24vac power supply current

[Scott]

Hi,

Did some searching but didn’t find what I was looking for.

Currently I have a 24vac 500ma power supply for my ospi. Purchased it two years ago. Recently decided to add a fertigation setup and control it with a zone valve. I noticed my pump relay has issues latching when certain zones are trying to start. After thinking about it for a min, I realized the two zones that have issues are zones that use two valves to run them. I have the fertigation valve come on and stay on throughout the full program on days I have it run. So basically that valve is open, 2 zone valves try to open and the pump relay tries latching and wont.

Can the board handle handle higher current? If so what size can I jump up to? 24vac 1 amp?

Thanks

[Ray]

Yes, you can use a power supply with higher amperage, as long as the output voltage is rated 24AC.

It’s a common misconception that a higher amperage (current rating) will damage the circuit: the current rating (500mA or 1amp) simply means that the power supply is capable of delivering that much current if it’s needed. The actual current draw depends on how much the circuit needs. For example, if the circuit only needs 700mA, that’s how much current the adapter will deliver (assuming its current rating is more than 700mA). If the current rating is lower, the consequence is that the adapter cannot sustain the output voltage, so either the voltage will drop significantly below 24VAC or it will simply collapse causing the controller to reboot.

[Author]

Posts