PV: Re: motor optimizers

[Ed <thefuhrmanns@cswebmail.com>]

On Mon, 22 January 2001, pvusers wrote:
> 
> Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 08:15:14 -0600
> From: Ron Sutcliffe <rawn@nettaxi.com>
> Subject: PV: motor optimizers
> 
> >Tom Hughes writes,
> 
> >Any opinions of the "motor optimizer" circuits that plug in between
> >your refrigerator and wall outlet?  I've heard they reduce load on > >the compressor and the frig actually runs quieter.
> 
> Arn't these things just capacitors that even out an inductive load?
> 
> ron

I can't remember the exact publication... it was a "Popular Science"-type of magazine, and just a few years ago, but it mentioned in "What's New" section that as refrigerators were being made more and more energy efficient, the market for the "Green Plugs" was dropping since, on average, there was less and less efficiency-gain (and cost-savings) realized.  

If you are using an older (pre-90's) fridge, or it is a bargain-basement el-cheapo something-for-the-first-apartment model that is built exactly as it would have been 20 years ago... then such a gadget might be a benefit.

There were 2 flavors (of which I was aware) of these gadgets out on the market: One was not much more than a capacitor and a filtering circuit which eased the starting-surge problems, and made the fridge sound like it was running quieter, 'cause you didn't have the lights dim, and that G*d-awful ruckus when the compressor motor started.  The other was digital; that design reportedly help with surge, spikes, sags, power-factor... all that stuff. 

My litmus test would be to check
http://www.realgoods.com

...if they aren't carrying it anymore, there's a reason.

Ed / N. IL

___________________________________________________
The ALL NEW CS2000 from CompuServe
 Better!  Faster! More Powerful!
 250 FREE hours! Sign-on Now!
 http://www.compuserve.com/trycsrv/cs2000/webmail/




-*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
To unsubscribe send an email to majordomo@crest.org with the following
command in the body of the message:
unsubscribe pvusers
Email the list administrator at: owner-pvusers@crest.org
List sponsored by CREST/REPP
http://solstice.crest.org/   http://www.repp.org/