Contactor on Subfeed

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wireguy8169

Senior Member
Location
Southern Maine
This is not posing an issue (that I am aware of) just curious. On a jobsite there is a 50A sub panel in a barn, cable comes out of the panel goes to a box that houses a contactor, then from the contactor goes to the sub panel in the barn. There is nothing inbetween and the coil looks to be energized off of L1. Its a fairly new install, is there any reason why one would need to put that just to feed the sub panel? Not going to change it not part of the job just a curiosity I have never seen.
Oh the load in the barn is a few motion controled lights outside , overhead lights and a few rec's
 
What turns the contactor's coil on and off? OK, it gets its power from the line, but is there a contact in series with the coil, with the contact being associated with a manual switch? That would allow a person inside the main building to turn on and off power to the barn, without going to the barn. Or perhaps a photo switch is involved, so that the barn's sub-panel will not be energized during the daytime?
 
The contactor is energized when you turn on the breaker there is nothing else, well nothing that is apparent the barn lights inside work during the day as well as the rec's. That is what I asked and she said there wasn't, I had asked her basically what you asked it just feeds the subpanel and the outside lights have there own sensors on them.

It (to my knowledge) isn't hurting anything, the only other thing is maybe they had planned on putting some sort of switch upstairs so she did not have to go out to the barn to turn off the power when she wanted it off!
I will have to ask her about that if I get the job, cause its not roughed in and they want to spray insulate soon as they can.

Thanks
 
Sounds like a remote control option to me. If there is no switch that controls the contactor and the coil is just wired permanently to L1 then it's doing nothing useful right now, but maybe someone put it in with that remote switch in mind. I would have if I had a remote barn...
 
readydave8 said:
might it be set up that way to allow for future connection to fire alarm or suppression system?
Click to expand...

not sure the customer did not even know why it was there, she said she hates it cause it is always humming, but I got the job so I will be lookin into it when I spoke to her today I asked her if she had asked for a remote switch to shut down the barn and she said not that she remembers but not a bad idea :D so add that to the list. So I'll give the customer what they want :cool:
 
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