No output from my SSR

[chrisu]

Today me and my friends built ourselves a small homebrewery setup. Everything but the SSR worked like a charm at first power up. Our setup is a Sestos D1S-VR PID and a Fotek SSR that feeds the heater in the kettle, but the problem is that we dont get any heat in the kettle. We tried to locate the problem by measuring the voltages. The PID gives out 12VDC to the SSR and the "Output" light is shining on the PID. The SSR receives the 12VDC and the a red light is shining besides the input text on the SSR. We also measured that the SSR is feed with 230VAC as it should be.

So how we see it, the SSR is faulty because the relay should close when it recieves the 12VDC control signal from the PID and then feed the heater. But I want to double check with you guys if there could be something with the PID settings or something else that we are not thinking of?

I can give more details if needed.

 

[MX1]

are you driving a heating element with the SSR?

is what you are trying to power grounded correctly???

 

[doug293cz]

Today me and my friends built ourselves a small homebrewery setup. Everything but the SSR worked like a charm at first power up. Our setup is a Sestos D1S-VR PID and a Fotek SSR that feeds the heater in the kettle, but the problem is that we dont get any heat in the kettle. We tried to locate the problem by measuring the voltages. The PID gives out 12VDC to the SSR and the "Output" light is shining on the PID. The SSR receives the 12VDC and the a red light is shining besides the input text on the SSR. We also measured that the SSR is feed with 230VAC as it should be.

So how we see it, the SSR is faulty because the relay should close when it recieves the 12VDC control signal from the PID and then feed the heater. But I want to double check with you guys if there could be something with the PID settings or something else that we are not thinking of?

I can give more details if needed.

Can you provide a schematic of your controller. That will help with diagnosis.

Brew on

 

[chrisu]

My Paint skills ain't the best, but here's a test.

The heater has been tested by feeding it directly without a relay or anything else inbetween and this way we got it to heat.

 

[doug293cz]

My Paint skills ain't the best, but here's a test.

The heater has been tested by feeding it directly without a relay or anything else inbetween and this way we got it to heat.

For a 240V system, you should have Line 1 (phase 1) going thru the SSR to the element, and Line 2 (phase 2) going to the other side of the element. There should be no neutral connected to the element, only Line 1, Line 2 and ground (to the element enclosure.)

Brew on

 

[day_trippr]

^All that is totally correct - but they'd still get some output (25%?) from the element if the SSR was working. Should be hot enough to hurt.

If everything stated is on-target, I'd say the SSR is either toast, or the gate voltage it needs is well above 12VDC. Verify the specs?

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

^All that is totally correct - but they'd still get some output (25%?) from the element if the SSR was working. Should be hot enough to hurt.

If everything stated is on-target, I'd say the SSR is either toast, or the gate voltage it needs is well above 12VDC. Verify the specs?

Cheers!

Hope they're not testing for the element heating by touching it! If they were trying to heat up a large volume of water at 25% (or less) of expected power, then it might seem like nothing was happening (at least not very quickly.)

Brew on

 

[Maxkling]

For a 240V system, you should have Line 1 (phase 1) going thru the SSR to the element, and Line 2 (phase 2) going to the other side of the element. There should be no neutral connected to the element, only Line 1, Line 2 and ground (to the element enclosure.)

Brew on

He is prolly not in the us and is single phase 230... So it would be wired correct.

 

[day_trippr]

He is prolly not in the us and is single phase 230... So it would be wired correct.

Brilliant. The hosting site for the OP's images is in Finland.

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

He is prolly not in the us and is single phase 230... So it would be wired correct.

Didn't think of that. It's awfully easy to get trapped in parochial thinking.

Brew on

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

Sounds like a bad SSR. Usually you hear about these things failing closed, but I guess they can fail open too.

 

[chrisu]

Yes, I'm from Finland so we have only single phase. Sorry that I forgot to mention that. But it seems like the common thought here is that it is a component failure. I will buy a new relay next week, hopefully I have better luck with that one.

Thank you all for your help. I will try to write some posts here about our homebrewery project and its development a bit later, too much to do at the moment.

 

[MX1]

So, and one point, I had thought my SSR was bad as well, turns out, the pos/neg leads were reversed.....

 

[doug293cz]

So, and one point, I had thought my SSR was bad as well, turns out, the pos/neg leads were reversed.....

Did the LED on the SSR light up even tho the pos/neg were reversed? I wouldn't expect them to, but it's possible to create a circuit that will light an LED regardless of polarity.

Brew on

 

[MX1]

to be honest, I can not remember....but there is a thread on here somewhere, let me see if I can find it.

T