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Trying to use motorized backdraft dampers

Drop That Sound

Well-known member
I picked up a bunch of 6" motorized dampers awhile back, at my local building salvage center, brand new (in the boxes anyway). The are all normally closed but figure i could modify a few to be open somehow. They have the standard old school motors and were missing the transformers though and so I talked the guy down to $15 a piece! Figured no big deal I can always upgrade to new actuators someday, and a few tweaks to the gaskets and they'll be tight.

When looking for transformers I seen this: https://www.amazon.com/Elk-TRG2440-24VAC-Transformer-Fuse/dp/B0007N5LJK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1506396261&sr=8-6&keywords=24v+transformer
610YEgs03bL._SL1200_.jpg


Any one know if one of those could power 2 actuator motors at the same time? Could plug directly into a 120 volt controller or receptical..

Anyways I've been racking my brain for over a year now trying to design a super hybrid all season automated climate system for my mobile garden, that utilizes multiple dampers, a crap load of temp controllers, a homemade triple core HRV, and a hybrid air handler system with a glycol res chilled via a chiller and also a geothermal coil looped in a nearby creek. I want to be able to condition and recirculate my sealed flower rooms hoods back to other areas of the garden, and vice versa, while having the ability to switch between active, passive, or sealed, or a combo between all rooms at any givin time. The incoming winter air will flow through a seperate core or HRV so I hopefully won't have any condensation issues. Its proving to be difficult to figure it all out and without spending thousands, and I can only think about it so long before I have to take a break from the drawing board. Keep in mind it's my small personal hobby garden, but I dream of having the most efficient, sophisticated, complete DIY climate system money can't even buy..

I've even considered at one point building custom 3-way damper boxes from scratch, using an old electic drill modified into a linear actuator, with some threaded rod and a few other easy to find parts. Or how about a 12v pop-up headlight actuator from a junk car, could maybe even use the existing relay system to operate it! One box instead of 2 expensive HD dampers, that does the same thing for dang near free if you have the ability to scrounge and make it work...
 

DocTim420

The Doctor is OUT and has moved on...
...Any one know if one of those could power 2 actuator motors at the same time? Could plug directly into a 120 volt controller or receptical..

The sticker on the Suncourt 6" damper says 24VAC 0.25 AMPS. The actuator says 24VAC 6 WATTS (which is the same as 0.25 amps).

To calculate amps for the transformer in your pic, use this formula: 40 VA / 24 Volts = 1.67 amps. Theoretically, it should work...the transformer Suncourt uses is rated 24VAC 15VA (equivalent to 0.625 amps).
 
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