Looking for a time delay lock out

[tyhen]

Right think you'll have to bear with me i haven't posted on a forum before

is there any way of getting a time delay switch so that after it has been on it will "lock out" for a set amount of time before it can be used again?

The reason I'm looking for this is that I own a caravan site, and on it we have a swimming pool. At present the kids will get out of the pool and stand under the electric shower for ages (sometimes up to 2 hours)

So what I was looking for was a unit which I can use to make the shower so that it will run for 1 min then turn off and stay off for 30 seconds, by which time most people get cold/fed up and go dry off/get dressed.

 

[pjcomp]

edit: Just reread question - original asnwer was dumb ....

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How about a coin-op timer controlling a contactor which switches the heating elements on?

Campsites in France have them - you can have a shower lasting as long as you like but only the first x minutes are hot.

 

[1john]

Or if you forget to take a euro with you and CBA to walk back to get one, assuming it cant be that cold you just have a bloody short freezing shower!! (I dont think I was in France though, perhaps Italy or Spain)

 

[tyhen]

Well i dont really want to charge for it, the showers in our toilet blocks are "free" and i hate it when sites make you pay for warm water, thats why you pay the pitch fees.

the shower we use in the swimming pool is meant for just rinsing really before and after going in the pool, its a household electric shower, i know how to set it up to work with a normal time delay switch (well one with a big enough amperage) but dont know how to get it to lock out

 

[tyhen]

Sorry i should point out when i say "free" what i mean is its paid for under the pitch fees, there is NO extra charge for the showers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You don't have to have the shower block ones working that way.

How long would you want to lock it out for? What if a string of people need to use it?

 

[BSBS]

You could achieve it by using an Off Delay Relay, this could involve a fair degree of re-wiring as you would need the relay to control a contactor the could switch the load of the shower, you would also need a button to activate the timer relay.

There various types of Off Delay relays you need one that once started runs its full time befor the time restarts again (type 2) however I dont know if there is one that has a reset period before you can start the timer again. you may be able to achieve that with the use of an On Delay relay wired into the circuit as well.

Its a little involved but I cant think of any other way to do it at the moment.

 

[electronicsuk]

As you'll need a contactor to control the shower anyway, just add a set of NC auxiliary contacts to activate a timer that will provide a 30 second 'on' period, and use the NC contacts of the timer relay to lock out the supply to the contactor coil.

This should work as long as the timer relay will allow the timed period to expire in spite of the input remaining in the 'on' condition.

 

[flameport]

Disconnect one of the heating elements, so the water is still warm, but not hot enough to encourage people to stand under it for a long time.

 

[1john]

Is there any way you could use a push button mixer shower rather than an instantaneous electrical one?

 

[MrTinker]

Untitled

• MrTinker
• 17 Feb 2011
• 1

should do the trick, providing the timer relay set at 1min opperates a nats chuff, before the other one.

 

[RossR]

Untitled

• MrTinker
• 17 Feb 2011
• 1

should do the trick, providing the timer relay set at 1min opperates a nats chuff, before the other one.

How about taking the trigger for the 2 minute timer from the n/o output of the 1 minute timer?

 

[RossR]

A simpler solution might be a simple timer (staircase style) that is operated by a pull switch a few meters away from the shower.