Solid State Relays SSRs, anybody use them for HEAVY Loads?

[Industrial Toys]

I would like to use some SSRs to control a Hot Tub (5000 watts, Inductive and Resistive) and a 5 HP Compressor.

I want them for use in a Load Shedding System, and don't want contractors energized for long periods.

I was Googling and read about a guy who burned his hot tub down to the water line when the epoxy case of his SSR burned up and he had the thing in a PLASTIC waterproof housing. My SSR would not be at the Hot Tub but at the electrical panel.

Thanks

 

[RNeumann]

Sounds like you are bucking the normal setup with a standard GFI breaker. I’m not sure why you would want or need anything else.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I am running my Hot Tub with some Liquidtight cable. Must be an issue as the GFI tripped. So I am not using it. How do you propose I switch the Hot Tub for load shedding purposes (Automatically by Remote Control).

I mean, now that you said that, if the GFI was in service, I could simply have a relay on the load shedding receiver put a false ground on the line and trip out the GFI. I kind of like that. I would have an LED showing that the load shedding was activated. Maybe I will get out my MEGGER and find my ground issue.

I am not worried about the Hot Tub not coming on again automatically as I don't use it in the winter, so freezing is not a concern.

 

[pjigar]

You don't need SSR unless there is frequent switching happening. Just use regular relay which would work fine for your application. Set your controller so switching is reduced.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks. I don't like large contactors running for long periods. They waste energy and often burn up. Especially, on the compressor, which may be sitting on standby for days, without actually running.

 

[RNeumann]

Walk out and switch the breaker if you don’t want it powered.........

If the GFI was tripping most would figure out what’s tripping it. GFI on a pool or hot-tub has been code for several years. The pool and hot-tub equipment is designed to run with a GFI.

 

[Industrial Toys]

There are a few buildings spaced apart and various heavy loads. Often, I forget, something was on.

For something to do, I m going to check the line with the Megger. I don't have enough use for it, so might as well use it. I like that idea of tripping out the GFI with the Load shedding signal. Easy to do.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have 4 meg ohm on each line at just over a thousand volts with the tub disconnected at the tub end. Maybe my problem isn't my cable. I have a twist lock at the end of my Liquidtight as I put the hot tub away for the winter and roll up the liquidtight, putting it off to the side and the twist lock often gets wet. I thought, that might be the issue. I might check the motor. But don't want to use the megger on the tub pack.

With tub reconnected to cable, one of the lines shows 22 ohms to ground? The other is high resistance. The plot thickens.

That reading was some how erroneous. Seemed I was getting it from one end of the cable but not the other! Then it went away!

Reconnected CGFI and it's holding. Maybe it was just a wet plug. I lost track of time frame, but at one point, the MOVs blew up in the PAC, and I replaced them. Maybe they were leaking to ground. Never really heard of such a thing though.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Amazing how much leakage current the CGFI needs to trip. Tried 1 meg, nope, 470K nope, then did some googling and calculating. Was amazed I had to go down to 2.2K. And that is how I will shut off the hot tub for load shedding, provided I don't have more nuisance tripping.

Now, just the 5hp air compressor.

 

[kenmac]

had my GFI tripping on my hot tub, gave me fits for a while. Replaced the circuit board / control board on the HT. no more issues