| Author | Message | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 146 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 69.152.168.208 Rating: N/A |
Can you tell I have my bus back from storage? I have a couple of electrical questions: 1. Is it acceptable to place a 120vac receptacle and a low voltage on/off switch in the same electrical box? OR Do I need two boxes? OR ??? 2. If it is acceptable, what kind of switch do I need for ON/OFF a low voltage (12vdc) interior light in a standard double box? Is there such a thing? I have limited space in the head board area of the bed and I thought I could eliminate extra holes in the woodwork by combining the receptacle and switch in the same enclosre. Thanks in advance for your advice. | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 1244 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 173.164.154.109  Rating: |
1. No. 120 VAC and low voltage (less than 30 volts) must always be separate. You can use a common faceplate, so long as the underlying electrical box has two separate chambers that are physically divided. Specialty electrical houses carry divided boxes for this type of application. 2. If you are using standard electrical boxes and standard faceplates, you can just use plain snap-action switches made for 120VAC, so long as the DC load is less than the switch rating. Remember, though, that they need to be plain -- ones with dimmers or lamps inside can not be used, and even some "quiet" or soft-touch type switches are not suitable for DC. If you are concerned about the DC ratings, which really only become an issue at higher current loads (where arcing can be a problem), most switch manufacturers publish a conversion table to determine equivalent DC ratings of their standard AC wall switches, even if the rating is not stamped on the device. -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com (Message edited by Sean on March 21, 2011) | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 147 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 69.152.168.208 Rating: N/A |
Thank you, Sean. |
