For an electrical motor to run smoothly and give you the best results, you need to make sure that it starts the right way.

Giving too much or too little load to your motor while starting it will not give you the desired results, making the device attached to it perform poorly. Here, we are going to talk about a device that controls the load withstood by your motor when it is started – a soft starter.

Before we get into the pros and cons of a soft starter, let us briefly understand what the device is.

As the name suggests, a soft starter is a device that makes sure that the start of your motor is soft and even, instead of harsh and uneven. It saves your motor from all the damages caused by sudden influxes of power when the power is switched on for the dormant motor.

A soft starter limits the inflow of current that passes through your motor to make sure that it does not receive more load than what is good for the device. Soft starters are often the right choices for appliances that need precise control of their speed and torque, especially when they are getting started.

Typically, soft starters are preferred for applications where space is a major concern. This is because they usually take up less space than variable frequency drives.

By using these devices with the right devices, it is important to make sure that your soft starter is intact and well-functioning. Go for a reliable soft starter repair service if you detect the smallest irregularities in your device.

In this blog, we will talk about the main advantages and disadvantages of a soft starter.

A soft starter makes sure that your motor gets smooth acceleration at full speed because it provides just the right amount of current while starting up. As mentioned earlier, it is important for a motor to start right for functioning smoothly.

A soft starter is really easy to operate. Once you have hooked the device to your motor, you do not need to worry about complicated fittings involved for the device to work properly.

Using a soft starter is bound to increase the life of your motor. If your motor is provided with a heavier current than needed, it will start showing defects and irregularities in the long run. However, this problem is successfully resolved by a soft starter, helping your motor enjoy a longer life.

There are very few restrictions when it comes to using soft starters for your motors. They go great with almost all induction motors, allowing you to rest assured that they have a wide usage.

Soft starts help your devices from getting overheated because they reduce the temperature rise by limiting the current supplied in the beginning. This is done by controlling the temperature in the stator winding and supply transformer.

Soft starters are eco-friendly in nature and help you save energy to a good extent. The microprocessors versions of soft starters contain a software-controlled response when your motor reaches its full speed. This automatically reduces the load carried by your motor, making it operate well while saving energy.

There are very few drawbacks of using soft starters and most of them are associated with a comparison to variable frequency drives.

The most prominent drawback about soft starters comes to light when they are compared to variable frequency drive (VFD). While the soft starters can limit the current supplied to your motor, it cannot be used for controlling its speed while functioning.

This function is performed by a VFD, especially for those devices in which speed control is critical. Professionals have always debated about the comparison between a VFD and a soft starter improving the functioning of a machine.

As explained above, a soft starter helps you in limiting the load and current supplied to your motor when it is starting up. This helps your motor to pick up a smooth speed and accelerate great until it reaches its top speed.

A soft starter has an array of benefits that improve the overall functioning of your motor. It prevents the motor from getting overheated, contributes smooth acceleration, extends the life of your machine, and it saves a good amount of electricity.

The only disadvantage here is that a soft starter cannot control the speed of your machine. This is where it gets compared to the functioning of variable frequency drives.

Overall, a soft starter has way more benefits than drawbacks, making it the right option for all kinds of induction motors.

Also Read: The Benefits Of A Soft Starter Repair Service