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Re: [ronincolima] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Did the Vitamix Food processor quit?

or
Did you get a voltage regulator?

There should be lots of guys who could troubleshoot and repair common problems with a simple food processor:
Switch, connectors, motor, maybe a break in the cord where you plug it in...

A typical fix on these: The contacts in the switch may only need a simple cleaning to get it running.

Does it have analogue controls (lots of buttons like on a blender?) or does it have digital control for changing speeds?
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

ronincolima

Nov 19, 2012, 8:57 AM

Post #15 of 15 (1601 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Need a voltage regulator ?

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Hi, the Vitamix worked for over a year before it quit.

Did not have a voltage regulator on it. It has analogue controls. Two switches and a rotary speed control.

I had looked locally and at Costco for regulators. All the units I found said they were for tvs, satellite receivers, computers, etc. There was also one for washing machines and refrigerators, but it was so large and heavy I did not get it. Could not decide what size to buy so I took a chance.

We used it just about every day. Smoothies for lunch, ice cream for evening dessert.

But one day it would just not start up.

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
You might find
You'll get what you need. (Jagger, Richards)