Man vs Mag starter
- Thread starter Hoyt
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Massachusetts
How do you want to turn the fan on and off?
1st, I would make sure you actually need a "starter" at all. Many 1 phase units already have some type of overload protection.
I typed this far then saw Bob's answer... and his question is the next pertinent one so I will bow out.....
I typed this far then saw Bob's answer... and his question is the next pertinent one so I will bow out.....
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Hoyt said:
Yes. Small toggle switch units don't offer aux contacts, but bigger manual ones do.
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
A Manual starter means that the control of it, i.e. how the motor is turned on and off, is done MANUALLY, meaning a human must put their fingers on the switch to operate it. Aux. contacts can SIGNAL the status of that switch, but cannot CONTROL it.
A magnetic starter provides a coil that can be energized and de-energized by some other electrical means be it a control system, such as your HVAC control system, or even a separate / remote manually operated switch such as push buttons or a selector switch.
In addition, you must also consider the desired operation after a power failure. On restoration of power, do you want that motor to automatically come back on? if so, is there a danger of someone being in contact with moving parts if it does? If automatic restart is not desireable, you need to use a mag. starter or an Under Voltage Trip on a manual starter. The UV Trip option however will also require a person to manually reset it after the power failure.
A magnetic starter provides a coil that can be energized and de-energized by some other electrical means be it a control system, such as your HVAC control system, or even a separate / remote manually operated switch such as push buttons or a selector switch.
In addition, you must also consider the desired operation after a power failure. On restoration of power, do you want that motor to automatically come back on? if so, is there a danger of someone being in contact with moving parts if it does? If automatic restart is not desireable, you need to use a mag. starter or an Under Voltage Trip on a manual starter. The UV Trip option however will also require a person to manually reset it after the power failure.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Hoyt said:
It would be very unusual for a fan coil unit to use a manual motor starter. The large majority (if not all) use magnetic starters so that they can be controlled remotely with low voltage.
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