Differential circuit breakers in the electrical network of any apartment or country house perform a very important function. Such devices in modern homes, according to technical conditions, must be installed without fail. In case of overload or short circuit, the RCD simply turns off the network. This ensures the safety of the residents of the house.
Many companies produce differential automatic machines today. For example, devices of this type EKF are quite popular among consumers. The machines of this brand have received good reviews from property owners, as they are distinguished by their reliability and long service life.
Manufacturer
EKF RCDs are produced by the Russian company of the same name. This company was officially registered in 2001. Currently, the EKF holding supplies the market with more than 30 product groups. In addition to automatic machines, the company produces, for example, systems for laying cables, low-voltage equipment, and measuring equipment. All products supplied to the market by the EKF holding, including RCDs, according to consumers, are reliable and easy to use.
Products of this brand are produced mainly in Russia. However, EKF also has production sites in China. But in any case, usually devices of this brand, at not too high a cost, can be comparable in quality to devices of a similar type produced by European companies. At the moment, the EKF company in Russia is the leader in the manufacture of electrical control and protection devices.
Brand overview
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So, first, let's briefly talk about the main manufacturers of circuit breakers. As for foreign brands, the most famous are:
- ABB. A Swedish-Swiss company that is rightfully considered a leader in the production of electrical products. Today, ABB circuit breakers are the highest quality, most durable and safe to use. As you understand, you will have to pay more money for such foreign products than for a domestic model. At the same time, the difference in price is small, so for home and apartment we recommend buying machines from the manufacturer ABB.
- Legrand. Country of origin: France. Legrand circuit breakers are not inferior in quality to the ABB brand, so it is also preferable to choose Legrand products for electrical installation work. The cost of the machines is approximately the same, in fact, as in reliability.
- Schneider Electric. Another French company that closes the TOP 3 best manufacturers specializing in the production of reliable circuit breakers. Schneider Electric has been established in the Russian market of electrical products for a very long time and has many positive reviews from experienced electricians.
- General Electric. An American manufacturer of power machines and other electrical products, which can also be called one of the best in quality. Today there are many discussions on forums about which is better: GE or Legrand. Here we can say that both brands produce good quality circuit breakers, but in fact, Legrand is in greater demand in the Russian market.
- Siemens. The Siemens company specializes not only in the production of automation, but still has a wide range of models for industrial and domestic use. The quality is slightly worse than that of the top three, but still very high. The price is also slightly lower compared to manufacturers such as ABB, Legrand and Schneider Electric.
- Moeller. A German company that successfully competes with such a global giant as ABB. Despite the fact that in 2007 Moeller was bought out by the American Eaton Corporation, this did not affect the quality and reliability of the products for the worse. Moeller circuit breakers meet all international standards and are very popular.
Among domestic manufacturers of automatic machines, the best quality is from such brands as:
- KEAZ. The products of the Kursk plant are of average quality and about the same price. In the line of circuit breakers you can find a model for any rated current, at the same time the guarantee for the circuit breakers is 2 years, which additionally indicates the good reliability of the products.
- I.E.K. A notorious, judging by reviews on thematic forums, is a Russian company that produces machines of dubious quality. The disadvantage of IEK products is that when the clamping screws are tightened, the plastic case may come apart. At the same time, the AVs hum, even if the load is far from critical. Despite their shortcomings, IEK circuit breakers are in high demand on the Russian and Ukrainian markets, which is due to the low cost of this manufacturer’s automation.
- Contactor. The plant belongs to the Legrand company, so the quality of the products is an order of magnitude higher than that of other domestic brands. At the same time, the cost of Kontaktor automatic machines is approximately the same as that of products from European Union countries, therefore, it seems to us, it is better to already buy proven automatic equipment and be confident in its reliability.
- DEKraft. A relatively young Russian company that produces electrical goods. The low cost justifies the not very good quality compared to global manufacturers. At the same time, decraft machines comply with all Russian standards and are even used in the construction of budget industrial facilities and mass housing.
I would also like to say a few words about products from China. Chinese circuit breakers EKF electrotechnica, whose direct competitors are IEK circuit breakers. Both companies have approximately the same price and similar quality. Oddly enough, China provides a 5-year warranty on its products.
Purpose
When there is a short circuit in a household electrical network, the current increases sharply. The result in many cases is the insulation melting and catching fire. And this, in turn, of course, is fraught with a fire. In such a situation, the EKF residual current device simply opens the circuit in a fraction of a second. As a result, there is no melting of insulation, fire or electric shock to people. The design of such devices includes elements that control leakage current.
If several powerful household appliances are plugged into the sockets in a residential area at the same time, among other things, the network may be overloaded. This situation is also considered quite dangerous. In this case, a violation of the integrity of the wires or breakdown of the devices themselves may occur. And this is also fraught with fire and electric shock. The EKF RCD will immediately open the circuit in case of overload.
Since the life of the owners of an apartment or house, as well as the safety of their property, often depends on the quality of the machine, such equipment, of course, should be chosen carefully. Consumers consider EKF RCDs to be quite reliable devices. As some apartment owners note, they often turn off the network even simply, for example, when a light bulb burns out.
How to choose DEKraft security automation for your home
Before purchasing such equipment, you should calculate what current load will be present on each consumer group. This is not difficult to do. Having written down the data on the current load (they are on the nameplate of household electrical appliances or in the technical documentation), it is necessary to add up the indicators. You should not hope that all equipment will not turn on at the same time. In this sense, it is better to have a small reserve. Otherwise, the machine will turn off spontaneously, counting the normal amount of power consumption as network overload.
Reviews play a very important role in purchasing a particular model of DEKraft devices. However, you should not believe the first ones that catch your eye. It is better to give preference to large Internet resources.
Series
EKF currently supplies the market with several models of circuit breakers. For example, EKF automatic machines have received good reviews from consumers. Let's find out which ones.
- VA47 63.
- Model of the same letter series 47 100.
- Model 47 29.
The machines from this manufacturer are presented in two, three and four-lane versions. All EKF47 devices have a fairly simple design and can be installed with a network connection, even independently.
Separately, we can also highlight the EKF PROxima VD-100 circuit breakers. In this group, the manufacturer also produces several popular models. For example, machines of this series P 40A/30mA, 4P 63A/100mA 2, etc. have earned good reviews from consumers.
Below in the article, among other things, an overview of EKF automatic machines for the most popular models will be presented.
Our rating
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So, we have listed all the most popular domestic and foreign companies that produce these devices. Now I would like to provide my own rating of circuit breaker manufacturers for 2022:
The only thing I would like to clarify is that this rating of manufacturers of electrical circuit breakers is not very convenient to use on its basis to choose a circuit breaker for your home by company. Here you must first decide how much money you can allocate for protective automation for home electrical wiring. Even companies such as ABB have their own series of low-cost budget models. If you need to buy an economy class machine, we recommend that you still give preference to reliability - the Legrand, ABB and Schneider Eletric brands. For supporters of Russian products, we can recommend DEKraft, because... We haven’t come across a lot of negative reviews about this company on the forums!
We also recommend watching a video lesson that clearly demonstrates a comparison of circuit breakers from different manufacturers:
That's all I wanted to tell you about companies specializing in the production of protective automation. We hope that you will make the right choice and use our rating of circuit breakers!
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Consumer Reviews
Owners of apartments and houses, in addition to reliability, consider the simplicity of the design to be the main advantage of the EKF RCD. Judging by consumer reviews, installing these devices yourself is not too difficult. At the same time, machines of this brand rarely break down in the future. In addition, they are also distinguished by fairly good maintainability.
The handles in the EKF RCD are quite wide. And therefore, judging by consumer reviews, using such devices is very convenient.
Not only the owners of apartments and houses, but also the workers of public utility services have a good opinion about the devices of this manufacturer. Judging by reviews from electricians, EKF circuit breakers in household networks can actually last a very long time without the need for replacement.
Consumers believe that some of the drawbacks of EKF devices are that batches of such devices sometimes, unfortunately, contain defects. Such devices can behave completely unpredictably during operation. Judging by consumer reviews, defective RCDs of this brand often do not turn on at all or can turn off the network for no reason or no reason.
Voltage control relay: equipment features
Such protective devices are designed to limit the supply of voltage in the event of a decrease or surge beyond the established range. The DEKraft relay successfully copes with the task.
Such devices are produced both for a single-phase network and for connecting a voltage of 380 V. The user can set the minimum and maximum response threshold (the range depends on the model). Shutdown occurs when there is a sharp increase or decrease in voltage, phase imbalance or breakage of one of them. Such protection will ensure the safety of not only household appliances, but also equipment with electric motors that require 380 V power.
A device that has been triggered does not need to be turned on again. After some time set by the user (from 1.5 to 9 seconds), the relay will turn on independently. If the cause of the emergency is not eliminated, a repeat cutoff will follow.
If you pay attention to large, trustworthy Internet forums, then judging by the reviews, DEKraft is one of the best manufacturers of voltage control relays. Brand products serve without complaints for quite a long time.
Design Features
EKF circuit breakers, like almost any other, are assembled from the following main elements and assemblies:
- differential transformer measuring leakage current;
- a triggering element that acts on the shutdown mechanism during operation;
- the network splitting mechanism itself.
The design of devices of this brand, as already mentioned, is not too complicated. Machines from this manufacturer can be connected via a comb bus. According to many experts, despite their relative simplicity, the design of devices from this manufacturer is still more modern than the RCD of many other domestic brands.
The contacts on EKF models are made of oxygen-free copper containing silver, which significantly extends the service life of these devices. The housing of this brand of RCD is made of flame retardant plastic. This, of course, also significantly reduces the risk of fire in the house.
The manufacturer EKF provides a 5-year warranty on its products. At the same time, it is believed that machines of this brand can last in a household electrical network for at least 20 years.
How to distinguish original products from counterfeits
The main point that should alert the buyer is the low cost. However, judging by the reviews of DEKraft products, scammers already know that people have begun to pay attention to this parameter, and they are trying not to underestimate the price too much, so you need to pay attention to the body. Signs of a counterfeit are unclear or blurry inscriptions on the front panel. Also, the build quality of the counterfeit product is poor - uneven joints, cracks or poorly executed fixing rivets are clearly visible.
The original circuit breaker has a round plug made of thick rubber on the side. If you remove it, the bimetallic strip will be visible. At first glance, the fake is no different, but you won’t be able to open the cork here – it’s simply printed. This means that there is no bimetallic strip inside; the device can only work as a regular switch. Such a device is unable to protect the home network from voltage surges or short circuits.
Review of model 47-63
Like any other BA series machines from EKF, the BA47 63 model can be used to replace older AF devices from the same manufacturer. According to experts and consumers, it has the following advantages:
- improved housing with the ability to connect various kinds of additional devices without the need for disassembly;
- the presence of notches on the contact terminals, reducing heat loss and increasing the reliability of the connection;
- the presence of overlays made of a composite containing silver, which increases the wear resistance of the contact group and reduces resistance.
Automatic 47-100: description
This model is designed to protect group and distribution networks with inductive and resistive loads. The BA47 100 device can be used in both household and industrial electrical networks. Currently, this device has 80 types of 10 rated currents.
The advantages of these models include:
- presence of an independent contact position indicator;
- the presence of a latch for a DIN rail in the design;
- increased communication ability.
This model, among other things, can be used, for example, in residential buildings as an input device. The technical characteristics of the EKF DF47 100 automatic machines, judging by consumer reviews, are simply excellent. At the moment this is one of the most popular EKF RCD models.
Specifications 47-100
The protection level of this machine is IP-20. Its mechanical wear resistance is at least 20 thousand cycles, and its electrical wear resistance is 6 thousand. The operating temperature range for this model is from -40 to +50 ° C.
The model is designed for a frequency of 50 Hz and a rated voltage of 220 V. The rated current values for it are 10, 16, 25, 32, 40, 50, 63, 80, 100. The rated breaking capacity of VA47 100 is 10,000. Wires for this The machine can be connected with a cross-section of 35 mm2.
Technical characteristics of model 47-29
This switch, like other models of EKF circuit breakers, has received good reviews from consumers and specialists, primarily because it is characterized by a high degree of reliability, ease of operation and long service life. Device 47-29 is installed in apartments and country houses quite often.
The technical characteristics of the BA47 29 model have the following:
- operating temperature range - from -40 to +50 °C;
- voltage per pole - no more than 48 V;
- mechanical wear resistance - 20 thousand cycles;
- maximum wire cross-section is 25 mm2.
The electrical wear resistance of this model is designed for 6 thousand cycles.
Switches EKF PROxima
These models belong to the group of new generation protective devices. Among other things, EKF PROxima circuit breakers are equipped with “Test” buttons to check their functionality without preliminary installation. Also, devices in this series have:
- contact indicators;
- connection elements for U-shaped Fork bus.
The rated current for PROxima models is 25 A, leakage current is 30 A. Their short-circuit breaking capacity is 4.5 kA.
Drawing a line under the information presented
Protective automation is a necessary element in the home electrical network. And the safety of not only the owner’s property, but also his life depends on how well it functions. This means that the choice of such devices should be approached with all responsibility and attention. Otherwise, the home master runs the risk of purchasing a regular one instead of a circuit breaker. Such a purchase will not only not protect against overloads, but can also be dangerous, because the owner will hope that short circuits are not scary for him.
The conclusions will be the following: if you save on purchasing high-quality protective automation today, tomorrow you can lose all your property and, possibly, your life as a result of a fire.
Where to install
Of course, you need to choose an EKF protective device based on power taking into account the expected load on the network. Otherwise, the device will quickly burn out, and property owners will be left without the ability to use household appliances and even without lighting until it is replaced.
The technology for installing EKF automatic machines, which have good reviews, is why in most cases the standard one is used. The installation location for such devices is chosen depending on the purpose for which they want to be used. If, for example, a machine was purchased to protect all wiring in the house, it, of course, needs to be installed on the panel, next to the meter. It is in this place that the intra-apartment wiring begins.
Sometimes, using EKF, property owners want to protect only one specific device. In this case, the machine is installed in close proximity to such household appliances. RCDs from this manufacturer can be connected to both built-in and separate DIN rails.
A little about the history of the brand
This manufacturer appeared in France relatively recently - in 2007, but has already gained popularity thanks to the production of high-quality and inexpensive protective devices and other electrical products for the home. Another reason to trust the brand is its “progenitor”. Initially, the brand was called DEKraft Schneider Electric (reviews about the parent company speak for themselves), which gave impetus to the start of sales. Over time, the company gained its own fans, whose circle is expanding from year to year. Nowadays, few people remember that DEKraft is a subsidiary, considering it a separate independent brand.
How to connect
Several installation schemes for EKF differential circuit breakers can be used. In city apartments and country houses, connection technology with a single RCD is most often implemented. In this case, the device is in most cases mounted next to the meter. All available electrical circuits in this case are connected to the RCBO.
Experts recommend installing a switch at the beginning of each end circuit when installing a differential circuit breaker. This will allow you to subsequently carry out electrical wiring repairs in a group of rooms without the need to de-energize other rooms.
First, during installation, the power wires from the meter are connected to the EKF automatic machine. Next, those to which the apartment wiring is connected are brought to it.
Sometimes machines of this brand are mounted using a two-level scheme. Such systems are considered more reliable and convenient to use. In this case, the machine is also connected after the meter. Next, the wires coming out of it are connected in parallel to several RCDs, each of which will subsequently be responsible for a specific circuit in the home. When using such a scheme, it is possible to install not very powerful second-level differential devices into the network.
Installation errors
When installing an EKF RCD in an apartment or house, you should, among other things, avoid the following common shortcomings:
- weaving neutral wires into a single knot;
- connections of neutral and protective conductor after the machine;
- half-phase connection;
- connecting the neutral wire after the machine to the common neutral bus.
When connecting the EKF, of course, among other things, you should not mix up the pole terminals. That is, it is not allowed, for example, to connect the zero pole in a co-directional manner with respect to the phase pole.
