# Contactor Picture



## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

Here's a lighting contactor I installed yestersday in Flying Jay refinery.

I snapped it with my camera phone and posted it because I know everyone likes seeing pictures.

It's actually a motor starter with the overloads removed and the 480 coil changed to 120. The stainless hoffman box is also recycled.
Don't know why they're trying to skimp on stuff but I install what they give. I just hope this 'skimping' doesn't also reflect on safety stuff.:001_huh: 










The blue is the feed, one b;ack runs the lights and the other runs the photocell which runs the coil. And the extra contacts are for future additions.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Looks great, Joe.

Nothing wrong with recycling stuff that the customer owns, as long as it's safe and compliant to do so. I find that many of my industrial customers do that. Stuff gets moved around in industry so often, you don't really have the luxury of using brand new stuff all the time. Your pic shows you can do nice work with old junk. The Professional Electrical Apparatus Recycler's League is a standards organization devoted to developing standards to help our industry reuse electrical material in a safe manner. 

www.pearl1.org


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

Yeah, I took the starter apart to make sure it looked okay before I installed it(also to kill some time(refinery's paying by the hour and all with not much to do))
The holding contact (on the left) was completly broken off and the other contacts were so pitted I had to file on them for about 20 minutes. That's why I used the set on the right because it was in the best shape.

I like working in the refinery because materials are the highest quality and money is not a concern, though in this case I guess it was. Oh well I made it look as best a broken down motor starter used as a lighting contactor in a high dollar stainless stell hoffman box could, haha


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## jwhite (Jan 16, 2007)

Now that is how to make chicken salad out of chicken *****.

Good job

Edit to add: dont forget to bring that ko filler with ya when you go back.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

You noticed that huh.

I was only filling in for a couple days, and I don't know where they keep the KO seals and I'm not supposed to use anything off the van.

Well in all honesty I just kept forgetting about it.


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## sundogusa (Jan 22, 2007)

Is this an add-on contactor? Is there a By-pass switch for maintenance purposes? I *always *install a by-pass switch. Nothing worse than climbing to the top of a roof to cover a photocell.

BTW Nice job wiring!


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

sundogusa said:


> I *always *install a by-pass switch. Nothing worse than climbing to the top of a roof to cover a photocell.


If you can _find_ the photocell ! 

I like to write on the contactor j-box or some other obvious place where the photocell is. I spent the best part of an hour at a Denny's restaraunt trying to find a photocell once. Turned out, it was barely visible on an air conditioning unit.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

We'll usually jumper out the contactor to get the lights to come, though it is easier to tape the photo cell if it's accessable.

Today I wedged a screwdriver in a GE lighting contactor to keep it on long enough for the lamps to warm up to take an amperage reading.


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## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

Hi Joe.

I liken to see a nice clean tidy job. And this is one. Tramline cable ends just finish it off nicely. Recycling is great too if the parts are up to it.

Frank


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

frank said:


> Tramline cable ends just finish it off nicely.


Is Tramline a UK manufacturer? In the US, we'd generally just call those "crimp terminals" as a generic term. I always struggle to use them on stranded conductors. Not all binding screws will take a stranded conductor very well unless you crimp a terminal of some sort on the end.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

We generally just call them "stake-ons"


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Joe Momma said:


> We generally just call them "stake-ons"


That's another one I was trying to remember. Thanks, Joe. Sta-Kon is a Thomas and Betts brand.


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

Every one of our vans has the "sta-kon kit" stocked, it really is handy, though the other day while building a few contactor boxes, I noticed I have tons of reds and blues and not many yellows.
Well the yellows are the only ones big enough for #12, so honestly only a third of the kit is actually useful.

And also that this contractor is the only one I've seen that specifically orders solid #12. It sucks for pulling, but makes for nice panels(the picture above is stranded #12)


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## sundogusa (Jan 22, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> If you can _find_ the photocell !
> 
> I like to write on the contactor j-box or some other obvious place where the photocell is. I spent the best part of an hour at a Denny's restaraunt trying to find a photocell once. Turned out, it was barely visible on an air conditioning unit.


:laughing: :laughing: Sent a sparky to repair some lights. She turned on ALL timers and covered ALL photocells. Lights did not come on! Finally found *THE *photocell. It was *in* a Roof top A/C disconnect. One of those small button types. This particular one could not have a by-pass installed because wirin disappeared into the building and re-appeared at the first light fixture. She wrote on the panel where the PC was for next time.


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## DEWITZ9630 (Mar 2, 2007)

Looks great but what about the NRTL listing. Does your AHJ allow homemade products to be used?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

DEWITZ9630 said:


> Looks great but what about the NRTL listing. Does your AHJ allow homemade products to be used?


He didn't make it in a blacksmith's shop, for Pete's sake. It's all made with UR recognized components. Your statement causes me to believe you may have not done much field work, or you're in posession of some special knowledge that many of us don't have. Would you care to ellaborate on why you believe a contactor assembled into a JIC enclosure would require re-evaluation by the UL as a complete assembly? He's not an OEM making many of these. Just assembled one, in the field. 

He did remove the overloads from a motor starter, but you could buy it off the shelf that way if you wanted to. The coil was changed out, but they are designed with that ability. He threw a couple of DIN terminal blocks in there.. but big deal. Much nicer than wire nuts. Installations like these are where you rely on the local inspector or the AHJ to make sure the components are being used in a safe, professional manner. Looks nice to me.


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## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

Crimp lugs by 'Tramline' have been around for ages. Damn things are expensive too.
Some folks just call them crimpl ugs. But ask for the trade name and you usually get the best.


Frank


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## Joe Momma (Jan 23, 2007)

Way to go MD :thumbup: 

Thanks brother :thumbsup:


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