I'd like to put a Hubitat-compatible smart plug in our attic. But the temperature up there can climb to around 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Does anyone know of a smart plug supporting operating temps that high?
I did a search and someone posted in 2019 that there was an inovelli that listed a max temp of 122f
Maybe check with @Eric_Inovelli or even @agnes.zooz for recommendations.
1 Like
Yeah, that's a good question -- the indoor ones we used to sell were only rated for 104 °F, while the outdoor ones were only rated for 122 °F. You can find our old outdoor ones sold under our old manufacturer's brand on Amazon if you're interested there (1-Channel, 2-Channel).
I looked up the Operating Temp for GE's Outdoor ones and it looks like they're only rated for 104 as well.
Looking at Zooz's double plug, it looks like that one only goes up to 104 as well, but I'll let Agnes confirm.
Hope that helps!
2 Likes
My attic can reach that and more. I put a relay with a 120V coil in the attic. The relay coil is controlled by a z-wave switch that is inside the house. To do this, I ran Romex down from the attic into conditioned space and installed the switch.
5 Likes
Thanks everyone for the help! I really like aaiyar's solution - and might eventually try that. For a quick-and-easy solution, I like that 2-channel plug by Eva Logik. That would allow one channel for my attic's power vent, and another for an attic light.
I didn't see a UL Listing on Eva Logik label, though. And I never heard of the brand. I ended up buying a used Inovelli NZW97 on eBay. Inovelli is a peace-of-mind brand, at least in my own mind. You guys rock.
2 Likes
What is the power vent rated at (in A)? Regular smart plugs don't handle motors well so you may run into issues here in the long run. For larger inductive loads, we'd recommend the Zooz Power Switch ZEN15 (also rated up to 104 F but we haven't seen smart plugs rated at a higher temp unfortunately).
2 Likes
The power vent motor I'm using is Lomanco F0510B2944. It's rated 3.4 amps @ 115 volts 60Hz. Would you recommend capacitive power factor correction in this application? Thanks
How high is the in-rush on startup? Pretty easy to figure out if you have a clamp meter.
2 Likes
It's going to be a few days before I can get up there to measure. I suspect inrush will peak above 15 amps. Rather than adding more hot-attic circuitry to compensate, I'm liking your "conditioned space" solution more and more. Do you mind sharing which components you used?
Sure. I had (still have) a bunch of 250V/80A relays available that are almost identical to the one linked below. You may wish to use something more compact. I put the w hole thing into a project box.
https://www.amazon.com/TWTADE-JQX-62F-2Z-Voltage-Electronmagnetic-Relay/dp/B07FCJFGL9
The coil voltage is 120V, and I have the coil controlled by a Zooz ZEN21.
I use those relays for all sorts of things (coincidentally all in my attic). I live in New Orleans and it gets very hot up there - nothing has failed. Over the years, I've upgraded the switches that control the coils from X-10 to Z-Wave and now Z-Wave plus. The relays themselves have been in operation since ~2002-2003.
P.S. You aren't from Norco, are you? That's almost just across the river from where I'm at.
1 Like
My understanding is that the Eva Logik plug is from Eva Logik's prior work with Inovelli.
Their Amazon specs show 1/10 hp but according to our calculations based on the Amp rating, it's probably closer to a bit over 1/2 hp which should be ok for the ZEN15. It has built-in overload protection and it's built to withstand higher inrush current (unlike most smart plugs out there) so you can definitely give it a try and see if shuts down at any point, this will be a sign of the overload protection kicking in.
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
