Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
charles wrote:
Try a standard car relay? Costs a couple of quid. See if it survives.
Obviously, take safety precautions in case it doesn't. But assuming it
is in a suitable housing for safety purposes, chances are it will be
OK.

I'd be dubious about puttting mains voltage into a car relay. I'd be
unhappy about the insulation.

Really? Most have all the bits mounted on a plastic base. I'd be surprised
if that wouldn't insulate 240v. Obviously it would be unsafe if not in a
suitable enclosure for mains. To protect the terminals etc from prying
fingers.

If it were in a box attached by a plug and flex I'd agree it was
reasonable, and easy to make safe against electric shock. Although if
it is supposed to break the circuit for safety some reassurance over
contact spacing, internal lead spacing and the dielectric strength of
the plastic used would be nice. And some note on the box to say it was
not to be used with a motor or other inductive load.

However, if it is 40A it sounds as if it is to be wired-in and
effectively part of the electrical installation. In that case I think
one should only use type approved parts for mains voltage and the
expected current.



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Roger Hayter