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Convector Heater Pilot Wire.

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Hellooo,

I had to relocate a small 750 Watt convector wall heater yesterday in a new house. It is of French manufacture but I have forgotten the make. The integral flex had three cores, a brown L, a blue N and a black pilot wire. The installation electrician had sleeved the black bare copper end with green/yellow sleeving which threw me a bit as the appliance is double insulated and displays the square within a square symbol. An instruction book was not available. So just what does the “pilot wire” do?

Thanks,

 

Z.

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    The French often use pilot wires to signal that off-peak tariffs are in force. Saves a lot of copper compared with separate full sized peak and off-peak supplies.  The French metering systems doesn't provide a switched off-peak supply like ours do - rather they provide access to a pair of volt-free contacts that signal peak/off-peak. The consumer then provides a low current circuit (typically on a C2 MCB) that runs back to the meter's contacts and drives pilot wires or contactors for anything that needs an off-peak supply. 

    Makes isolation easier too - since the main DP isolator still isolates everything.

    On the other hand it makes circuit protection tricker - you in effect have could have two circuits with a borrowed N to appliances that have pilot wires - so they can resort to tricks like auxiliary contacts on the circuit's normal MCB switching the pilot wire - and both circuits sharing the same RCD.

       - Andy.

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  • 0

    The French often use pilot wires to signal that off-peak tariffs are in force. Saves a lot of copper compared with separate full sized peak and off-peak supplies.  The French metering systems doesn't provide a switched off-peak supply like ours do - rather they provide access to a pair of volt-free contacts that signal peak/off-peak. The consumer then provides a low current circuit (typically on a C2 MCB) that runs back to the meter's contacts and drives pilot wires or contactors for anything that needs an off-peak supply. 

    Makes isolation easier too - since the main DP isolator still isolates everything.

    On the other hand it makes circuit protection tricker - you in effect have could have two circuits with a borrowed N to appliances that have pilot wires - so they can resort to tricks like auxiliary contacts on the circuit's normal MCB switching the pilot wire - and both circuits sharing the same RCD.

       - Andy.

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