State the adverse effects of connecting electrical appliances to

incorrect or fluctuating voltage supplies.

Connecting appliances such as refrigerators and fans, with coils in them (motors) to incorrect voltage
supplies will either cause them to do no work (too low of a voltage) or (too much work).
Normally, energy will transfer throughout the circuit and a certain amount of heat will be produced but
since there is too much, more energy will be transferred to one place and more heat will be produced
resulting in the burning of the motor and further the circuit.

1. If applied voltage is too high, insulation is damaged and the device is going to be destroyed.
2. If applied voltage is too low, then for a given output power the current will rise .Poor quality or fluctuating
power supply can often cause power surges, spikes and voltage fluctuations.
Examples of this can include flickering lights, lights glowing brighter or dimmer, incandescent bulbs
blowing prematurely, failure of electronic equipment (especially computers), interference of radio or TV
reception.

What causes poor quality power supply?

There can be different causes for this. Loose or corroded connections either at the house or on the
powerlines can cause voltage fluctuations. This is often seen as flickering lights.
Low voltage due to overloading on the network, loose connections, or too small a conductor wire carrying
power to your house may cause dimming of your lights. In extreme cases, a loose connection can cause
electric shocks from metal appliances and surfaces in your home.
Power surges and spikes can be caused by lightning, power switching on the lines, household appliances
drawing too much power in either your or your neighbour’s homes, strong winds causing lines to clash,
trees touching the line, vehicle accidents involving powerlines, or birds or other animals on the lines.

Effects of voltage fluctuations on particular appliances:

 Light Sources: sensitive to voltage supply changes.

 Electro-heat equipment: Heating equipment that have voltage fluctuations will have a lower operational
efficiency.
 Electrical machines: Voltage fluctuations at the terminals of the electrical machines can lead to:
increase in losses, premature wearing of rotor and changes in torque and power.
 Static Rectifiers: The voltage fluctuations causes a decrease in power factor and it can result in failure
and damage to system components.

If applied voltage is too high, insulation is damaged & the device is going to be destroyed. It should be
noticed that in low voltage applications, most of the devices are insulated up to 1kV, i.e. for a rated voltage
220 V, a higher voltage of about 500 V will not destroy the insulation.

Some appliances contain motors that require a minimum amount of voltage so the electromagnetic fields
have adequate ‘pull’ to make the rotor move. Low voltage can stall an electric motor and cause it to become
nothing more than a large heating coil that quickly burns itself up.

An electrical appliance is a device that uses electricity to perform a function.

Voltage is an electromotive force or potential difference expressed in volts.