500w Floodlights

[badwolf]

Hi chaps, can any one help me, please!

I have to wire 3 500w floodlights, through a timer. So far however all timers say 400w max filament, does anyone know of timer suitable for running this load? I also have a 400w son t fitting, this i know i cant run through a standard timer, without a contactor, does anyone know any way of doing this? your help is very much apprecitated!

 

[telectrix]

as regards the timer, use a hard wired mechanical immersion heater timer they can take 3000w.

 

[badwolf]

i bought one of those, on the back it show the tech spec, and it say max 400w filament load, does that relate to something else then?

 

[telectrix]

can't be immersion timer then.

 

[badwolf]

ive just dug it out of the van, its a timeguard ts900b 24hr immersion heater switch, ive used them before but never really read the spec, under closer inspection it says 13a resistive, 5a inductive and 400w filament lighting. do you know of one that can run 1500w? or even 500w and ill have to fit 3!

 

[Spudnik]

Your only other option is running them through a contactor.

 

[Sintra]

Use one timer to control a contactor and run your lights through that.

 

[bugsy]

Gotta be a contactor init!

 

[shirlock]

How would this be wired up? All lights wired to one contActor?

 

[Sintra]

Depends really are all lights on seperate circuits.

 

[bugsy]

If you want to , 10a single or double pole , coil controlled by switch,timer or photocell

 

[badwolf]

my idea would be one overall 13A switch fused spur to supply the contactor and to supply the timeswitch, the output of the timeswitch going to the contactor with the output of the contactor going to feed 3 switch fused spurs, one for 2 floodlight, one for 1 floodlight and the other switch fused spur for the son light. that way i have isolation for the lights!

 

[pennywise]

Sangamo Mechanical time clock cost a fortune but last ages, Max 20amp resistive load.

 

[badwolf]

can you run a 400w son through a sangamo? can it handle inductive loads?

 

[pennywise]

For the loads your talking about, it would be more than up to the job.

 

[nickblake]

go throught a contactor as the guys have said you could always reduce the lamp size to 200 watts or us a low energy lamp, and help the enviroment

 

[nickblake]

can you run a 400w son through a sangamo? can it handle inductive loads?

the loadings on these can vary some are 20 amps so no problem just check the speck on what you are buying but the sangamo timers are very expensive

 

[pennywise]

All the current range of sangamo time clocks are rated at 20amps

20amps resistive
15amps for discharge lighting
12amps for Fluorescent lighting
Inductive loads based on a 0.8 PF 12amps
Inductive load based on 0.6PF 5amps

Hope that helps

As said above a contactor is a good option. A good quality time clock is just an alternative, considering the small load and frequency of the operations per day.