Lighting contractor controlled by tork ss20 auto off in wall timer

Status
Not open for further replies.

ARelectrician

Member
Location
Arkansas
Occupation
Electrican
According to the spec sheet, it is necessary to have a minimum of .5 Amps of current @ 120vac for a TORK ss20 auto off in wall timer to control lighting load correctly. The ss20 timer switch is terminated to the coil of a lighting contractor, drawing .01 amp. is it possible to install a resistor parallel at the lighting coil in order to achieve the minimum .05 amp? With out burning up the coil on the lighting contractor.
thanks in advance for the support
 
TORK sells a resistor for the ss20 timer? If so, where can I purchase one from. I have contacted the TORK Rep as well as TORK technical service, couldn’t receive any info.
 
Well, for 0.5A @ 120V it's going to dissipate 60 watts. Going to get hot which is why I don't think such a thing exists. Doesn't look like that timer is intended for use with a little contactor or a contactor at all.

-Hal

says the min load resistive is 12 watts at 120 v

so this should work

 
says the min load resistive is 12 watts at 120 v

so this should work

I agree with Hal that 60W is much too high of a power dissipation to put inside of the switch box.
The spec sheet on the SS20 says it needs a minimum load of 12W at 24V, or 60W at 120V, which is a current of 0.5A in each case. The 10K resistor would only draw about 1.4A at 120V and so it falls quite short of the requirement.

Can you put some of the load that you're controlling directly off of the timer instead of through the contactor, in order to provide sufficient loading on the timer?

The following is a timer from Panasonic that I expect would require a significantly lower minimum current draw because the timer uses a neutral (and therefore has 120V available at all times). Also, the spec sheet says it "Works with ALL incandescent, CFL, fluorescent and LED lights" which suggest a relatively low minimum current draw, but it doesn't provide an actual spec on it.


 
... The spec sheet on the SS20 says it needs a minimum load of 12W at 24V, or 60W at 120V, which is a current of 0.5A in each case. The 10K resistor would only draw about 1.4A at 120V and so it falls quite short of the requirement.
Sorry, a typo. That would be 1.44 watts at 120V, and only 12 mA of current draw.
 
says the min load resistive is 12 watts at 120 v

Well, no. Look again. Really makes no sense but it's 24V/12W resistive. It gives the 120V minimum of 60W for a ballast. Then it goes up from there with 208V tungsten needing 105W, then some motor loads.

So for 120V, 60W it is for a minimum load to make it work. If you can't provide that you are out of luck.

At the end of the day this all points to a solid state switch and a poor one at that in this day and age of LED lighting.

-Hal
 
The spec sheet is poorly presented because I believe the contact ratings have nothing to do with the minimum loads specified in the right two columns of the table. For the SS20 the minimum load voltages and wattages that are specified all correspond to about 0.5A. And for the S13F it's about 0.25A.
 
You could use a small bulb as an indicator.

Not a small bulb. It would have to be 60W assuming the contactor coil is that small.

The spec sheet is poorly presented because I believe the contact ratings have nothing to do with the minimum loads specified in the right two columns of the table. For the SS20 the minimum load voltages and wattages that are specified all correspond to about 0.5A.

They say the same thing! 0.5A is minimum for any of those voltages specified.

0.5A is 60W at 120V. So it must have a load of at least 60W.

-Hal
 
I agree with Hal that 60W is much too high of a power dissipation to put inside of the switch box.
The spec sheet on the SS20 says it needs a minimum load of 12W at 24V, or 60W at 120V, which is a current of 0.5A in each case. The 10K resistor would only draw about 1.4A at 120V and so it falls quite short of the requirement.

Can you put some of the load that you're controlling directly off of the timer instead of through the contactor, in order to provide sufficient loading on the timer?

The following is a timer from Panasonic that I expect would require a significantly lower minimum current draw because the timer uses a neutral (and therefore has 120V available at all times). Also, the spec sheet says it "Works with ALL incandescent, CFL, fluorescent and LED lights" which suggest a relatively low minimum current draw, but it doesn't provide an actual spec on it.

[URL unfurl
I agree with Hal that 60W is much too high of a power dissipation to put inside of the switch box.
The spec sheet on the SS20 says it needs a minimum load of 12W at 24V, or 60W at 120V, which is a current of 0.5A in each case. The 10K resistor would only draw about 1.4A at 120V and so it falls quite short of the requirement.

Can you put some of the load that you're controlling directly off of the timer instead of through the contactor, in order to provide sufficient loading on the timer?

The following is a timer from Panasonic that I expect would require a significantly lower minimum current draw because the timer uses a neutral (and therefore has 120V available at all times). Also, the spec sheet says it "Works with ALL incandescent, CFL, fluorescent and LED lights" which suggest a relatively low minimum current draw, but it doesn't provide an actual spec on it.


1.4 amps is almost 3 times more
Than needed and why would you put it in the switch box? I would put it across the coil in the lighting contactor
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top