[AT] What is a Relay?
Phil Auten
pga2 at hot1.net
Sun Dec 12 13:21:02 PST 2004
Ricky,
You wire the relay coil up to the light circuit and then use a heavy wire
through the relay contacts hooked to a fused 12V source
to run the lights. Then, when you turn on the lights, only the current for
the coil goes through the light switch. That is usually 1 Amp or less,
depending on the relay. Be sure to check the current draw of your trailer
lights, including the brake lights, and get a relay
with contacts that will handle at least 50% more than needed in case of a
problem. That way the fuse will blow and the relay won't melt or weld the
contacts.
Phil
At 09:03 AM 12/10/04, you wrote:
>How does a Relay switch work? My lights on my truck went out. It burned
>up the plug that goes into the switch. I rewired it. My Mechanic said I
>need to install a relay so when I hook up my trailer lights it won't burn
>up the plug again. I am wondering what I need. The wiring in the old
>dodge is not heavy enough to handle all the amps the trailer lights
>draw. I hope I made this clear. Thanks, Ricky
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