Can a 220V circuit be remotely switched?

[burger]

Hey!

I'm looking for creative ideas on how to tie a 220V heater in my detached garage to a light switch in the house. There is currently a 110v circuit running out to the garage that flips on the lights. Could I use that?? Anyone have other ideas?


Thanks in advance,
Ed

 

[Jey]

http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/x10-receivers/Item/ELK-9100/

 

[Falstaff]

Your furnace runs on 220 volts, but it is probably turned on by 12 or 24 volts.

 

[RPH]

Yes, use a contactor sized for the load including the surge current. Coil voltage can be anything from 12 vdc to 220 vac but 120 vac would be the logical choice.

 

[PAToyota]

Magnetic starter is another option.

 

[trovato]

What kind of heater is it? I have a 220V electric heater in my basement that has a fan built into it. When the heater switches off, the fan continues to run for a few minutes. A conversation with one of the company's engineers revealed that just cutting off the power and therefore eliminating that period of additional fan cooling will reduce the life of the electric coil. Of course it has the ability to deal with it so that your house doesn't burn down if the power goes out, but they said was not good for the heater to do it on a regular basis.

 

[Vicegrip]

Look a the thermostat wiring to the heater. Most high voltage heaters don't run full power through the thermostat. If this is the case you could set up a switch that interrupts the thermostat loop and not need to add a contactor.

 

[HOTFR8]

You can buy plug in remotes that work like the TV remote. Maybe not what you meant.

You could also wire a switch in another area like a light switch to turn on a power point. I have done this with a power point in the roof area of my works.

 

[wilbilt]

Magnetic starter is another option.

I like that idea. Wire the entire circuit with a starter, and set it up like an "emergency stop" circuit. Hit a switch at any remote location and power down the whole enchilada.

 

[burger]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the late response. My home computer stopped computing, so I've been computer-less for the last week.

Anyway, I looked up "contactors" in the McMaster-Carr catalog, and came up with part number 7678K52. Can anyone tell me why this part would or wouldn't work?


Thanks,
Ed

 

[hdroadkingc]

Depends on how many Amps the heater takes.

 

[Roper1]

Yes it can be done using a relay with a 120v coil and using some kind of line signal carrier switching to utilize the wiring between the house and the garage Leviton has a good quality set up its called DHC powerline carrier components. try www.leviton.com also x10 makes a similier set up but at a lower quality. Hope this helps as im new to this site

Joe