augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
But it is made of commercial use ssr's,pids and switches designed for commercial grade enclosures thats my point, when these things were designed contact with wood was not considered, they were designed with the notion that they would be in an enclosure approved for them...OK, if you want to be technical you raise valid issues, to a point. Wood is not a normal electrical material - I think we all know that. It is easy to work with that simple. Myself, I use a re-tasked heavy plastic Makita tool case for 2 reasons. 1) I had it and 2) it was easy to cut for PID's. It was to be my mockup because after building it I decided I didn't like the layout and was able to change it easily. I have revised it several times to the point where I actually replaced the front panel with a steel plate with what I thought was my final revision. Wrong.
As for ul listed, that and a $2.50 will get you a coffee. I can't even begin to count how many UL listed devices and cords I have had short out and be potential fire hazards. The insurance comment is irrelevant, UL enclosure or not won't make a difference, it's the license of the installer that really matters. This is DIY for home brewing, not commercial grade equipment. There is a difference. With me it's not about cutting corners, it's about getting creative. As to Auberins, a few extra dollars is fine if I can get support easier.
These types of components,devices are not designed with a homebrewer (or home use) in mind... Just because they are installed and being used in a home doesnt change the nature of what they were designed and built for and those requirements should be taken into account unless common sense proves its unnecessary,
I repair large commercial imaging equipment and if I brought one home to print in my basement that doesnt mean that its now a home appliance and subject to new precautions?
I have had no issues with support... I had one issue with a faulty 24v powersupply and the ebay seller 2nd aired a free replacement with no questions asked... as for a switch,ssr or three wire color coded sensor what kind of support do you really need? you could buy two or three of everything and have extras if there was a problem and still come out ahead. With those kind of prices your almost better off paying someone else to build it and really support it. Especially if you feel you need to pay someone to show you how to install it. there is endless amount of directions, diagrams/schematics and places like this one which are here for support...
In any case paying all that money through aubrins and using a wooded box is like overpaying for expensive hyped up "monstercables" for your bargain basement low power/ quality hometheater system... its just not practical IMHO.
I have no love for the politics and money making practices that have evolved from what started out with good intentions (electrical approval boards) but like government they are still useful in some cases for weeding out potential unsafe conditions and they do perform testing (I hope!) besides being paid to come to these conclusions so...