Leviton H.A. & Trace SW compatibility [RE-wrenches]

[Lynne A Carter]

Jef
When you  say     >"We have "noise" problems that makes contact very
difficult across inverter.  I.E. loads on AC grid side cir. bkr. panel of
inverter
> "hearing" X-10 signals from devices on downstream side of inverter

Have you looked for grounding (loops or breaks or islands) for all systems;
Electrical and Phone etc. ?

Lyn at solarvillage.com
Solar Village Institute inc.
PO Box 14
Saxapahaw, NC  27340
Tel. 336-376-9530
Fax. 336-376-1809
www.solarvillage.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff Yago <jryago at erols.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 10:00 AM
Subject: RE: Leviton H.A. & Trace SW compatibility [RE-wrenches]


> When I built my 3,400 sq.ft. solar pv home (Featured in HomePower
> Issue #50)in 1994 I wanted major automation controls.  At that time
> there was not much available out there so I had to do lots of custom
> wiring.  Later, newer products like Leviton Home Automation equipment
> came out which I added or replaced older equipment.
>
> I have 58 "points" of control including greenhouse watering system,
> interior and exterior lights, HVAC equipment, appliance outlets, whole
> house sound system, speakers in 9 rooms.  Everything is controlled
> from any of 10 phones in the house and a wireless remote in each car.
> We can call house while away and enter codes to reset wall thermostat
> or water flowers, etc.
>
> Advice - I would NOT combine with inverter system if I had to do it
> all over again although it works fine - now:
>
> 1.  Initial system was on two Trace 2624 inverters(modified sine wave)
> and our X-10 exterior motion controlled lights caught fire!!
>
> 2.  EVERY X-10 wall switch in the house were HOT to the touch through
> the plastic covers and consuming lots of energy too. (also potential
> fire hazard)
>
> 3. When we replaced inverters with SW4024 sine wave inverter, most of
> the overheating problems went away and no more smoke!!  However,  many
> if not most of the X-10 products are made in China and at two quality
> levels.  Do NOT buy the X-10 remote control products from Radio Shack
> or Lowes.  Most of these wall switches and outlets sell for around
> $12.00 to $15.00 and they are a waste of money.  Most in this price
> range use a solid state device for switching and it defaults to full
> "on" after each power interruption (switching to generator or grid).
> The devices in the $48.00 price range utilize a mechanical two
> position relay that stays in its last position during a power
> interruption.
>
> 4.  We have "noise" problems that makes contact very difficult across
> inverter.  I.E. loads on AC grid side cir. bkr. panel of inverter
> "hearing" X-10 signals from devices on downstream side of inverter.
>
> 5.  In closing, the expensive high quality X-10 equipment will work
> with a sine wave inverter, but each device has a standby loss of about
> 1 to 2 watts each.  My advise - tie a string to your light switch and
> forget the remote controls!
>
> Jeff Yago
>
>
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