Eureka Moment - Boat Horn Switch

Is your switch rated for 120v at 20 amps? Mounting a switch inside the cabinet in a surface box is fine. All you need to do is open the door, turn it on and off and you're done.

Having to open the cabinet to get to the switch is a sucky solution to me. I dont need a 20 amp rated switch as I dont have a 20 amp garbage disposal. Why not install a manual handle crank garbage disposal.... no need to get fancy with electricity

preventec47 said:

Having to open the cabinet to get to the switch is a sucky solution to me. I dont need a 20 amp rated switch as I dont have a 20 amp garbage disposal. Why not install a manual handle crank garbage disposal.... no need to get fancy with electricity

Click to expand...

While you may not have a 20 amp rated garbage disposal, your wiring is 20 amp.

Do you have a soap dispenser on your sink? You can sacrifice that and install an air powered push switch to turn the garbage disposal on and off.

The reason you need to be concerned about the amperage rating of the switch is that it can overheat and cause fires.

Although I do applaud your thinking outside the box.

Given that the switch is intended for 12V and you are using it with 120V...

Do the math on the actual current load regardless of the volts and you will see that the
12V components rate super hi with the voltage ten time higher. There is NOT a problem you will see when you check it out. Further more, the switch and connections are housed in a metal electrical box for sparks or fire AND the thing works beautifully ! I have to get out my textbook but I think when you 10 times your voltage your amps go up tenfold also.
This principle is the reason why long distance transformers use 80 thousand volts to send over relatively small wires.

As Ktownskier mentioned, we want you to do it correctly. You can also hang your poor attitude toward correctness on the door. It isn't needed and tends to only make you look bad.

preventec47 said:

no need to get fancy with electricity

Click to expand...

Indeed. These forums are littered with comments that state “sure but it works!”

If you’d invest any effort you’d realize electrical codes are for safety. Using a switch that isn’t rated for 120V is a code violation. Putting it in a box doesn’t undo that.








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

chandler48 said:

As Ktownskier mentioned, we want you to do it correctly. You can also hang your poor attitude toward correctness on the door. It isn't needed and tends to only make you look bad.

Click to expand...

I came here to find and share some brilliant solutions to problems or needs.
It is up to each individual to define what they think correctness means, and whether there may be safe effective solutions that are not code compliant
or someones idea of "correct" for whatever reason including whether they may not have been tested. I dont know if they have been tested or not and I never said the switches are not rated. I dont know.
I do know everything is contained in a metal container and it works beautifully.

I care about safe and effective. It turns out for any of the nit pickers... the
switches may be rated for 120v ..... Go do your research and let us know.

Shadow99 said:

Huh :confused1:

Current actually goes down, but their switches are different because of the higher voltage. !

Click to expand...

NO. They are not. ( always I can not be sure ) I see MANY MANY switches that mention rating for both 12v and 120v Guess how many more amps the switches are rated for when used in 120V mode?


I came here to share a safe, effective, cheap and quick solution. Anyone that likes any one of those adjectives can implement the solution for themselves. If you find another criteria you dont like then dont use it.

If "we the members" insist on conventional techniques for the sake of convention then I am in the wrong forum.

preventec47 said:

NO. They are not. ( always I can not be sure ) I see MANY MANY switches that mention rating for both 12v and 120v Guess how many more amps the switches are rated for when used in 120V mode?


I came here to share a safe, effective, cheap and quick solution. Anyone that likes any one of those adjectives can implement the solution for themselves. If you find another criteria you dont like then dont use it.

If "we the members" insist on conventional techniques for the sake of convention then I am in the wrong forum.

Click to expand...

I feel bad that you took umbrage when I and others felt the need to point out that your solution might not meet NEC code instead of fawning over your wonderful out of the box solution.

As I said in an earlier post, I applaud your out of the box thinking. It was a great idea.

Some of us thought it was not just fully thought through. Which you didn't like being pointed out.

You did come to the right forum to share ideas. And to share safe effective and quick solutions. Just not cheap ones.

But, if you can't take criticism about your ideas then, I guess perhaps not.

Because it's a motor the Code requires you have a switch rated at or above it's Horsepower rating.
Most 15 amp (only Specification Grade) switches are rated at 1/2HP @ 120V, and 20 amp rated at 1HP.

brilliant solutions to problems

Click to expand...

Not so brilliant when we bring up code violations and you insist that it "works great". So far most of your posts show your belligerent side when it comes to sane solutions, so with that said, have a safe year. I'm not going to argue more with you on it.

betelgeuse said:

Because it's a motor the Code requires you have a switch rated at or above it's Horsepower rating.
Most 15 amp (only Specification Grade) switches are rated at 1/2HP @ 120V, and 20 amp rated at 1HP.

Click to expand...

Would that apply in this situation?

Yes, a garbage disposal does have a motor but, is it really classified as a a motor for electrical code purposes? I know that it is NOT classified as an appliance.

I have a 1 1/2 hp (1.5 hp) garbage disposal. I searched for a breaker for a motor of that size and I came up with 30 amp with 10 gauge wire. The wire on the plug supplied is probably 14 gauge if that.

I am bringing this up mainly because I am curious. If this is so far out of left field, let me know and I can start it's own thread.

Thanks, Ktown

The 1.5 amps is marketing BS.

If it was a real 1.5 horsepower at running rpm, you’d be on that 30 amp circuit.

ktownskier said:

Yes, a garbage disposal does have a motor but, is it really classified as a a motor for electrical code purposes? I know that it is NOT classified as an appliance.

Click to expand...

It's nothing but a motor that drives chopping blades attached to the end.
An air compressor motor is subject to the rules and it drives pulleys, belts, and the actual compressor!

(BTW, the NEC lists a 1-1/2 HP motor @ 115V as 20A, and a garbage disposal runs over $1000)

A lot of switches have both AC and DC ratings...at times they may have the same current rating though the DC voltage will be much lower...at times the DC current will be a little lower.
The ultimate goal is to limit the amount of arcing on the contacts when turning the switch off. AC will extinguish the arc when crossing zero...DC, of course, won't...which is why DC ratings are much lower.
Another thing to consider is that this switch is providing power to an inductive load...when shut down, it'll kick back voltage possibly allowing arcing to continue...this may shorten the life of the contacts...
What would help is a spec sheet on the switch to see if it's suitable for the application...

A horn button only needs to carry the load of the horn relay's coil (less than 1 amp or 12 watts). Even a 1/3HP disposal will be 898 watts.
It's not designed for the arcing when the motor draws 7-10 times the running current when it first starts, and will burn the contacts away in short order.



It might work once or twice....but will never last.