hi folks, I'm planning to use aeotec nano switch ZW-116C to control my 2kW electric radiator.
by the specs it's ok up to 10A so it should be fine I'm just not sure that this tiny relay can control a monster rad on a reliable way. I just don't want my home to burn down while I'm away.
anyone using aeotec nano switch for heater control without any additional magnetic switch? can this tiny device handle 2kW constant load ?
Hello)
It can handle 2kW load. But relay contact most probably will have lifespan pretty close the the relay minimum specs. According to my observations it does try to guess/fit relay switch moment to sync with voltage crossing zero level to reduce deterioration (sometimes it may miss). But it is still an edge case.
I had the same situation while looking for some device to connect to water heater (two separate heating elements 2kW each). All devices I could find seemed to have 10A or less as a limit. And it is even worse with dual channel devices. At some point found completely different local WiFi device. A dual channel 25A (16A+16A) relay with power metering.
hmm. thank you... not sure at this stage that I really want to use it for this purpose.
If ZWave connectivity is not a priority, I may suggest you to take a look at Shelly Plus/Pro devices. They have bigger currents mostly. They are WiFi, but fully local (cloud connection can be simply disabled from the device options)
power saving is key for me. I have aeotec smartplugs , if I can't do it with this relay I will just fall back using the plug. those are more robust. or just going to add one more magnetic switch as another component.
I'm assuming that you're talking about 110-120VAC? A 2kW load is a lot. When you consider that a typical switch or receptacle rated for 15A at this voltage is really only intended for 1800W, that device doesn't seem appropriate at all.
I had an electrician install receptacles under my eaves to plug in heating cables in the winter for the eavestrough, downspipes and first 24 inches of the roof hangover. My total draw was going to be about 2.4kW and a 20A circuit was required. 15A was not going to be adequate.
In your case, 2000W / 2kW at 120VAC Single Phase calculates out at 16.7A so 10A contacts are not adequate. There is a high likelihood that it will also burn some of the copper traces on the printed circuit board, which is probably why they only put a 10A relay in. A robust PCB for this amount of current, along with the terminal strip are also factors. Also, you really should never operate at more than about 80% continuously of what the device is rated for. This is typically true for circuit breakers when factoring in calculations so I generally apply the same principles when looking at specs for switching devices. This helps to ensure a little bit of a safety margin.
sorry, 230V 2kW its really within range that's not a problem as I=P/U I=2000/230 that's ~8.7A so its 1.3A less than the 10A but its still edge case I think.
though it was working, I decided to buy a Shelly Qubino Wave 1 which can handle up to 16A.
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