Electrician advice on buying on off remote for heavy duty fan

Factual Questions
1

I’m using 2 large industrial fans to cool a large indoor rehearsal space with 300+ bodies.
The fans are from Global Industries, have 3 settings? (phase?) and use a 1/3 HP rated motor. I’d like to stop getting up and down to shut the fans off.

Does anyone know of a remote(s) that’s reasonably priced that can handle this load.
The current is AC 110/115. I don’t want to burn out either the remote or the fans.
Thanks!:slight_smile:

2

:confused:

I’m envisioning a Flintstones-type setup, where you click the remote, and it sends an impulse to a module that a Capuchin monkey (or baby pterodactyl) is wearing on its back, causing it to give the critter a mild electric shock. The monkey (pterodactyl) then runs (flies) over to the fan and changes the switch setting.

Here’s the thing: unless the switching component on the fan is electronic (as opposed to electrical) there isn’t really any route that can get you from locally-operated switch to wireless remote.

What you can do is install a cable between the switch and the motor that lets you place the switch in a place that’s more convenient to where you usually are when you decide to adjust the speed (or on-off condition).

I’m an electronics technician, and not an electrician, but I have a general working knowledge of motors and controllers. If I’m fulla crap here, I’ll gladly accept correction from an actual electrician.

3

I used to have a remote to control the vacuum in my woodworking shop.

A search on amazon for “remote control switches” returns lots of hits.

Check the fans data plates for wattage to be sure you get one with enough capacity. If the fans run on 110V, it shouldn’t be an issue.

4

1/3 hp load at 115 volts is less than 10 amps. You could wire in a 15 amp X10 receptacle that is remote controlled.

This would be on/off.

5

you could also wire thermostats or humidistats to automatically control the fans.

6

:dubious: I am not an electrician, but surely the power cold be controlled by an electromagnetic relay switch that is in turn controlled by a remote. I don’t think there is anything very exotic about such a system.

7

One third horsepower is actually not particularly powerful, only a couple hundred watts (about 746W/HP).

8

thanks for responding. I’m really an electrical dweeb. I know more about Nicola Tesla then I do about remotes and such. The X10 device looks like it could work. Could any of you point me to where an item I could purchase.

I need some distance so RF would be better than IR.

thanks…

9

Is this type of device available as a plug in module? And would it be RF? If not, do you know of any others.

Thanks

10

You’d need one of http://www.thehomeautomationstore.com/phk04.html

and two of http://www.thehomeautomationstore.com/pam02.html

11

Certainly. Look for “electrical contactor” (not ‘contractor’). These are quite common; used for such things as having all the many lights in the seating area of an auditorium controlled by a normal sized switch at the door (or several doors). Any electrical firm that wires large buildings will know about them.

A picture of one is here.

12

If I remember correctly the base units sent the signal through the wiring so it looks like you have a remote controlled base unit plus the 2 plug in modules.

13

Thanks so much, Magiver. I am going to order these in a few minutes. Thanks also to everyone who responded. I appreciate it…You’re keeping a lot of people cool. :smiley:

14

well, SMDB posters are generally a cool bunch. So I guess we can spread coolness, too.

15

You could just buy two of these if you don’t want to install anything permanent. You’d also have to buy a transmitter (wired or wireless). You used to be able to buy these X-10s at Radio Shack but not all of them sell them anymore.

16

Yes, I agree. but it still needs some kind of base unit that turns them on/off.