Charger installed...noisy contactor fix?
Discussion
Had my charger installed...
Been left with one of these in my hallway cupboard
https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/4873098-s...
When it's powered on it buzzes/hums quite loudly. I can hear it at night trying to sleep in the room above, or when the house is quiet and I'm trying to read during the day.
Can the contactor be replaced with a silent operating version? Or can the whole thing go in the bin and be replaced with something of a higher quality that operates in silence?
Install company are completey useless. I dont want them back in my house under any circumstances.
Been left with one of these in my hallway cupboard
https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/4873098-s...
When it's powered on it buzzes/hums quite loudly. I can hear it at night trying to sleep in the room above, or when the house is quiet and I'm trying to read during the day.
Can the contactor be replaced with a silent operating version? Or can the whole thing go in the bin and be replaced with something of a higher quality that operates in silence?
Install company are completey useless. I dont want them back in my house under any circumstances.
A 50 Hz AC coil driven contactor in a thin metal box is a recipe for making a buzzer!
You could almost certainly mount the contactor itself on some isolating rubber mounts (google vibromounts) and i bet that would make a massive difference to the transmitted sound the the sound board effect!
You could also "dynamat" the outside of the metal box, which is a sound absorbing dampening rubber self adhesive sheet, again, google it
That last one you can do yourself without having to disconnect or touch any of the wiring etc
You could almost certainly mount the contactor itself on some isolating rubber mounts (google vibromounts) and i bet that would make a massive difference to the transmitted sound the the sound board effect!
You could also "dynamat" the outside of the metal box, which is a sound absorbing dampening rubber self adhesive sheet, again, google it
That last one you can do yourself without having to disconnect or touch any of the wiring etc
Yes bin it and get something of better quality. My experience of contactors they are usually virtually silent, just hum.
Cheap Chinese rubbish which has every last drop of quality squeezed out of it in the interest of profit.
In theory it could be replaced by a solid state contactor or relay.
Cheap Chinese rubbish which has every last drop of quality squeezed out of it in the interest of profit.
In theory it could be replaced by a solid state contactor or relay.
I’d start the easy way and decouple it from the wall by loosening the screws and jamming some rubber grommets behind it. Stage 2 is to put fibre washers behind the din rail and damp the box.
It’s an earth monitoring device in lieu of an earth rod and unfortunately needs a physical break, so any sort of solid state device is not suitable.
It’s an earth monitoring device in lieu of an earth rod and unfortunately needs a physical break, so any sort of solid state device is not suitable.
Edited by Rozzers on Sunday 11th April 22:44
I have the same problem and when I posted about it on SpeakEV one kind soul went through every component in the box it was part of and then pointed me at a 'silent' equivalent. Alas aside from needing an engineer to switch (if I were to buy the silent version) it would also break the 3 year warranty on my unit, so I'm resigned to another 2 years of buzzing (mine was installed the day before lock down).
Fully know what you mean about the effects of the buzz as I'm classed as an insomniac - in the end I used sound deadening foam to line the meter cupboard in which mine is housed and that does make a difference, but is far from perfect.
Fully know what you mean about the effects of the buzz as I'm classed as an insomniac - in the end I used sound deadening foam to line the meter cupboard in which mine is housed and that does make a difference, but is far from perfect.
Max_Torque said:
You could almost certainly mount the contactor itself on some isolating rubber mounts (google vibromounts) and i bet that would make a massive difference to the transmitted sound the the sound board effect!
This.A lot of what you "hear" is probably transmitted through the wall in vibrations. These can make a huge difference and are worth the shot as it's a simple and cheap fix.
ZesPak said:
Max_Torque said:
You could almost certainly mount the contactor itself on some isolating rubber mounts (google vibromounts) and i bet that would make a massive difference to the transmitted sound the the sound board effect!
This.A lot of what you "hear" is probably transmitted through the wall in vibrations. These can make a huge difference and are worth the shot as it's a simple and cheap fix.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noico-deadening-Automotiv...
I'll have a look at some insulation option, it's bloody annoying though - that shouldn't be required after spending so much money!
Doubly annoying that the installers don't mention anything about this before the install.... Quite foolishy I thought I'd get a charger on my house and wire running back into my fusebox. Silly me for not doing my research here.
Not remotely fussed about warranty implications or doing the actual work etc.... is there a proper fix? Other than insulating/isolating the actual noisy contactor. What can I replace it with?
I guess ripping the charger out and starting again is one option but I've already had the grant so any new charger ain't going to be cheap!
Doubly annoying that the installers don't mention anything about this before the install.... Quite foolishy I thought I'd get a charger on my house and wire running back into my fusebox. Silly me for not doing my research here.
Not remotely fussed about warranty implications or doing the actual work etc.... is there a proper fix? Other than insulating/isolating the actual noisy contactor. What can I replace it with?
I guess ripping the charger out and starting again is one option but I've already had the grant so any new charger ain't going to be cheap!
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