Master solenoid gets hot

[drakerv]

Has anyone noticed their master solenoid getting hot while testing panel instruments and radios on the ground. Thanks
Marc

[SteinAir]

Don't worry.....it's quite common.

Cheers,
Stein.

[glenmthompson]

Yep, normal..Every one I have seen gets really warm. Ever wonder why the battery runs down so fast with the master is left on, and nothing powered?
The heat worried me the first time I saw it too. (Almost as hot as an RV-10 tunnel...haha..sorry, could not resist.
Glen

[gmcjetpilot]

Yea it draws 3/4 to 1 amp at 14.5 volts. That is 11-14 watts. It kind of sucks to use all that electricity to just hold the battery contactor.

I looked into 5 ways to eliminate this device or replace it, but bottom line it is cheap, works and is pretty fail safe. You can upgrade to a kilovac $150 magnetic semi-latching heavy duty relay, which only uses milliamps to remain close, but not sure it's worth it. Just the nature of the beast.