Higher Voltage Options for Insteon 6-Button Keypad?

[KHouse]

I've got a new build where I'm trying to install an Insteon 6-button keypad to control the garage lights.

The garage is rather large so there are (12) four foot LED light fixtures in the ceiling, and the light switch gets pretty hot when the lights are on.  The electrician said the lights are drawing exactly 600 volts, and so recommends a 1,000 volt light switch, however, wanting to use Insteon to control this I'm wondering if there is an alternative or if someone has a recommended work-around / solution?

Appreciate any help.

[Guy Lavoie]

600 volts? In a home or industrial? I've never heard of such voltages in a residence. For an industrial setting, you'd need to use something like DIN on/off module to control a contactor.

I'm guessing that he meant watts. The DIN module would be the best option.

Edited Monday at 11:50 PM by Guy Lavoie

[larryllix]

Something wrong there. Fixtures do not draw voltages. They draw current.

Fixtures may be rated at 600 volts for maximum potentials, but that is not what they are necessarily fed to operate.
Even in industry 600 volt lighting runs off of 346 volts, from each phase to neutral.
In many places, 600 volt systems are not common, but use 480 volt systems, making the phase to neutral voltage used for lighting 277.

Even then safety codes force use of metal switch plates and other enhanced mechanical equipment techniques.

[Brian H]

I agree. Electrician has made a incorrect statement.

You need the actual voltage the lights are wired to, type of lights, maybe the current they use and the wattage. If the shop gets warm I may think of halogen or fixtures using vapor discharge.

More data is needed to even see if an Insteon switch is capable of safely controlling them directly or maybe controlling a contactor to then control the lights.

[bobbob21]

The 6 buttons switch Insteon sells currently is rated at 20A, 1800W incandescent.  Not sure what the equates to for Leds but seems like it should handle the load.  Check out their website.  Infact the switch you already have may have the same rating.

[paulbates]

I think the electrician meant 600 watts. Having said that, there are the actual watts an LED consumes vs effective watts, which is how it compares to an incandescent. You need to know which the 600 is. 600 watts for a garage sounds like a lot so I'd assume that's effective, but don't know. It will say it on the fixture/bulb box. Electrician will know.

If you are using a dimmer, I'd suggest using an on/off instead, not sure ambiance of a dimmer matters in a garage.

If that doesn't solve the heat from the switch, split up how the lights are wired so they are on separate switches, and create a scene between the switches so that they act as one and all the lights go on/off at the same time

Edited 12 hours ago by paulbates