can thermal protectors
- Thread starter GlennH
- Start date
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JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
Line/load markings? I see that overload as just making/breaking one conductor, not hot and neutral with a ground wire.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
If that is for a single phase motor, depending on the way the motor was wound, one lead would protect the running winding and one would protect the starting winding and the third would be the common.
Mgraw
Senior Member
- Location
- Opelousas, Louisiana
- Occupation
- Electrician
There is a heater inside the thermal overload which creates enough heat to cause the overload to trip if the overload is surrounded by insulation.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Sounds like a recessed lighting thermal to me. Are the conductors in the photo are black, white and blue?
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
:thumbsup:
Well that explains why the neutral is there, but are you saying the ambient air, when reaching a setpoint, causes the heater to come on thus tripping the overload or
that the heater is on all the time and when the ambient air temp is added the overload then trips?
Still don't understand why a simple switch wouldn't do the same thing
Mgraw
Senior Member
- Location
- Opelousas, Louisiana
- Occupation
- Electrician
They are used to prevent insulation being wrapped around non ic rated cans. The heater is always on.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
All the while we look for ways to save every milliwatt of electricity.....
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
I gotta get my eyes checked. I did not see the word "can" in the title of this thread the first time I looked at it.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
I saw it, but thought he wanted to get rid of them.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
Your average residential can has a thermal switch in series with the lamp inside the can. This type is usually mounted through a KO in the wiring box, bury that in insulation and it doesn't dissipate the heat it produces as quickly as if it is in open air, it cycles the light whether you have correct lamp installed or not if covered in insulation.
x2
The heater inside the thermal overload keeps the trip unit at a "near trip" condition.
That way the trip is quick and doesn't have to build up heat for a period of time before it opens the circuit.
JAP>
goldstar
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Looks like a thermal overload for a Lightolier recessed can that's mounted to the wiring junction box on the outside of the housing and I'm guessing functions on external heat around the can as Mgraw described. Newer cans like Halo and Juno use only a 2-wire thermal overload inside the can and function on the heat of the bulb to trip if you over-lamp the fixture or heat inside the can if insulation is packed around it.
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