People:

 

This may have been discussed, but I could not find it in the 5 minutes I searched.

 

Is there any way to use Smarthome/ISY technology to control circuit breakers? We are moving our manufacturing business to a factory which uses HID lighting. It is controlled by a series of circuit breakers and you know as well as I that more often than not, the employeess will leave without turning off those lights or the IR heating elments for that matter.

 

It would be ideal to automate the entire plant with an ISY.

 

Any ideas?

 

Joe

Hello Brignolo,

 

I am not aware of any INSTEON device that can control HIDs or circuit breakers. The closest one is the 270 load controller but I am not sure how it would behave if it needed to control breakers.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

You will need to install appropriately rated relays for your lights separate from your circuit breakers (effectively becoming a light switch), then use ISY to control the relays.

 

Insteon has this unit http://www.smarthome.com/31283/EZIO40-I ... ler/p.aspx

 

If the high voltage relays have 12vdc coils, then hook a 12 vdc transformer positive to the NO on the Insteon device, hook the 12vdc transformer negative the relay negative, and hook the Common up the positive on the relay.

 

When you send an insteon command to the insteon relay, it will pass power through to the high voltage/high current relay, closing it and turning the lights on.

 

If the HID lights are single phase, you only need to put the relay on the hot. I know nothing about HID lights, so if they are 3 phase (which seems unlikely to me), then you will need a relay on each phase.

 

This relay may be sufficient for your needs. You would need to check the specs on the lights to be certain.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Solid-State-Relays- ... 1c1bcced62

apostolakisl:

 

Thank you for the input. I am headed to our new facility this afternoon, and I will check the ballasts on the HID.

 

Joe.