Davey Jones Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 So you get a permit isn't it easier to just use a tns you must be canny experienced TMH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themadhippy Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 No permit required as its classed as a privatley owned supply,no conection with the grid whatsoever. As for experiance it comes with the job,I was lucky when i did my apprenticship to work for a smallish company that didnt specialise in any particular area,one day you would be putting a light in someones loft,the next strangling 400mm swa's in a factory. ive not been a "sparks" for a fair few years,got bored with it all. Now i spend my time playing with lighting and sound systems,as a qualified sparks im the one who gets the job of connecting the power and signing the work off,so i have to keep upto date with the regs, even if its olny plugging in a 125A ceeform Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Jones Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 My company is exactly the same but I haven't been doing it for mega lengths of time bout five years industrial work is my favourite though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growguy yorks Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Hi, If you are like me and need heat sometimes when the lights are off Why not re-wire your contactor to have another socket , a NIGHT one ? The Night socket is where u plug in your heater(s) and it only gets switched on when your lights are off .. handy for propagators too. To expand all you need is another length of 3 core cable and a socket to wire it to. The diagram is pretty clear but any questions just post id just 1st like to say that the maplins relays do work and if you use 3 core this setup works...... you look at the smallest maxibright relay...look at the guts mate(to any1 who says they will not work)..... Also can someone who knows please post up which number terminal it is on the maplins 10 amp relay(the one that plugs into the base so i should say what numner terminal on the realy base) that i should connect my live to if i want the nighttime socket.... thank you in advance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Jones Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 (to any1 who says they will not work)..... No one said it won't work just that some stick some dont especially after prolonged use its down to the manufacture a contactor will always work every time. The thought of the light not going out and putting plnts back into Veg is enough for most growers to splash out the extra £15 tops how much is crop worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growguy yorks Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 fair enough.....as it stand the one i made worked fine since 2005 although im using a relax timer now...., ... anyway I want to build a new one now, using a contactor, and id really appreciate a little assistance, I want it to switch up to 4 600Watters and other auxilliary equipment, and have a night time socket for my fan heater/warming mats/dehumidifier.... I spoke to my local eelctrical supplier and asked for a lighting contactor, and they asked me what type do I want.... I said "eerrm, uuuuhhh , errrm...Illget back to you" and that was then end of that conversation... So What type of contactor do I need please... im in uk so obviously 240 vac, Remembering the finished controller should have a day socket and a night socket, and be able to handle 4 600s, plus pumps n stuff on the day and 2000watt fan heater/oil filled radiator and other nightime stuff. thanks in advance...... sorry if my last post seemed cocky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growguy yorks Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Hi there again... Electric man 2, You seem to know what ur talking about, can you possibly render any assistance please. My requirements have been down grded for the time being... I still want a day circuit and a night circuit(is there such a thing a a SPDT or change over contactor??) but it just has to run 2 600s and auxilliary equipment., ie in the day socket thered be lights, feed pump timer(ecotechnics dpc recycling feed timer), fan for A/C light and on the night socket an oil filled radiator, dehumidifier, warming mat for slab trays. I want to make this and mount it on a board along wth my DIY fan controller(cheers OT1) to have everything in one spot. thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Jones Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 You need a 230 V coil on your contctor not sure what you want a SPDT for but you can get a N/O and N/C contacts that will facilitate your needs when one contact switches off the other switches on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growguy yorks Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks man.... The spdt thing... im not great with electric terminology but i thought it was meaning 1 contact is always live...shows wht i know eh... So 230 coil with no-and nc contacts.... cheers fella... now to ring canatronics for amperage info bout the ecolite 600..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Jones Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Good stuff whazzup you know your electrickery!!!! I like contactors better than relays they last longer and have better spec Regards EM2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey Jones Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 (edited) Nah in the UK (duno bout europe) a contactor is capable of driving larger loads than a relay Large motors are driven by contactors, have you seen star delta starters before Maybe its a languge thing a relay is quite smnall capable of handling up to 10 Amps (resistive) Heres a pic of a three phase 7.5 kW contactor Relay Edit 4 link Edited October 14, 2007 by Electric man 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T187 Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 i bought a contactor as soon as i found out that the power surge could cause problem's i got a 1 safe up to a 1000 watt's ov bulb plus ur other appliance's it came with a good quality timer and all ov this for £23 i was well chuffed much cheaper online they sell everything u could need at reasonable price's GREEN'S HORTICULTURE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraglor Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 (edited) a contactor has two contact/breaking points per pole, a relay only has one also if you have a relay (or contactor) you can increase breaking capacity by wiring the load through two sets of contacts in series, this is often done when running single phase motors from 3phase contactors, simply because it greatly extends contact life, if you use this method of wiring loads in series through the contacts you can actually put a greater load on a contactor than wiring loads individually in parrallel (for certain loads with large derating factors, as it's the breaking capacity of the contactor that becomes the limiting factor rather than the amperage value) you are essentially doubling (or tripling, quadrupling depending on how many contacts are in series) the gap the arc has to jump. also when running poles in parrallel, you can't simply double the current of one pole when running through two, there is a k factor by which you can increase current which will be outlined in datasheets, i.e you can run for example 800watts through one pole, but you could only run 1500watts through two poles, or 2100watts using 3poles Edited December 24, 2007 by scraglor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraglor Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 i should add, that last bit is when powering a single load, a single load counts as basically if the one cable feeds the contactor the feed is then split between the three poles, then reconnects on the other side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieGuy Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Power is the single biggest expense an indoor grower has... I used to use contactors to control my lights just like this thread recommends. I use a fair bit of power and consequently needed to make sure that my loads were reasonably well balanced across a couple of circuits. So I bought a tester and went around the room, checking the current drawn by every single item in the room. I found out that the circuit which kept the contactor closed consumed just over 3A to do its job - almost as much as a 1000W ballast and more than a 600. If you only have a single light, you could be doubling your electricity expense by using a contactor. AG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now