GE 45609 - Getting equivalent 110V load output to drive dpdt relay

Other Devices & Integrations Door Locks & Sensors
1

Hi - Anyone have experience in getting GE 45609 (z-wave switch) to output 110v to power a standard DPDT Radio Shack $5 relay?

This is for my gate. I am pretty sure I have the relays wired properly since when I use a 2 line output from a wall outlet for terminals 7/8 on the relay, the gate opens/closes when I manually plug/unplug power. As a permanent solution though, a receptacle/wall outlet is not possible which is why I am thinking of using the 45609. I have installed several 45609 already but they were all for lighting control, not for powering a relay.

On the 45609, the blue light goes on/off when I turn the switch on/off. I have both line and neutral inputs connected. I have tried connecting a single output (Load of relay to terminal 7) and 2 lines (2 lines from Load of relay in parallel to terminals 7 & 8). Neither seems to be working.

I appreciate any inputs/advice/wisdom anyone may have

2

I assume what you are trying to do is have the 45609 provide on/off power to the DPDT relay coil?

I am not sure I am correctly understanding your description for how you have connected the 45609 to the relay. Your DPDT relay coil has two terminals labeled “7” and “8”. One coil terminal needs to be connected to the “load” output wire of the 45609. The other coil terminal needs to be connected to the same neutral that feeds the 45609. Is this what you have done?

3

No this is not how I’ve connected it and maybe that’s the problem. From the load terminal on the 45609, I have 2 lines in parallel going to terminals 7 and 8 of the relay. I will try out what you’ve suggested and let you know (once the weather clears up here)

Thanks for your input.

4

That would be the problem. The coil on the relay (ie the “load”) needs to be wired to the 45609 the same way you would wire a light bulb as a load to the 45609. One side of the load connects to the load output wire of the 45609, the other side of the load connects to neutral.

Because you are dealing with 110v please be careful with this, and keep in mind the future safety of yourself and anyone else who is going to be using this setup you are creating. Most people who do what you are doing use a plug-in Z-Wave lamp control module instead of a switch designed to be mounted in its own electrical box. They run a 110V plug (which plugs into the lamp module) via a short length of electrical cord to a relay enclosed in its own plastic box. An even safer method is to use a Fortrezz Mimolite, which has no exposed 110v wiring. The advantage of the Mimolite is that it can be configured to produce a momentary closure of its output relay - which meets the typical requirements of most gate actuators that require only a momentary switch contact like what you get from a pushbutton.

5

Thanks for the word of caution.

Using a lamp module was my first choice but it is not an option for me. My gate operator (i.e. motherboard, motor, etc) is sitting in an enclosure at the end of the driveway (away from the house). The voltage lines are buried underneath the driveway and are run directly from the circuit box. To use a lamp module, I would have to run the wires from the in-wall plug underground which would be very difficult given that most of the drive/walkways is concrete/pavers.

My switch is enclosed in a in-wall plastic box (extra one that I had lying around from my house remodel years ago) which in turn sits inside the gate operator enclosure. I plan to get a similar box/enclosure for the relay that will also sit inside the enclosure.

I briefly considered the Fortrezz Mimolite. The fact that I had extra lamp switches already and that the Mimolite is not exactly cheap led me away from the Mimolite.

I’ll post some pics of the enclosure once the weather clears up. We have some weather systems moving into California…

6

I agree with the cautions expressed by hmb.

Another consideration for you is that your end of the driveway may be too far away for zwave to work anyway. You might get away with it by putting in a zwave device or relay half way between the house and the end of driveway (to act as a zwave signal relay), but I bet that would be a problem installing also.

7

hmb - I got it working once I made the connection as you suggested. I can now control the gate both by the regular remote and also by z-wave.

I’ve attached some pics of the enclosure/steel boxes. One is for the switch, the other is for the relay. Both sit on a shelf that’s part of the gate operator that also has an enclosure.

Thanks for your inputs.