Quick Custom Built Lighting Relays

***I do not reccomend nor endorse anything I have said or done here for anyone besides myself. Do so at you own risk and/or benefit, as I have done, or not. ***


I like cheap little digital timers. They are extremely accurate, easy to set and use, and fairly reliable... well, mostly. And therein lay my problem. Running current to the lights through the timers to a 1000W lamp over time causes the switch in them to fuse, and always in an on position. This is a shitty thing for my garden. My reponse to this has been dillegence, and keeping a spare timer on hand for when one fuses on.

I'm tired of that. Time for a lighting relay.

I have 2 X 20A circuts for my lamps, 1 for each 1000W. Leaves me with enough room for a few fans etc, and a large margin of saftey on each circut. Everything runs on 120V AC, including the ballasts. Not about to change that.

I ordered 2 relays from an online store; 30A 120VAC, screw terminal type. About $62 USD, plus shipping. When they arrived, I went to the hardware store for the rest of the materials.
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5410Medium.JPG

Here are the relays, and some nuts and bolts I picked up to mount the relays in the boxes (they didnt fit, I used others from my tickle-trunk)
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5412Medium.JPG
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5413Medium.JPG

These heavy duty cords were on sale, the 2 black pc power cables I had laying around. harvest the usefull ends, and prep the wires
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5415Medium.JPG
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5416Medium.JPG

The grounding screw was in the way for mounting the transformers, so I had to drill a custom hole in 1 of the knockouts on each box, and mount them sideways a bit
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5418Medium.JPG

I also added cable clamps to 3 of the knockout holes on each box, and firmly secured the transformers in with nuts and bolts
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5420Medium.JPG

Connect the wiring, all as slick as possible, and clamp down the cables
http://www.fullmeltbubble.com/galler...5423Medium.JPG

I tested it out on an occilating fan, it works perfectly! Tomorrow before lights come on I will install them on the lights. I built 2 exactly the same, casually working at it while toking for a few hours this evening. Just the sort of little project I enjoy now and again.

Some will have noticed the covers from the first picture, and that they are not installed. The transformers are just a tiny bit too tall, and the cover looks to touch 1 screw terminal. I will get some mud rings to raise them up an inch or so and then put on a cover, if it is safe to do so. I have a plan B for the covers, if I should need one. Whatever solution I use, I will try to come post a picture of it as well.

Hope you have enjoyed my little show & tell project today.

YBG