Simply Koi and More Koi

Hi,

Just received my first electric bill since finishing and heating my new pond!!

So now I'm looking for a timer so I can heat during the night (E7)

I have a 6kw heater so I need a timer that can handle that wattage.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Paul

i wonder if one of these would work
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/63760/Plumbin ... CSTHZOCFFA#
although at 6kw you might have to pay a lot more for one

Hi Paul,

WOW 6KW thats some heater and i doubt that unit would be able to handle switching that heater on and off you will need something a bit more industrial.

What electrical points do you have to connect it to at the moment

cant you just use a relay? any timer could just send a signal to a relay(or contactor )that could switch 30 amps

Hi Paul

Ebay yours Paul and U can have my one that has a timer. Hope you fitted demountable couplings!!

Dave

vippymini wrote:i wonder if one of these would work
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/63760/Plumbin ... CSTHZOCFFA#
although at 6kw you might have to pay a lot more for one

Thanks Jane,
I'll see if there is one that can handle 6kw

Gazza wrote:Hi Paul,

WOW 6KW thats some heater and i doubt that unit would be able to handle switching that heater on and off you will need something a bit more industrial.

What electrical points do you have to connect it to at the moment

Big heater I know! Already planning a "gas route"
At the moment I have 10mm amourded running from my main board. On an independent 40amp RCD. From there 10mm into a waterproof plug and socket http://www.wickes.co.uk/Exterior/Exterior-W ... nvt/710490 Then 6mm into elecro heater. Your thoughts?

hebburnlad wrote:cant you just use a relay? any timer could just send a signal to a relay(or contactor )that could switch 30 amps

A relay is the same as a contact? I'll look into that.

Thanks again all

Paul

Davej wrote:Hi Paul

Ebay yours Paul and U can have my one that has a timer. Hope you fitted demountable couplings!!

Dave

Dave,

Thanks mate (what would I do without you!!) Of course I fitted valves and couplings, I had the best teacher!

I'll bell you tomorrow

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul,

All sounds sorted now mate

If i was going to do it i would switch the heater on and off by a contactor driven by a timer because of the switching current of the heater

Cheers Gazza,

Just for my knowledge, (electronic airhead!) what would a contactor normally be use for?

Paul

For switching large loads lol, just what you need.

Hi Paul,

Most time switches are only able to switch (turn on or off) small loads (currents) as there are small and utilise small relays or printed circuit boards so if you was to switch you large heater it would arc out and cause damage to the unit.

So you would use a contactor/relay to run the main power for the heater and then use the time switch to turn the contactor on and off so this way there is little or no load on the time switch and all the load goes through the contactor.

Hope that helps a bit

That's what I thought Gazza, you just beat me to it
Lear something new every day

Jules

Thanks guys for the information.

Cheers

Paul

I am assuming that you have a thermostat controlling the water temperature ? If you do the heater would be turning on only when the water temperature fell below the thermostat setting, be this in the day or night. The issue is probably more to do with the temperature you are setting for the water more than when the electricity is being used. If you set the heater to only go on when you are on the economy 7 electricity rate your heater could potentially need to be on the full seven hours of economy 7 time just trying to get the water back up to the temperature that you set. Have you worked out how long the heater is currently on for ? You might actually find that the heater is already on during some of the economy 7 hours anyway so you are already paying that rate. (If you are already on that pricing model / tariff).

I think the E7 tariff starts at 01:00 and finishes at 08:00, so the water would already have had quite a long period of time when the outside temperatures would have been amongst the coldest before the heater would time in. Once 08:00 comes in and the heater is switched off, the water will then start to cool again and then 17 hours of cooling later you start the cycle off again of trying to heat up the full mass of water again. Could this route not prove a false economy and lead to temperature swings. Perhaps the best route is to fit a thermostat if you don’t already have one, or if you do have one set the temperature lower than that you are presently trying to maintain.