Aux Compressor Switch (inside)
I've been meaning to get around to this for a while and decided to tackle it while waiting on Aqua Hot parts. I enjoy the functionality of the HWH's auto-leveling but it inevitably kicks the compressor on at 2am every night so I wanted a way to shut it off from inside.
I went with a lighted switch that I could see from the bed incase I forgot to turn it off at night. I put it next to the other light switches below the bathroom sink.
DaierTek Waterproof Latching Push Button Switch 12V 19mm ON Off Black Metal...
The compressor has a 5 amp fuse on it and those switches are rated for 5 amps, but the wiring harness they come with had 20awg wire so I had to wire directly to the switch. I used 12 awg wire, which is enough for 5 amps at 12 meters or less and made it easier (and cheaper) than dealing with 10 awg. I had to run three wires to the switch: two to complete the positive side of the circuit and a ground for the light on the switch. Might have been able to tap into some of the other ground wires under the sink but wasn't sure if my compressor was grounded to chassis or not. Connecting the 12awg wire to the tiny terminals on the switch got a little janky but it'll work.
You'll notice that I basically just extended the wires from the existing switch on the compressor. This allows me to short circuit the new switch if I need to turn the compressor on from the outside. 99% of the time that switch will just remain off.
I wasn't super happy about having to drill through the wall in the bay area, I'd rather have just gone straight up out of the first bay but there just wasn't much room to work behind the kitchen pantry and I had other wires under the bathroom sink that I could follow as a guide.
Anyways, it's a simple mod but one I've wanted for quite a while. It beats the heck out of running outside in the cold at night because I forgot to turn it off before bed.
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