Low Voltage relay for AC Handler from Sentinel CHHC-4

[twist1uc]

Hello all. Hope this finds you well.

I am finally, after a year of delays and other outside forces, almost ready to get this project off and running.

A little background on what I have a plan to do.

5 Ton Banks water chiller.
1 x's 1 ton air handler for Veg room
2 x's 4 ton air handler for 2 Bloom rooms.

I ran out of money and only ended up with 14 ballasts (all SolisTek Matrix). 4 of them for Veg, 5 each for each Bloom room.

Anyways.... getting off track. I have a Sentinel CHHC-4 for each of the rooms. I am looking to find a way to connect the Sentinel to the air handler via some form of relay. I'm hoping to use the low voltage line for the handlers if possible. Otherwise, I'd have to get something like this: HPLC-4 High Power Lighting Controller 4 Outlet
(found here: https://growgps.com/products/hplc4/).
Or maybe even their discontinued Power Expansion Module PXM-2 (found here: https://growgps.com/products/pxm2/).

I've been looking for the answer for a few days to no avail. Hopefully one of you can give me a rea$onable way to go.

Thanks in advance!!!!!

 

[growshopfrank]

If you are gonna roll your own look for a definite purpose contactor with a 12V DC coil
single pole for 120V loads double pole for 240V loads look for a current rating higher than the anticipated load
local electrical supply or ebay should work for this


mount the contactors in a 10"x 10"x 4" "pull box" for safety these boxes can be had from home depot or other big box stores for around $20

 

[sanjuan]

Why do you want low voltage input? The CHHC-1 & 4 only have 120VAC outputs. The PXM's use cheap plug-in AC/DC converters to get their input signal.

I used a Dayton power relay with 120VAC coil for my window airconditioner latching circuit, built in a NEMA pull box from Home Depot. Works great.
(I bought a new open box CHHC-1 off ebay but haven't used it.)

http://www.zoro.com/g/Heavy-Duty Power Relays/00053766/

 

[rives]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but it sounds to me like the OP wants to interface the 120vac signal from the Sentinel to the low voltage input on the air handler, not the reverse. If this is the case, a control relay with a 120vac coil would be required and be driven by the Sentinel's output. The contacts on the coil would then be connected to the low-voltage control circuit on the air handler.

Automationdirect.com has good pricing on relays and bases.

 

[theother]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but it sounds to me like the OP wants to interface the 120vac signal from the Sentinel to the low voltage input on the air handler, not the reverse. If this is the case, a control relay with a 120vac coil would be required and be driven by the Sentinel's output. The contacts on the coil would then be connected to the low-voltage control circuit on the air handler.

Automationdirect.com has good pricing on relays and bases.

I could spend all day repping this guys posts!

 

[growshopfrank]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but it sounds to me like the OP wants to interface the 120vac signal from the Sentinel to the low voltage input on the air handler, not the reverse. If this is the case, a control relay with a 120vac coil would be required and be driven by the Sentinel's output. The contacts on the coil would then be connected to the low-voltage control circuit on the air handler.

Automationdirect.com has good pricing on relays and bases.

Meh,my bad I was just going off the links provided by the OP that illustrated a relay with a 12V trigger...

https://growgps.com/products/pxm2/

 

[twist1uc]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but it sounds to me like the OP wants to interface the 120vac signal from the Sentinel to the low voltage input on the air handler, not the reverse. If this is the case, a control relay with a 120vac coil would be required and be driven by the Sentinel's output. The contacts on the coil would then be connected to the low-voltage control circuit on the air handler.

Automationdirect.com has good pricing on relays and bases.

Yes, YES..... this is what I'm trying to do.

I want something in between the sentinel and the air handler. Something that will turn the 120V coming from the sentinel, and turn it into a low voltage output to trigger the air handler.


Now, I just called Hydro Innovations and they basically just told me to do away with the mindset of using the Sentinel and just using an in room thermostat.
Which means that I don't really need this environmental controller at all. I would need a thermostat, co2 monitor/ regulation system, and something for humidity.

Two steps forward, two steps back...... Every time I think I got it together, more complications arise

 

[rives]

Now, I just called Hydro Innovations and they basically just told me to do away with the mindset of using the Sentinel and just using an in room thermostat.
Which means that I don't really need this environmental controller at all. I would need a thermostat, co2 monitor/ regulation system, and something for humidity.

I've never used one of the Sentinels, but aren't all of these functions built in to the CHHC-4? Other than padding their pocketbook, what was their rationale for using discrete devices rather than the one inclusive controller?

 

[twist1uc]

I don't know. It's all about the money. It's almost like their environmental control units only supply enough power to use a window unit or something similar??? For the money, they should be able to supply whatever output that you need (ie: 120vac, 240vac or a low voltage line)

I'm seriously contemplating selling all three of these sentinels and piecing together what I need for each room. They have never been used, but I did mount the unit/s to the wall. So I am sure I'll take a loss for that, the question is how much?

 

[rives]

I think that you need to take a step back before doing anything.

As I said, I've never used the Sentinel but they seem to have a good rep from what I've read. No controller is going to have the power to directly supply your heating/cooling needs - that should be done independently and the controller just provides the control loop. If you go with discrete devices, you are going to have trouble interlocking functions that shouldn't work simultaneously or need to work only simultaneously.

It's no big deal to stick a $15 relay between your air conditioner and the controller. It is going to be far more trouble to tie heating & cooling thermostats, a humidistat, a photocell, and a CO2 controller together.

That being said, if you have three rooms going that each have a controller in them, a spare on hand might be a very good idea. With discrete components, you might lose one function and be able to limp by, but with all of the control in one box the whole world is going to stop.