Packard - DP301202 C230B 2 Pole 30 Amp Contactor, 120 Voltage Coil

I used this contactor to turn on a vacuum when a tool was turned on. I connected the coil to the power going to the tool, after the switch. So when the switch was turned on the contactor would close. The vacuum was connected to the contacts of the device so it would turn on when the contactor closed. I did it that way so I could have the tool and the vacuum on separate circuits. If I had put them on the same circuit I would have exceeded the current limit on one circuit. The contactor worked fine.

Works as it should! I matched it with a Kasa Smart Switch Hs200 and I control the with the app! I set a schedule to run 1 day and another not just for 1 H! I basically I'm saving a lot with this thing with my water heater

This simple relay for controlling up to 30 amp 240v loads with 120v switching is a nice value for the money and cleanly designed. That makes for an easy installation. My singular small disappointment here is the lack of a simple wiring diagram...some folks are not as intuitive about things as others and there are no markings on the device. While all the connections "should" be obvious, electricity is a dangerous thing and a small piece of paper or cardstock that documents the function of each connection would be nice just to have a complete package. For reference, my application is a remote switch for a 3hp, 60 gallon compressor that is going to be installed in a location that direct access to the on-board power switch is somewhat difficult.

Might have been ok but I bought a return, looked new but had a dead short. Update: I had faulty equipment, piece was prolly ok, I bought something different though that has less exposed contacts so I didn't have to deal with a box etc

OK, so I am really getting into smart home stuff -- we own 10 Alexa (Echo) speakers, about 20 WeMo plugs, and about 10 WeMo light switches. If you walk into our house, Alexa can turn on the lights, water the grass (all 12 stations!), turn the AC (or heat) on/off. Some may say this level of automation is just a fad, but I personally think it really does help make life easier and more fun. With most of my other household systems connected to Alexa, I was looking for a way to do this with my pool pumps. We currently have three pumps: 1.) main filter pump; 2.) spa jets; and 3.) waterfall. We also have a gas heater for the spa, plus lights in the pool and lots of landscape lighting. I did some research and I found there are some solutions from pool-related companies like Hayward, but many of those products involve replacing your entire electrical panel, they are expensive (several grand), and the reviews seem very bad -- many people say their systems break regularly. After looking at my old pool electrical panel, I realized that I could control my pumps with a very simple system -- I just need one WeMo light switch (my panel had blank spaces for 4 switches). The 120v output from each WeMo switch could then be used to control a single relay/contactor for each 240v pump. This is very similar in concept to how your air conditioning compressor turns on/off -- your thermostat sends a low voltage signal to a contactor (relay) inside your compressor unit, and that contactor functions as a switch that sends power to the compressor and fan. Anyway, once I realized how simple this idea was, all I had to do was remove the old 1970-style time clock from my panel (this was easy -- the clock is modular and came out with a couple screws). I also removed an old air-powered switch for my spa jets that never actually worked. Once those parts were removed, I was able to make space for 4 new relays which connect to 4 WeMo light switches. Unfortunately, I was one switch and one contactor short (both have been ordered), so my setup is not yet 100% done. But, all 3 of my pumps are now "smart pumps", and I can turn them on/off from my phone or just by asking Alexa to do it. I've only had this running for a few days, but here's what I can tell you about the contactors -- other than the normal "click" when they first engage, they don't seem to make any noise at all when in operation (if they make any buzzing/humming sound, I can't hear it over the noise from the pumps). Also, I checked the power consumption and since these have 120v coils, the current draw is almost too small to measure -- like barely 1 or 2 watts -- so my WeMo switches are not being pushed very hard powering the contactors. Given the price, I am happy if the contactors last a year or two each, but I'm guessing they'll survive even longer. In the mean time, for less than about $120 total, I now have the option of walking into my house and saying: "Alexa, turn spa jets on..." and poof! Like magic, the spa is bubbling....

This is a great solution to ANY situation where you need to control 240v power within the specs of this gadget. I use it to control power to a 6000w patio heater on a 30a 240v circuit. I control the 110v coil with a fan control countdown switch like you might use on a bathroom fan, but you could use virtually any kind switch you would normally use to control 110v stuff such as a wifi switch, programmable or just on/off. I went through this because my teenaged daughters would turn on the mega heater and then forget to turn it off, leading to global warming! Now they are restricted to 60, 30, 15, 10 and 5 minutes. Switch counts down and then off! 😀 They can always hit the switch again if needed. I was able to mount the contactor and the switch in a double box but i had to find one that works. Some boxes are flat on the bottom and that's what you want. It was a tight fit with 10ga and 14ga wiring. I also hooked up a cool 1" Baomain 240v pilot light to the out side of the contactor to let me see if the heater is in from a distance. The pilot light is LED and I used tiny 20awg wire to connect it. Draws some tiny amount of power and tiny wire works safely. I will say one minor drawback is that the contactor makes an obvious buzzing sound when first connecting but the sound tapers to pretty quiet. It's not silent. It also comes with no connectors or instructions. I'll buy this again for another project.

This product is amazing for $9; especially coupled with a $25 smart switch or smart outlet. I have a 220v Air Conditioner from the beginning of time. I turned off the breaker. I Cut the 220v cord in half close to the breaker box, except for the white wire. 4 wires in the cord; red, black, white, and green. All I did is put the contactor between the break in the 220v line. Connect the black wire to the silver screw and tighten or use a female wire connect and insert onto the contactor's brass male Connector tab. Repeat on the far side of the contactor with the other black wire. Then do the same thing with the red wire. Just make sure the red and black wires are connected to the same screw or tab on the far side of the contactor. When that is done then take an ordinary 3 prong extension cord and cut off the female end. Best advice is to buy those female wire terminals and crimp them onto the ends of the black and white wires on the extension cord you just cut. Now take the white wire with the female tab and connect it to the silver tab on the contactor. Repeat with the black wire's female tab and put it onto the other silver tab. There are really 4 silver tabs, but 2 are connected together on each side. Once that is complete twist all three green/ground wires together. You should be ready to go. Now take the good male end of the extension cord and plug it into a zwave smart outlet and you have an old school smart 220v air conditioner for around $35.

I just received this contactor and it works with 110vac and it should do the job. I'm going to use it to control a refrigerator for curing ham at around 50 degree F. The frig didn't allow me to set the temp up that high, I'm using a temperature controller but the relay in the controller was only rated at 10 amps and In some readings, the inrush voltage/amps can be much higher (x6) so I'm going to play it safer and use this relay so if anything happens, it will be easier to change this relay than the temp controller from China. I might have to install a MOV across hot and ground, but I'll find that out once we start using it. It is also a little noisy during operation, but I'm going to enclose it in a project box with a rubber pad underneath it to try to reduce the CLICK/CLACK noise.