Home Builder is building a model home that they are also using as office space. They want to install a contactor so that they can basically flip two switches and light up the whole house and the office space (garage).

There are 65 cans in the office space, 24 mini cans in the outside soffit and other than that general lighting throughout. Obviously we need to wire switches to code in the case they ever sell the house.

I'm not real sure on what type, size of contactor to buy and how to go about the installation. We've never done anything like this before.

I am assuming I'll have to calculate the lighting load and know how many branch circuits for lighting there will be. All the switches would be tied through and dummy devices installed. Obviously none of the lighting will be able to be fed off of general power outlets i.e. all the lighting will have to be on separate circuits from any receptacles.

Beyond that I'm not completely sure how to go about this. Can anyone give me some advise on this situation and an idea of what type of contactor I might need?

'Prishiate it

A multiple circuit contactor right next to the panel with the lighting circuits looped into it, could be removed when the contractor is done with the home. A set of three ways at the entrances is all you should have to use for the contactor.
These switches could be converted to entry light switches later.

You could check out Leviton (and probably others) for home automation products. You can program the light switches for various scenarios, including all lights on, all lights off. This would also allow individual switches to controll lights in a given room.
http://www.leviton.com/acenti/index.htm

My wife has several models in her community.
They just brought the lighting circuits into a small cabinet, chase nippled, next to the main panel and installed a couple 3 pole contactors (one pole for each circuit switched), then back to the breakers. They run the contactors off a regular timer.
I don't think they are actually wired any different and these are the general lighting circuits that get switched, receptacles and all. (a lot of the lighting is table lamps anyway)
When the house eventually sells they will pull out the cabinet, timer, pop in a KO plug and move the circuit conductors directly to the breakers for those circuits.
They have had customers who wanted it left alone. These models usually get sold furnished and some people even want the fake food and other knick nacks they have laying around. I often wonder if they change the pictures.

[This message has been edited by gfretwell (edited 10-24-2006).]

Talk about lazy.... Tell them to use the main No modifications - and cheap...

A reply for this from "little dog" ended up in the wrong place. Here's his post.

put in a 100 amp subpanel with a 125 amp 2 pole contactor in it. the contactor opens both poles to the sub panel. put all the devices to be controlled in the subpanel (basically the lights).

put a switch at front door that pulls in the contactor.

Be careful when feeding a panelboard with a contactor. Make sure the inrush current of the loads does not trip the breaker feeding the panel. This is a common problem with HID ballasts.

Becareful with 'regular' contactors, i.e. "relays". Although they may be cheaper, it is possible that it will be problematic, especialy if switching panel load that will act differently than say the starting characteristics of a motor.

Most purpose built lighting contactors will be expensive - but with reason. They often will have faster, more postitive, self-cleaning contacts, and either be mecanicaly, or magneticaly held/latched so as not to maintain a coil for long periods of time. Mechanical or certain types of magnetic designs will hold independant of the control circuit - and wont hum like a tranny.... (So don't put a loud one where you can hear it.) One of my favorite designs was (And I wish I could remember who made it) a 3P-200A that had 6 powerful rare earth magnets under the contacts, and a coil to open it and latch it back. (When you shut off the lights.) When you turn them on, it triggered a release for the contacts to slam shut. It sounded like a gun! Then complete quiet... The same company also had some type of circuitry in their 20A SP lighting relays that only switched at zero crossings of the phase they were on...... Which is a common thing now, but was top-gear for its day. (Late 80's / early 90's)

Oh, another interesting effect I did this with my video camera controlled motion lights out front.... Wait living room up-lights too. Switch Meastro Dimmers with a relay... You can pre-set all the dimmers, and when the power is off, they keep their settings and state - but fade up to that level when you turn it on, and looks neat. Also reduces that current jump.

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 10-25-2006).]

What about a Lutron Radio RA or simular.
The only changes needed are the switches.
When the model is sold as a home they could:

Easily remove the Radio RA system and use it in the next location.

or

Make the lighting control a selling feature of the model home. Might just need to be reprogramed and that is it.

Yes they would spend some money on the system but to do contactors with switch legs run to a panel etc. would never be recuped when sold.

Anyways if you did still want to use the contactor instead of controlling the switch legs switch the hots. Use seperate circuits for lighting only.

What about shunt breakers?

X10 Switches he can come in hit one switch and all lights on, or each switch can work in normal mode.

What's wrong with e57's first suggestion of just using the main? Sonce it's just a model home, none of the other loads are going to be used anyway. if they have to have a contactor and switch, put it in front of the main.

Active 1, I thought of making that type of sugestion for Radio RA, but real-estate types are notoriously cheap tweeks - If they weren't, and wanted to use/spend anything to sell the house other than it proximity to the golf course, they would install Homeworks with full Crestron automation of the self-cleaning toilet and other virtual reality self-esteem mind control devices. Now that sells a house! When you can proudly say, "I'm rich enough to have a house that can wipe my butt via the internet from anywhere in the world." But the 'people' who actually do that are not human, and who would want androids for neighbors?? (Sorry its friday night... Long week.)

jraef, my suggestion of using the main was a joke, MOCP devices would generally not be rated for use as a switch. These people are just lazy and don't want to go shut off the lights after they show the house, and don't realize, or are too cheap to automate in a sensable way for a house they cut every corner in for max profit.

The contactor box next to the panel seems to be about as easy and cheap as it gets. It is very portable and only takes about an hour to remove and install at the next house. They switch 6 single phase circuits with the ones I have seen. That is plenty to have enough lights on to give the house a lived in look. You certainly don't want to be flipping the main. That would turn off the HVAC and refrigerators. (think: mildew and broken icemakers)

jraef,
How many POCO's would like anything before a switch that turns off the supply to a house??.
Over here, you are not allowed to put anything before the line side of the Main Switch.
Otherwise you would have people stealing power.

i like e57's idee of having/getting my butt wiped anywhere on earth via the internet, That has been a continual problem...do you use html or just those old ones and zeros and what about homelan security...oh, sorry, too long at work on a beautiful Ozark mountain autumn afternoon, then a phone call halfway home to come back to the lumberyard because they couldn't get their burglar alarm to set and since I had been fooling with the wires today, must be my fault...turned out to be a 35 cent residential grade receptacle with both screws vibrated loose from the air compressor plugged in, feeding the pressurized sprinkler system, same circuit also fed the shack where the yard man who checks tickets sits, his radios, space heaters, AND a half dozen mercury vapor lights in the warehouse, all on a 20 amp breaker stuck away in a closet. More work for next week. Many of you folks would not believe Arkanese wiring standards or the lack thereof.