When buying products of an electronic nature it is always a good idea to check the instructions on the website of the manufacturer to ensure that it is the best product that suits your application and wiring configuration.
At the Elkay we receive calls on a daily bases from customers who have not checked before purchasing leading to trouble when installing their products. To help our customers understand better here are a couple of examples of mistakes we have identified people have made when not reading or follow our instructions correctly;
1. An electronic switch is not like an ordinary switch. It has to be wired with the power off. This is true for ordinary switches but there are a great number of electricians that wire live! Wiring an electronic switch with the power on causes arcing at the terminals and can damage the electronic components inside the unit.
2. Two wire switches have a battery inside which is switched on at dip switch 4 on all two wire Elkay products. Two wire switches must have a permanent 24 hour power supply, once the battery is switched ON, then if the supply is to be interrupted for any period of time, the battery switch should be returned to the off position. The two wire products can latch themselves back to the mains, if power is lost for short periods, but in the case of installs to areas where the power supply is going to be switched off at regular intervals then a three wire switch would be more suitable.
So at Elkay we always recommend our customers read the instructions on our website or in the product before installing or if you are unsure call Elkay Technical and check the product will do exactly what you want before you even purchase it. Elkay can be contacted between 8.30 and 4.45 Monday to Friday on 01675 468222.