Elk M1 for temp security during construction -- lighting control?

[nick_l]

Good thoughts. The footprint of the house won't change and isn't very big (~800 square feet). The contractor is finishing up two similar jobs with mutual friends and he flies. I've seen his work and I've known him for 17 years. I've checked with my homeowners insurer and will buy a course of construction endorsement that will cover everything even though the house will be vacant. I have a detached garage where I can store some stuff, and I can segregate the plumbing stack / electrical in the basement from the rest of it where I'll store the rest. But since I'm getting the alarm anyway, I would like to put it to use and get a little more peace of mind during construction. Not as to the contractor and his crew (whom I trust completely), but for night time when they're off the site.

Sounds like you have everything well thought out. I will make one other suggestion, invest in a few good security lights. If the work area is well lit at night, on all sides, you will be much less likely to have trouble.

Good Luck

 

[ntaylor]

Thanks everyone, for their help. I went with the relay solution suggested earlier and it works great. Doing this test setup has indeed taught me a ton about the unit itself and is going to make the final installation much less stressful and error-prone. Highly recommended for any other newbies.

BTW, I thought code prohibited high voltage and low voltage cable in the same box. If so, how can one legitimately use a relay like I've done here to control a 110V load?

 

[Steve]

BTW, I thought code prohibited high voltage and low voltage cable in the same box. If so, how can one legitimately use a relay like I've done here to control a 110V load?

It does, but it really depends on the AHJ. At the very minimum the sheath on the LV wire must be rated for HV (600V). In a case like this I would use a RIB (Relay In a Box) mounted into one of the holes in the box and route the LV connection out an adjacent hole and make the connections outside the box. You will just have a short amount of sheathed wire in the box and it is properly rated.