What Are Volts and Why Do They Matter?
What is a Volt?
For those without an electrical engineering degree, a volt is the potential difference across a conductor when a current dissipates one watt of power.
In the same way that water pressure pushes charged electrons through a water line, voltage is the pressure from a power source pushing charged electrons (current) through a conducting loop (between two points).
Therefore, a volt (V) is simply a unit of measurement of voltage, which is electrical pressure measured in volts.
This occurs naturally in clouds before a lightning bolt strikes and even in your body before discharging as a static electric spark. Voltage is created as electrons build up in one area more than another. When the electrical pressure builds up in your body or cloud, it leaks out to a lower voltage point when it becomes high enough.
A very high voltage is required to complete the electric circuit between the cloud and ground.
What is the voltage in an electrical circuit?
We’ll begin by considering the illumination of a lamp in our home as an example of how we use electrical energy every day.
In North America, lightbulbs used in your home are rated for 120 volts. The lightbulb does not create this voltage, but is designed to be connected to a circuit that is rated for that voltage.
Volts refer to the force of electricity going into the bulb from a battery or electrical outlet.
In RVs and boats, many of us use 12V DC (direct current) LED lights that operate at 120V or 130V.
A fully charged battery carries 12.6 to 12.8 volts, a very low voltage measurement compared to the 120V voltage in our lighting example above.
Is Voltage Dangerous?
There is no danger associated with voltage. When you get a spark from static electricity, the voltage of that spark is usually around 25,000 volts!
The sticker is a bit misleading. The high voltage is not dangerous, but the circuit also has a high current that can be dangerous. You need both high voltage and current to be dangerous.
Volts refer to the force of electricity going into the bulb from a battery or electrical outlet.
How Do We Measure Voltage?
Voltage refers to the potential electrical energy between two points. Voltage is measured in volts.
The voltage of a household circuit or a battery can be measured with either a voltmeter or a multimeter. A voltmeter can only measure voltage, but a multimeter can measure many other things.
Here’s how we would measure voltage using a digital multimeter, which is considered the easiest instrument to use for measuring voltage (and it can also measure amps and ohms).
How To Use A Multimeter
There is a red lead (wire) and a black lead (wire) on a digital multimeter.
In order to ensure that you are measuring voltage and not amps or ohms, plug the red lead into the multimeter’s input marked “V,” and the black lead into the multimeter’s input marked “COM.”.
You may damage or destroy the multimeter if you reverse the red and black leads (wires).
Use the dial at the center of the multimeter to choose between AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current) modes. (Note: DC is indicated by a straight line with three dots under it, while AC is indicated by a wave symbol. In addition, some multimeters may indicate DC voltage with “DCV” and AC voltage with “ACV”.
Voltage in batteries or small electronic devices is measured by DC, while voltage in household outlets and larger household electronics is measured by AC.
If you need a different range, check the owner’s manual, appliance, or battery for the normal voltage of the device, appliance, or battery you are measuring. Digital multimeters usually choose the range automatically. The dial should be set a level above the voltage you are measuring. For example, if you are measuring a 12-volt battery, you should set it to 20V (which is one level above 12).
How To Test A Multimeter On A Battery
When testing the multimeter on a battery, hold only the plastic covers of the probe as you touch the red lead to the positive terminal and the black lead to the negative terminal. With the center dial, you can select the battery’s voltage range. Check the voltage reading on the display. You just measured the voltage.
If your reading is a “1” or a negative number, make sure you have the leads in the correct inputs.
High Voltage Vs. Low Voltage
High Voltage
In some applications (such as electricity supplied to our homes via high voltage power lines), large amounts of power are transmitted over long distances.
When transmitting electricity over long distances, energy is lost along the way. High voltage transmission minimizes energy loss along the way.
The most significant drawback of high voltage transmission is the potential for accidents. It does not pose a threat by itself, but rather the current running through it – for example, a downed power line. Even being in close proximity to such a live wire can result in grievous harm or death due to electricity arcing through the air.
Low Voltage
The term low voltage refers to anything less than 50 volts of electricity. Standard low voltages are 12 volts, 24 volts, and 48 volts. Low voltage wiring does not carry the same current as power outlets. For example, it’s used for doorbells, garage door openers, thermostats, alarm system sensors, audio-visual systems, and RV LED lighting!
Battle Born Batteries are considered low voltage batteries 12 volts, but can be connected in series up to 48 volts
Low voltage systems have the advantage of being powered by batteries. Low voltage wiring has other benefits as well, such as being easier to install and not requiring an electrician. In addition to being safer than high voltage wiring, low voltage wiring requires fewer insulation layers. Finally, low voltage wiring consumes less energy.
Low voltage wiring has the disadvantage of energy loss across the wires.
What are the Volts of a Battery?
The term low voltage refers to anything less than 50 volts of electricity. Standard low voltages are 12 volts, 24 volts, and 48 volts. Low voltage wiring does not carry the same current as power outlets. For example, it’s used for doorbells, garage door openers, thermostats, alarm system sensors, audio-visual systems, and RV LED lighting!
Battle Born Batteries are considered low voltage batteries 12 volts, but can be connected in series up to 48 volts
Household alkaline batteries have a voltage of 1.5 Volts. When we need higher voltage to power a device, we can stack several 1.5 Volt batteries in series.
These batteries are only 1.5 Volts each
In order to achieve higher voltages, we can stack 12V batteries in series.
Electric cars have high-voltage batteries that can run at 300-700 Volts.
Batteries of backup power systems typically run between 48V and 110V, but power grid systems can reach thousands of Volts.
Tesla car battery module, 21.6 volts. The entire battery pack is 375 volts.
What Happens if Equipment Connects to the Wrong Voltage?
A device is designed to operate under a specific voltage. When connected to the wrong voltage, the device may not function properly and may even catch fire. Here are a few examples:
When an appliance rated for 110-Volts (110V) is connected to a 220-Volt (220V) power supply, it will be in an overvoltage situation. This will melt the fuse.
The power output of a 220-Volt (220V) appliance will be fractional if it is connected to a 110-Volt (110V) power supply. A lamp may be dim, a motor may not turn or will turn very slowly, a heating element will barely heat. Most likely, the appliances won’t work at all.