Need help with my fireplace

[roddie]

@bamarayne

The three prong grounded extension cord… has 3 wires in it. One goes to common (hot), one goes to neutral, and one goes to ground.

I know which wire is the ground, but I’m not seeing anywhere in your wiring or on the switch/relay where the ground is connected (I don’t have either component in my hand physically, yet - I ordered everything, including the multimeter, last night).

Thanks!
Roddie

[bamarayne (Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)]

@roddie

I know which wire is the ground, but I’m not seeing anywhere in your wiring or on the switch/relay where the ground is connected (I don’t have either component in my hand physically, yet - I ordered everything, including the multimeter, last night).

Thanks!Roddie

ok… I’m going to have to pull the thing out from under the fire place and check it out

[roddie]

@bamarayne

ok… I’m going to have to pull the thing out from under the fire place and check it out

No rush! The relay won’t get here from Hong Kong for at least a month. If you do get around to verifying, though, please try to post some pics. I appreciate it!

[pigsknlava]

@bamarayne @ts1234

Ok so I have purchased the relay (uxcell HH52P 110/120VAC Coil DPDT 8 Pins Electromagnetic Power Relay w DYF08A Base) and a smart switch. I have read through this a million times and everytime I think I’ve got it, I get confused somewhere. You two seem to have gotten me the closest to understanding, but these posts are very old. Hopefully you guys can still help. Using the diagram and explanation, my assumptions/questions are (please correct me if I am wrong):

1. I assume the line and neutral shown in the diagram going to the GE switch are the extension cord (I also assume the ground of the extension cord will go to the ground of the switch).
2. I understand the connection between the load on the switch with 14 on the relay.
3. I do not understand the common connected to 13 on the relay. Where does the other end connect to? Or was I wrong in #1 and the common is the ground wire coming from the extension cord? I have read that a common is sometimes like the ground and sometimes like the neutral. Since the neutral is already connected to the switch, is it the ground?
4. Then it seems like I cut the low voltage wires that previously connected to the original low voltage wall switch and connect these to 8 & 12 on the relay or 4 & 12 according to bamarayne. Is there a difference between connecting 8-12 or 4-12?
5. On my setup, the two wires from the switch come in underneath the fireplace and one connects to the controller/electronics of the fireplace and the other goes back out the opposite side of the fireplace. I assume that the one connecting to the controller goes to 12 and the one exiting back out the side goes to 8 on the relay?

Any help would be appreciated!

[ts1234 (Tom)]

It’s been way too long since I thought about this and am absolutely not qualified to give advice so take all this at your own risk…

1. If in the wall use standard in wall electrical cable as per local code…not an extension cord.
2. Just to show what I don’t know…I am guessing that should say neutral not common.

Other than that I just remember wiring it the way it is in the drawing on mine. This is for a gas fireplace…so please be sure what you’ve done.

As a side note…I don’t come here often anymore as I am converting to Homeseer and at some point will post why.

[Navat604 (R.)]

@pigsknlava

I do not understand the common connected to 13 on the relay. Where does the other end connect to? Or was I wrong in #1 and the common is the ground wire coming from the extension cord? I have read that a common is sometimes like the ground and sometimes like the neutral. Since the neutral is already connected to the switch, is it the ground?

Just for the purpose of this drawing. That common on terminal 13 is going to Neutral.

@pigsknlava

Then it seems like I cut the low voltage wires that previously connected to the original low voltage wall switch and connect these to 8 & 12 on the relay or 4 & 12 according to bamarayne. Is there a difference between connecting 8-12 or 4-12?

This is depending on how you want to control the fire place with the Z-Wave switch.
12 & 4 = Normally closed contact
12 & 8 = Normally opened contact
If you want to turn on the fireplace when the Z-Wave switch is ON. Then you would use 12&8. Because when there is voltage at the load of your Z-Wave. The relay energized and 12&8 will close.
12&4 is the opposite of the above statement.