I’m looking to install some cutoff switch on this 3-pin connector. It almost looks like a PC 4-pin 12v connector, but it actually connects to a Broan CRV motor. Specific model is the L150L.
I originally wanted a ventilator with a timer, but they installed an inline CRV (intake only) with a crazy 150CFM for a tiny 480sqft suite. Massively overkill, and loud. I’d prefer to put this on a timer, or even better would be a smart switch control. But at the very least a manual switch would be great.
For now, and for the last two years, I just have this unplugged, as shown in the image. The passive ventilation on the connected ducting has been more than enough to turn the air around. But sometimes it’d prefer to enable the intake for a time. I just can’t have it on all the time because the air turnaround is nutty, not to mention the blast of cold air in the middle of winter.
Any ideas for a switch that fits this connector, or a DIY switch, and/or something to hook to a timer, OR smart switch somehow?
If you are still looking to fix this search for a 3 pole switch. This link states 60w of power, so a rocker switch should be fine.
Be careful and check the rocker internal before you buy. Some state 3 core and use a pass over method for the earthing wire.
Oh man. Thanks for the info. And the confirmation that the motor is still 120v low amp.
Since it’s 120, rather than the rocker switch (great idea, and thanks for the links) do you think it’s possible to wire up my spare Lutron switch?
I just wouldn’t know which wires of the switch map to the wires in line to the motor…
Last week I installed a 3 pole fan switch for the bathroom extractor to over ride the dodgy humidity sensor it has. It gets turned it on and off manually now. I have a replacement fan ready to install, but I need to cut out 3mm of glass to get it to fit. I am going to wait for the summer in case the worst happens and the glass shatters. This is why I could answer what you needed.
This is similar to the switch I used with a 25mm box to mount it. You can buy a metal mounting box, if you want to bury the fitting.
I prefer a fixed placement box over the loose cable of a rocker switch. Some of the rocker switches have poor cable retention systems, which can result in the cable coming loose over time. Moreso when using thicker cabling. I don’t mind rockers for lighting, but for fixed hardware, its not my first choice, and tbf a rocker switch doesn’t look very nice if it is on permanent display.
I wouldn’t wire up a dimmer switch to a motor. It can cause the motor to stall between poles, which can result in a component becoming hot.
Low-voltage lowdown. For an electric motor, torque changes as the square of the voltage applied. A 10% increase in voltage, for example, will boost torque 21% (1.1×1.1=1.21). Conversely, at 90% of rated voltage, the motor suffers a 19% reduction in torque (0.9×0.9=0.81). A more severe undervoltage condition, 20% below rated value, would reduce the motors torque to only 64% of rating (0.8×0.8 =.64). The effects are a 156% overload and catastrophic failure.
If torque decreases below the torque required by the load, the motor would stall. At that point, the only product of the motor is heat. However, a 100-hp motor, with locked rotor, becomes a 500kW resistive heater.
Fig. 2. Insulation life is halved for every 10°C rise in temperature. In this example, insulation life drops from four years to less than six weeks for a 50°C change in temperature.
Excess heat is a problem for motors because insulation life is halved for every 10°C increase in temperature (Fig. 2). At the same time, the temperature of the winding will rise 10°C to 15°C for each 10% drop in voltage. That means the insulation life of a motor that operates on 10% lower voltage will decrease to only 50% to 75% of its expected life.
Undervoltage events that last long enough to increase winding temperature cause irrevocable damage to winding insulation and unexpected failures later. A sustained low-voltage event can damage the insulation system of every electric motor running during the event. The only motor that’s safe during a prolonged undervoltage event is one that’s turned off.
As for how to wire, breaker switches do not have a positive and negative connections. They only either connect or break the circuit. Obviously the wiring has to lead to each corresponding cable (positive to positive).
The earth is critical on devices that have metal shrouds. The earth should be continuous. You can do that by either wiring both earth connections into one side of the switch so it is not ever broken, or by adding a wire cable connection and tucking it safely inside the mounting box…
