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Originally Posted by tmclane
Hello there,
I was attempting to follow in your footsteps on the wasserpest-controller DIY and I had a question about the relays.
I see in the thread where people are saying that the relay (KHAU-17A11-24) handles 30A.
I am confused because the specifications on the main sites say they only handle 3A.
Does this change based on the actual current being used?
If so what is this value based on?
I found some relays on ebay that say they can handle 5A but I want to be able to get around 30A capacity so that I don't melt the thing when I try and run CO2 and my lights on one relay.
Thanks in advance,
-Travis
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Hi Travis, the max amps for a given relay don't change. I would go by what the manufacturer (Tyco Electronics) suggests which is 3A.
Sorry about the false/confusing information. Looks like the place that I got the relays from was a bit over optimistic.
Keep in mind that while the coil voltage is 24V, they switch 110V. So the max wattage would be around 330W, which is quite a bit. The CO2 solenoid only draws around 5W (might be different for different models) and if you split the lights into two banks, you should have plenty Wattage.
Of course, if your tank has three 150W HQI lamps over it, you would need a different relay.