SSR keep failing, need help

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

I built a kal clone control panel, I started with a smaller heat sink and blew 2 ssr relays on the HLT side so I bought the big heat exchanger from the electric brewery and on my second batch I blew the HLT ssr again. The barn is only 45 degrees and it didn't seem like it was getting hot until the relay blew out. I bought Amazon relays from the link on the electric brewery. Any thoughts? Am I doing something wrong? Or is it a cheap batch of relays. Electric brewing supply has ssr's that look the same as the ones I have and they rebrand them so who knows where they came from. Auber Instruments has them and they look much higher quality but they are $20-30 and if it's something else I'd rather not blow them too. Thanks

Tungsten · Joined: 06 Dec 2014 Posts: 318 Location: Buffalo, NY

What brand SSR was it?

Really hard to tell without seeing your setup if anything's wrong, but there aren't a lot of things that could go wrong. Are the SSRs flush with the heatsink? Did you use any thermal compound (I don't think it should matter much, but it would help).

huaco · Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 1506 Location: Burleson Texas

I'd go with the Auber relays. Yeah, they are a bit pricey, but you've likely spent that much in time and money replacing your old ones.

I may be mistaken, but I believe the links here on the site only take you to the proper search results. Not any particular vendor selling a prescribed part.

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

Going to an 80 amp relay wouldn't help would it?

Tungsten · Joined: 06 Dec 2014 Posts: 318 Location: Buffalo, NY

Foteks can be very, very hit-or-miss. Some people have great luck with them - others not so much.

There was recently a thread somewhere about some of them being fraudulently made somewhere in China (with a link to the UL website) but I can't remember if it was here or over at HBT.

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

Just ordered the Auber ones, I'll try to remember to post back after a couple of brew days. Thanks for the help

**kal** · Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:31 pm Post subject:

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

**kal** · Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 9:42 pm Post subject:

No worries - pictures aren't needed unless you want to confirm. Sounds like you got a dud or two which is unfortunate. As others have mentioned the Foteks can be hit or miss.

Kal

Paulusatp · Joined: 23 Nov 2015 Posts: 5

The Fotek issues are ubiquitous on the Internet. Luckily mine failed during the cleaning cycle and not in the midst of brewing. I just ordered an Auber Instruments 40 Amp SSR. I will keep you all posted.

OldPikeBrewery · Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Posts: 7 Location: Holland, MI

UPDATE: 4 batches in and no issues with the Auber Instrument SSRs. I did 3 back to back batches really giving them a work out and it was all good. I'm assuming the cheap relays were the culprit. Thanks for the help to all! I will report back if one fails but it's looking up!

Paulusatp · Joined: 23 Nov 2015 Posts: 5

I installed an Auber SSR (40A)
I did two batches and a subsequent cleaning cycle: it's still working.
Go Auber.

Lakeside · Joined: 14 Dec 2015 Posts: 2 Location: Atlanta Metro

Silly question but how did you know they blew other than the obvious the Heating Element would not fire?

Did you let the Smoke Out or nice burning plastic smell?

Paulusatp · Joined: 23 Nov 2015 Posts: 5

The LED stopped lighting up.
I took the SSR out, and bench tested it with a multimeter and a 9V battery. As control I used a similar relay and subjected it to the same test. That one worked.

Lakeside · Joined: 14 Dec 2015 Posts: 2 Location: Atlanta Metro

Ah good ole trial and error when the Blinky Light stopped blinking.
I've never worked with SSR and PID's until lately.
I know quite a bit about Mechanical Relays etc, hence my question.

Thanks

Paulusatp · Joined: 23 Nov 2015 Posts: 5

Same here. It's a rather quick learning curve though, and my frugality bit me (again). I will avoid buying Chinese (except for the food).

Mike614 · Joined: 04 Jan 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Columbus, OH

As reported by another member (http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28543), many of the Fotek SSRs are counterfeit. Underwriters Laboratory issued a warning:

https://ul.com/newsroom/publicnotices/ul-warns-of-solid-state-relay-with-counterfeit-ul-recognition-mark-release-13pn-52/

I bought a "Fotek" (mine is one of the counterfeit ones) through an Amazon 3rd party seller three years ago. I had planned a project that never materialized. I was about to use it in a brew controller for my son when I saw the report linked above. I just ordered a Crydon D2450 from DigiKey for about $50. That's a lot more than I paid for the Fotek, but I'm pretty sure this is the real thing.

This is really disconcerting, because faking the UL certification label on a high current electrical device can be very serious.