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Low voltage systems include electrical equipment that consumes or uses only about 50 volts of electricity or power. The common types of low voltages include 48V, 24V, and 12V. The 5 residential consumer products that typically uses low voltage power source include doorbells, garage door openers, home security sensors, thermostats, and landscape lighting.
Doorbells
As you might have guessed, doorbells do not consume a lot of electricity. In fact, they operate on a very low voltage. The older models would need just about 8 to 20 volts of electricity to function. Many doorbells function on 16 volts.
Nowadays, newer models of doorbells need about 24 volts of power to work. This is common in large homes with longer wires. Bigger homes would need a higher voltage output for their doorbells.
Doorbells have transformers that convert the voltages.
They have switches that complete the entire circuit and create the bell to ring. The entire system is considerably simple, which makes troubleshooting easy.
For most homes circuits, the current is usually 120 volts. Of course, some circuits need higher voltages. The electric clothes dryer, for one thing, needs about 240 volts.
But since doorbells only need low voltage, they would need a converter to rework the current from 120 volts down to 8 to 24 volts.
Tip: If you need to repair your doorbell or just check on one of its parts, make sure that the voltage is low enough to avoid injuries. Always check your device using a voltmeter or electrical tester to check the voltage before proceeding.
Garage Door Openers
Your garage door opener uses a wireless or sometimes a wired controller to open your garage door automatically. Usually, the wired controller is placed outside your garage door or near your home’s entrance. Typically, newer homes have wiring installed for these openers. Sometimes, homes have an opener installed already.
You would find that these openers use a ceiling receptacle to power them. But most wired controllers or sensors usually run on low voltage wiring. Usually, they run on 24V to connect to the garage door opener.
Most residential garage door openers that are installed in the United States and Canada are rated for 120V AC, 60Hz line power. Wattage ratings are usually measured with the garage door opener running and with the 100-watt light bulbs on.
Usually, the motor of a garage door opener uses about 120V, and the electronics like the sensors, receivers, and others would likely use the same low voltage. Of course, you would also find other garage door openers that use different voltage supplies.
Home Security Sensors
Home systems are low-voltage electric equipment.
Their output voltage is far from dangerous. As a result, your security system will only deliver a mild shock, but of course, you still need to handle your equipment if you want it to last longer.
In the United States, an AC outlet typically produces power at 110VAC. That’s enough to cause injury, but your home security does not use that much power.
Your alarm panel receives supply from a plug-in transformer, which would then take the high voltage and convert it to a level that is suitable for your alarm system. This makes today’s alarm systems quite accessible and easy to install.
Even DIY users can install the alarm themselves.
Of course, just because your system consumes low-voltage power does not mean that you should be careless when it comes to handling or installing your alarm system. Be careful when wiring devices, and you need to make sure that you get the correct transformer for your alarm systems.
Tip: If you are using DC power devices, take note of the polarity. You must connect the positive and negative to the correct transformer terminals. This is extremely important. Additionally, make sure to use the right transformer with your system.
Although most alarm systems come with the right transformer. If you use one with the incorrect specification, then the incorrect power will be supplied to the system. If this happens, your alarm systems will likely not power at all.
Another thing that could happen is that too much power could be supplied to the system, which could result in permanent damage. If you use the wrong transformer, your alarm system will likely experience permanent damage.
There are things that you need to keep in mind when using the alarm system. First off, you have to make sure to power down your alarm system before you change its mainboard. You can do this by unplugging the transformer and disconnecting the backup battery.
Failing to turn off the alarm system before changing the mainboard or installing hardware could damage the system and its accessories.
Thermostats
Most residential thermostats are low voltage thermostats. The most common type of voltage is 24 volts.
Low-voltage thermostats are becoming more popular across the United States. These thermostats are utilized with furnaces, boilers, air conditioning, heat pumps, and split systems, among other central heating systems. The fact that these metrics have numerous wires flowing into them and that the wires aren't as thick as line-voltage stats is a dead giveaway.
So, if you're searching for a thermostat, you'll probably need a line voltage thermostat. If you're going to use a central system, make sure it's low voltage. Alternatively, perhaps you'll have both in your house. There is no rule against installing a wall heater or baseboard to complement your central system to warm up your home.
Landscape Lighting
For residential outdoor lighting, 12V is the most common voltage. It's called "low voltage" because it's done by using a transformer to reduce conventional 120V electricity to 12V.
The following are the key advantages of low voltage landscape lighting:
Low voltage is often recommended for home usage, whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or a lighting professional.
The most common outdoor lighting choice for residential use is low voltage (12V). It enhances the aesthetics, safety, and security of any property, as well as allows you to enjoy your yard after the sun has set.
Low voltage lighting is an excellent DIY project since it's simple to set up and has a low danger of electric shock because the cables may be buried straight in shallow holes. Furthermore, energy-efficient LEDs may save you up to 85% on the cost of running your landscape lighting system.
When it comes to energy-efficient LEDs, you’d love our DC 12 Volt 6-Watt Warm White Light Bulb. It’s perfect for landscape lighting; although you can also use it in boats, cars, trucks, RVs, motor homes, off-grid solar systems, renewable energy systems, and more.
You can mount them anywhere you want, and this would help eliminate the need for AC wiring or cables running around your yard.
It’s great for custom lighting effects and because it’s LED, you can also save so much on energy consumption.
Make sure, however, not to use it with 120V.
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