What's the difference?

A major difference between the typical ac contactor and the SureSwitch is the fact that the SureSwitch has built-in protective functions to protect the compressor and other parts of the cooling system. A typical contactor is simply on or off depending on whether power is supplied to its control coil or not while the SureSwitch combines an electronic protection module that monitors the system and shuts off the unit when it sees potentially damaging conditions. It also has built-in diagnostic lights to help in troubleshooting the system and the control stores the operating history of the unit.

The SureSwitch uses a microprocessor to control the switching and to operate the switch at the low point of the AC sine wave which virtually eliminates contact pitting and welding.

Another big difference is the fact that the SureSwitch is completely sealed which eliminates the possibility of pests getting into the contactor and stopping it from operating properly.

What about the cost and time to payback?

The SureSwitch will normally cost about two to three times the price of a standard contactor but it will last between four and five times longer. (The standard contactor will be around $20 while the Sureswitch will be about $50)

When figuring the time to payback, one must also take into account the fact that this switch could potentially save a compressor from failure which would cost thousands of dollars to replace.

What is the air conditioner contactor upgrade process?

To upgrade from the standard contactor to the SureSwitch, you must first make sure that it is appropriate. The rating on the sureSwitch is 30 amps full load which will replace just about all of the contactors in newer residential ac systems but some of the older systems have compressors that draw more power than that. Also, the unit will replace all single pole contactors in ac or heat pump units but there are rare occasions where it will not work to replace a two pole contactor.

Once you have ensured that the air conditioner contactor upgrade is appropriate for your system, the process is very easy at it uses universal mounting and has a wiring adapter. You can purchase the SureSwitch from Amazon and, by watching our contactor replacement video, you can easily do it yourself and save.

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