Transformers wiring

[rooky]

I would like to wire two transformers both Pri: 120 Volts ,. Sec: 24 Volts. in order to get 48 volts at the low side. Should I just wire the primaries in parallel and the secondaries in series? Or do I need to be concerned with polarities ( Additive or substartive ). I'm bringing this thread because of the fact that one of my co-workers said to me that he found two transformers in this system and that the contactor ( outdoor unit ) was making a lot of noise because its coil was at 60 Volts Ac. From where this 60 volts comes from ? I kept on telling him that the max. Secondary voltage he could get is 48 volts from these two transformes..right ? Or I'm Wrong. All I need to prove this is to hook these two transformers that I'm talking about but I can't come up with the time to do it.
Thanks for your help, ahead of time.
Rooky.

[absrbrtek]

The system youve got has dual transformers, ones for heat and ones for AC. You need a split subase for this aplication. Ask at the supply house and see if you can buy a 48V compressor contactor. Normaly when I find these messes Ill change it to a single trans at the heater and junk the second one. Its usually quicker to rewire it using one trans then dik around trying to figure out who butchered up what. JMHO

[tlcartman]

just remember to put fuses in the circuit so as not to burn up the transformers. transformers aren't like batteries you can't just hook them what ever way you want to. the 60 volts could be coming from a feed back, or a transformer breaking down.

[Milk man]

I've never tried this but if you put two transformers in parallel and phased correctly you can add the VA.

[beenthere]

Before trying this, go and check the coil voltage yourself.

I think abs gave you the right answer.

[condenseddave]

Originally posted by beenthere
Before trying this, go and check the coil voltage yourself.

I think abs gave you the right answer.


He did. At least, that's what I would do. I see no good reason to run two xformers on warm air/ac in 99% of the cases. It adds nothing to the overall system except spaghetti.

[dbacmc]

what kind of system is it (gas) fan limit may have been changed. they have a jumper that should be remove on a four wire hook up. this will feed high voltage to low voltage side of system.

[corny]

Originally posted by rooky
I would like to wire two transformers both Pri: 120 Volts ,. Sec: 24 Volts. in order to get 48 volts at the low side. Should I just wire the primaries in parallel and the secondaries in series? Or do I need to be concerned with polarities ( Additive or substartive ). I'm bringing this thread because of the fact that one of my co-workers said to me that he found two transformers in this system and that the contactor ( outdoor unit ) was making a lot of noise because its coil was at 60 Volts Ac. From where this 60 volts comes from ? I kept on telling him that the max. Secondary voltage he could get is 48 volts from these two transformes..right ? Or I'm Wrong. All I need to prove this is to hook these two transformers that I'm talking about but I can't come up with the time to do it.
Thanks for your help, ahead of time.
Rooky.


yep...you can wire two 24 volt transformers in series and get 48 volts.....more under no load conditions as most transformers produce anywhere from 26-28 volts no load. If the transformers are not exactly the same or even if they are the same...the VA rating will be only as good as that of the lesser transformer....two 40 va transformers in series will give you 48 volts but the VA rating is still 40

Now if you take those same two 40 transformers and wire the secondaries in parallel you will have the equivelent of a 24 volt 80 VA transformer.....

Though I dont know why you would ever want or need to...you can also wire the secondary of transformer in series with the primary and boost the voltage by the amount of the secondary.... a 120 pri/24 volt sec becomes a 144 volt autotransformer...by phasing the windings differently this same transformer can be used to buck the voltage down by 24 volts...making it roughly an 86 volt autotransformer......

If this system has two transformers and they are tied together...something is wrong...Ive seen the old mobile home units done like this but the secondaries never come into contact with each other.......the thermostat keeps them seperated....looks like someone either did some wiring wrong......or something....

[54regcab]

Actually the VA for 2 transformers wired in series WOULD go up. VA = Volts X Amps. If voltage doubles and current remains constant VA doubles.

[oil-2-4-6-gas]

how is he testing the transformer --r-c or each leg individually to ground

[sigma]

Rooky,


What kind of system was your co-worker talking about.
Noisy contactor usually is caused by supplied voltage
much bellow coil rated voltage.
If this coil was rated for 24 V, then 60 V would release
magic smoke from it.
Something is telling me that this is not a residential system, and coil is rated for 120 V.

[klyons20]

What is the purpose for wanting 48 volts. Sound like its not hooked up right.. pull the jumper off the t-stat if you are running 2 transfomers. RC & RH. This seperates the heat and the cool side. I dont think the transformer will survive being tied together.

It would be eisier to use only one transformer.

regards,
Klyons20

[sigma]

Originally posted by klyons20
What is the purpose for wanting 48 volts.

Rooky’s question was how to wire two 24V
transformers and get 48 V out of this combination,
just to prove that this is possible. He does not want to use
it in the system. He also wants to know where this 60 V
came from. Unless he asks his co-worker more question
about this system, we all will be guessing.

[klyons20]

With no load on the circut.. You could easy get 60 volts.

regards,
Klyons20

[sigma]

Originally posted by rooky
the contactor ( outdoor unit ) was making a lot of noise because its coil was at 60 Volts Ac.


He had a load.

[hungry]

aren't 2 tr wired together because a single tr can't handle the systems VA requirement. Also, they should be in phase correct?

[rooky]

Hi! I've been lost fro the forum for a good time. We had been busy ( very unusuall for Fiarfax, VA ) this time of the year. We have been installing ( I' installer Helper ) furnaces and Heat pumps like crazy.
The reason why I asked this question about the two transformers was more like to learn more. I recently ( last week ) got two identical Tyco 7242 120 Pri & 24Sec 60 HZ 10 VA transformers ( we use them to install Aprilaire Humidifiers... yes I installed the fuse and a switch )and wired them in parallel ( primaries ) and the secondaries in series.I measured about 57 volts at the ( If you have te two transformers facing you, I connected the two middle low side terminals together and I measured the voltage at the outer two terminals ) low side of it.
Thanks again for all the replys I really learn from you guys.
Rooky.

[fat eddy]

Ok,

take your co-workers meter and change the battery in it then give him your meter then take him to the unit where he measured 60 volts, if you both then measure 60 volts on the same terminals that he previously did then make sure the unit is grounded properly, if you still measure 60 volts there is something terribly wrong, and you need to troubleshoot that, not conduct silly experiments with transformers.

[live365]

nothin better than watching your only or last transformer start to smoke

[eglide99]

Originally posted by live365
nothin better than watching your only or last transformer start to smoke

Is there any way to recapture the "magic smoke" ? Hate that smell too... he he