Solid State Relays

RDWHAHB · Oct 28, 2009

Quick question. Why does everybody here use Solid State Relays. Good old electromechanical relays work good for me.

SSR last longer, but I could not fathom wearing out a EM relay on a brew rig.
SSR has no spark, but I'm not making a CLass I, Div 1/2 brewery

What am I missing?

weirdboy · Oct 28, 2009

Maybe the same reason people use semiconductor transistors instead of vacuum tubes.

Better/smaller packaging, higher duty cycle, more robust, less likely to break. Also mechanical relays can get sticky.

Just a guess. I haven't even seen a mechanical relay in consumer-level electronics since I was in high school.

RDWHAHB · Oct 28, 2009

Fair enough. Most of my experience is in industrial automation. We use a lot of EM relays. I know nothing about consumer electronics. I might just be behind the times too. That's hardly new teritory for me.
Jeff

Sawdustguy · Oct 28, 2009

Probably the reason you have not seen many SSR's is because the max is like 50 amps. If you need to switch big time current contactors are still king.

drez77 · Oct 28, 2009

Here is a stupid reason but I did not want to hear the clicking when the contacts were energized. I like my setup nice and quiet.

RDWHAHB · Oct 28, 2009

I am thinking of the controls side. We use relays with up to 10amp contacts. And don't use anything close to the 10 amp. Maybe it is because the mechanical relays cause less & are less suseptable to electrical noise.

Bobby_M · Oct 28, 2009

Ok, well if you're trying to run your boil at 50% power via an electric element, your EM is going to be clicking for the entire 60 minute boil.

Solid State Relays

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