DIN Contactor Wiring

I have these two contractors (http://www.ebrewsupply.com/63a-din-contactor.html and http://www.ebrewsupply.com/25a-din-contactor.html) for main power and power to the element.

I am struggling on how to wire these. What do the numbers represent, and which numbers get the 220v input power. Also on the kit diagram I'm working from it shows that one of the 110v legs is being jumped to what I assume is the coil (not sure if it should be the A1 or A2 side) does it matter which hot leg I jump?

This is the diagram from the kit I am working with.
http://www.ebrewsupply.com/designs/PID/30a-PID-1-2-1PID-Electric-BIAB.pdf

According to the diagram on the face of the contactor, the A1 and A2 coil inputs are for your black and white 120v wires, 1 and 2 are the switch outputs for one leg of your 240v (eg. red), and 3 and 4 are the other leg of your 240v (eg. black).

I guess I just don't understand what this device is doing, especially the coil. Having one of the hot legs jumped over to the coil sounds like it goes against what you said.


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You run each hot leg into the line side of the contactor, and out the load side of the contactor. The coil operates at 120v, so you run one hot to it, and the neutral to the other side. Since it is a normally open contactor, when the coil is not energized, no power runs from line side to load side. When the coil is energized, the circuit closes and power runs from line side to load side for both hot legs.

You control the power to the coil with a switch. I suspect the 63a contactor is for your "main power" switch, and the 25a contactor is for an element switch. When main power switch is off, you have no power from the load side of the 63a contactor to the rest of your panel. When the element switch is off, you have no power from the load side of the 25a contactor to your element.

Thanks Jeff that helps a lot.

Is the line side inputs (from power source) #2 and #4 and the load side (to the breaker/element) #1 & #3?

OatStraw said:

Thanks Jeff that helps a lot.

Is the line side inputs (from power source) #2 and #4 and the load side (to the breaker/element) #1 & #3?

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I don't think it matters, as long as you connect one hot to 1 & 2, and the other hot to 3 & 4. The coil will be opening and closing a 1-2 circuit and a 3-4 circuit, and direction shouldn't matter for an AC circuit.

As always, I am not an electrician.

It doesn't really matter. You can use 1 and 3 as an input, 2 and 4 as an output or vice versus.

Awesome! Thanks guys that helps a ton.


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Don't want to start a new thread for this question. If I'm using a 25A DIN breaker in conjunction with the 25A contactor does it also not matter which side is the input and which is the output? I'm guessing it doesn't. And I'm guessing it doesn't matter if the breaker is before or after the contactor as long as there's nothing else in the circuit besides the supply power and the elements.

I would put the breaker in front of the contactor. You want the breaker to protect the SSR and element.

Best to put the breaker before the contactor, so when the breaker is open there are no potentially hot lines downstream. If the breaker were after the contactor, and the breaker were open so that the element is not live, if you touched both lines into the contactor you would conduct 240v.

jeffmeh said:

Best to put the breaker before the contactor, so when the breaker is open there are no potentially hot lines downstream. If the breaker were after the contactor, and the breaker were open so that the element is not live, if you touched both lines into the contactor you would conduct 240v.

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Good tip, thanks!

jsmsmk said:

I would put the breaker in front of the contactor. You want the breaker to protect the SSR and element.

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This for sure.

GFCI'D 240v from wall -> Breaker -> Contactor.