dustypayne Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 hahaha, whoops. posted that in the wrong thread Heeheeehehheeee.. I was baked and ssat there in bed and read your post mate??? How confused was I. Hence the reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustypayne Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Just finished my 25a contactor. I used a clear lid box as it was two quid cheaper than an opaque lid one, and I can keep an eye on things inside!!! Oh and the contactor is held on to the box with a dab of clear silicone. Just wanted to make sure this is right. Critique welcome! Load - L=R1 N=R3 Supply (Timer) - L=A1 N=A2 Supply - L=R2 N=R4 Contactor was £10 off interweb Job box was £4 and extension lead and plug £4 from Maplin Glands where £1.80 from screwfix 20p chock block from my toolbox Grand total. £20.00 Oh, and yeah the box is a bit bloody big but I wanted the contactor to be comfy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustypayne Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hey Aqua, cheers. Yes its a "Merlin Gerin CT 25A Contactor". The whole lot took me about 20 mins to put together. Scraglor and the PDF he links to in his earlier post specify that the timer go to points A1 and A2...I've no idea why, and I'm sure its some black magic going on there somewhere??? These Sparks, they dabble in things us mortals canny comprehend! They speak in strange tongues and usually prefer tool waistcoats to tool belts?????? Weridos!!!! Kinda forgotten what I was on about????? Oh yes! The Merlin Gerin PDF states on page 34 to 35 (of 46) or 9/36 on the page corners, in the Contactors section. That this contactor can handle two 1000w lamps or four 400w lamps. I checked elsewhere and was told not to exceed 2000w and that it will switch three 600w lamps! All for £20...Barryargain!!!! I'm well pleased.....just hope the fecker works now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BushDoctoR Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Also does it matter which Plug you plug your timer into?A. YES!!!! plug it in the wrong way round and 1. your lights will be on 24/7 and 2. the power to the lights will pass through the timers contacts and faff them up be sure to clearly label your plugs!!! or use a hard wired timer and mount it on the box, thats what i'll be doing on my new contactor build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stigz Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) Righty ho guys this is head burning thread if I've ever read one! First of all I want to build a contactor that will switch 4 x 600W lights on (during lights on obvs) and switch on 2 oil filled rads (during lights off.) Does this mean that I would need a 4 pole N/O +( N/C aux) contactor? connect the aux to another contactor (or even 30A relay) which switches on the rads? Take it I would need a 40A contactor. Maybe one like this CONTACTOR Then wire it like this: Live from timer - A1 Neutral from timer - A2 Live from mains - L1...to..T1 - going to Live from 4 gang extension Neutral from mains - L2...to..T2 - going to Neutral from extension N/C Aux link a live to L1 on 2nd contactor and a neutral to L2. Then have T1 and T2 on Contactor 2 connected to another extension lead? simples??? Edited January 15, 2011 by stigz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stigz Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Really need some help here, what contactor would I need to switch 3 x 600W lights on? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurassic Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Question guys... I have 4 x 600w and I like that enclosed plastic box with a contactor inside. My question is what contactor would I need? 40amp? I've checked my box in the house and the sockets contactor is rated at 30amps (or 32 - i cant remember).. so would it not be pointless going above the 40amps. Cheers J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splifi Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Question guys... I have 4 x 600w and I like that enclosed plastic box with a contactor inside. My question is what contactor would I need? 40amp? I've checked my box in the house and the sockets contactor is rated at 30amps (or 32 - i cant remember).. so would it not be pointless going above the 40amps. Cheers J a 30amp contactor would be more than capable of switching 4 x 600w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurassic Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Question guys... I have 4 x 600w and I like that enclosed plastic box with a contactor inside. My question is what contactor would I need? 40amp? I've checked my box in the house and the sockets contactor is rated at 30amps (or 32 - i cant remember).. so would it not be pointless going above the 40amps. Cheers J a 30amp contactor would be more than capable of switching 4 x 600w I went to the shop this morning and he only has a 20amp contactor in stock, but says that will do 4000w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compostverte Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 (edited) I've checked my box in the house and the sockets contactor is rated at 30amps (or 32 - i cant remember).. so would it not be pointless going above the 40amps. Cheers J There's a big difference between a relay that only has to go off once in a blue moon and one that you rely on daily. It raises an interesting point there about unusual loads in domestic situations. The main RCD trip though is often rated at 100 amps ... I use a 40 amp contactor with each of my 250 watt HPS lamps - I reckon they hear them clunking next door. Edited April 15, 2011 by compostverte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurassic Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Yeah but isn't having a 40amp contactor which is wired into your "Socket" ring which itself is only loaded upto 30amp in the main consumer unit? Im not an electrician, so would be grateful if someone could explain to me what the advantage of having a 40amp contactor on a 30amp ring? What contactor would I need to buy and how many poles to safely run my 4 x 600w HPS? J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SexiSarh Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 go to ebay, search "merlin gerin ct" at the bottom of the list, 25a version about a 10er I think? good for 2 600's http://www.global-download.schneider-elect...e/se_6472_9.pdf (Page 9/36 high pressure sodium with parrallel correction- they don't actually list the loading for 600's, but list for 4 x 400's wich is of course 1600watts or 2 x 1kw, so you're good for 2 x 600, and more than likely 3 x 600 :applause:) Am I the only one looking for one of these?? Struggling! Only Merlin heron ct is "four pole no contractor"??? And it's £29.95 + postage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compostverte Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Yeah but isn't having a 40amp contactor which is wired into your "Socket" ring which itself is only loaded upto 30amp in the main consumer unit? Im not an electrician, so would be grateful if someone could explain to me what the advantage of having a 40amp contactor on a 30amp ring? What contactor would I need to buy and how many poles to safely run my 4 x 600w HPS? J If it was me, given the thump my two 250s make when they power up, I would stagger the switching by using at least two timers / contactors ... but then I can DIY. It's ultimately not about the 11 amps or so they draw once they've settled down, but the much heftier current that flows initially - hence the reason we use over-rated contactors / relays. With 4 x 600 watts I wouldn't dream of using less than a 40 amp contactor - it's what you would use in a room with a KW or two of fluorescents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SexiSarh Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Is this the right contactor for 1x 600w? http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=2809348 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovemygtr35r Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 hi jurassic you need a min of a 3 pole contactor normally open, this will do Item number: 370500371239 ebay, make sure the ballast is protected by a suitable fuse. your 4 600w bulbs use just over 10 amps. compostverte, i dont mean to sound rude, 40 amp contactor is bit of an over kill, running 2 * 250w bulbs would be running at 2.1amps after start up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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