Question
I have read a lot about the X10 POWERHOUSE system but how does it actually work?
Answer
The system consists of a range of different types of Controllers for different applications: Manual Controllers, Timers, Telephone Responder, Computer Interface, etc. All of these Controllers send digitally encoded signals on your existing house wiring (you don?t have to re-wire your house). These signals are received by plug-in Modules into which you plug the lamps and appliances to be controlled. You set each Module to a different letter and number which corresponds to the signals transmitted by the Controllers. There are also Wall Switch Modules for controlling outside lights and ceiling lights; you install these just like a regular dimmer. You need a Module for each light or appliance you want to control.

Question
I hear a click when the Appliance Module turns on but not when the Lamp Module turns on. What is the difference between the Lamp Module and the Appliance Module?
Answer
The Appliance Module contains an electro-mechanical relay (hence the click) to control TV?s, stereos, coffee pots etc. The Lamp Module contains a solid state switch called a Triac. This allows the Lamp Module to dim and brighten incandescent lamps (up to 300 watts). You should use the Appliance Module for fluorescent lamps which cannot be dimmed, but note that the Appliance Module does not respond to the All Lights On code.

Question
I have read in some of X10?s owner?s manuals that you shouldn?t use the Wall Switch Module to control an outlet. Realizing that I would void my warranty if I damaged the Module, I decided to try it anyway- and it worked! I replaced the wall switch next to the bedroom door which controls the bedside lamp plugged into an outlet behind my bed. Why does X10 advise against doing this?
Answer
What you have done works perfectly well and there is no risk of damaging the Wall Switch Module as long as it is only controlling your bedside lamp. The Wall Switch Module is designed to control incandescent lights only (up to 500 watts) and can be damaged if used to control anything else. If you use the Wall Switch Module to control an outlet, it is possible that someone may at some time unplug the lamp from the controlled outlet and plug something else in, a vacuum cleaner for example. This would damage the Module and/or the vacuum cleaner. This is why X10 doesn?t recommend using the Wall Switch Module to control an outlet. If, as in your case, the outlet is behind a bed or other piece of furniture and you are sure that there is no possibility of something else being plugged into the outlet, then it is O.K. to use the Wall Switch Module.

Question
The rating label on X10?s Appliance Module says that it is rated at 15 Amps but that it can be used for controlling lamps up to 500 Watts. I have some knowledge of electrical theory and know that Ohm?s Law states that Watts = Volts x Amps. Therefore as 120 x 15 = 1800, surely the Appliance Module should be able to control up to 1800 Watts. Please will you explain this discrepancy?
Answer
Your understanding of Ohm?s Law is correct. The Appliance Module is rated at 15 Amps resistive. That means it will control up to 1800 Watts of resistive type loads such as heaters, coffee pots, electric blankets, crock pots etc. However, a lamp is a different story. When an incandescent lamp is first turned on it?s filament is cold and as you may also be aware, resistance increases with temperature. The resistance of the filament is therefore initially lower than it is when the bulb is hot (up to 10 times lower). A 500 Watt lamp consumes about 4 Amps of current but the "inrush" current when the bulb is cold can be up to 10 times higher than this. The Appliance Module is designed to handle this inrush current but the contacts of the relay in the Appliance Module would weld themselves together if the inrush current was too high. This is why the Appliance Module is limited to 500 Watts for lamps. The Split Receptacle Module (SR227, HAS-2040) is rated at 15 Amps unconditional i.e. it will control 15 Amps of ANY kind of load.

Question
I have an X10 POWERHOUSE Timer and have my lights and appliances set to go on and off at specific times during the day. Can I over-ride the times I have set and turn something on from the Mini Controller? If I do this will the Timer Still turn things on when it?s supposed to?
Answer
Yes. All X10 Modules respond to specific digital codes representing ON and OFF. They respond to these codes regardless of which type of X10 Controller sends them. If the Timer turns a particular Module on, the Mini Controller can turn it on, the Mini Controller can turn it off, the Maxi Controller can turn it on again and the Radio Controller can turn it off again etc. etc. If the Timer sends out a signal to turn the Module on and it has already been turned on from another Controller, the Module simply ignores the command. Likewise, if the Timer sends out a signal to turn the module off and it has already been turned off from another Controller, the Module again ignores the command.

Question
I am aware that the Lamp Module should not be used for fluorescent lamps and I therefore use the Appliance Module to control my fluorescent desk lamp. However I would really like to control my kitchen ceiling light. It is controlled from a wall switch so I can?t use the Appliance Module. Is there a wall switch available for controlling a fluorescent light?
Answer
Yes. There is a system called Decora Electronic Controls from Leviton Manufacturing Co. This system is totally compatible with the X10 POWERHOUSE System. A Wall Switch Module for controlling fluorescent lights is available as part of this system (Leviton cat. #6291, HAS-2206WI). However this Module does not contain a dimmer and because it is a Heavy Duty Module it requires a Live and a Neutral connection. In many cases there is no neutral wire available at the wall switch and this is why the 6291 usually needs to be professionally installed by a qualified electrician. If there is no neutral wire available at the switch the electrician can fish one down from the light fixture.

Question
My X10 POWERHOUSE System works fine most of the time but I?ve noticed that occasionally I can?t control the lamp in my bedroom from the Controller in my kitchen. What puzzles me however, is that I can control the light from the Controller I have in my den. I have switched the Controllers and it didn?t make any difference. I have concluded that the Module must be O.K. but why can?t I control it from the kitchen?
Answer
If you are having difficulty controlling a particular Module from a particular location, but can control this Module from other locations, or if the ability to control a particular Module is intermittent, it is possible that the Module in question and your controller are on opposite phases of your house wiring. Most houses are supplied from a 220 volt service which is then split into two phases of 110 volts each in the circuit breaker panel. The X10 POWERHOUSE signals, which are transmitted onto your house wiring (onto one phase), will normally couple across to the other phase through the breaker panel, pole transformer etc. If however, due to loading etc., you do not have enough coupling, you may couple the signal from one phase to the other by having a qualified electrician install a signal bridge across your 220 volt line from hot to hot, i.e. across your 220 volt breaker. This will couple the signal from one phase to the other. Alternately, you may by able to solve the problem by moving the controller to another outlet. Note also that if the controller is plugged into the same outlet as a TV, it?s output may by reduced. Therefore, moving the controller away from the TV may solve the problem.

Question
I like the idea of being able to control my lights by remote control, but if I have a Mini Controller in my living room do I have to go back to my living room every time I want to turn on the lamp in my bedroom?
Answer
No. All X10 POWERHOUSE Modules have a feature called local control. This means that at any time you can turn on a lamp or appliance connected to a Lamp Module or Appliance Module simply by turning the on-off switch on the lamp or appliance off, then on again once or twice. This will cause the lamp or appliance to turn on. You will of course have to leave the on-off switch in the on position to control the Module by remote control. If you turn the switch off and leave it off, you will not be able to turn the lamp or appliance on from an X10 POWERHOUSE Controller. You can always turn lights connected to Wall Switch Modules on AND off from the push button on the Wall Switch Module.

Question
Can I have more than 16 Modules?
Answer
Yes. Any number of Modules can be set to the same Unit Code and they will all respond to the signals from the Controller simultaneously as a group. The numbered keys on the controllers really refer to groups of Modules. You can set any number of Modules to the same Unit Code and they will all respond as a group. There is no limit to the number of Modules you can set to the same Unit Code. You can further expand your system by setting modules to other Housecodes. There are 16 of these to choose from (A thru P) so 16 unit Codes x 16 Housecodes = 256 groups of Modules that can be controlled.

Question
Can more than one lamp be dimmed or brightened at the same time?
Answer
Yes, if you own a Maxi Controller. Other Controllers such as the RC5000 radio Controller (HAS-4000), the MC460 Mini Controller (HAS-4030), and the MT522 Mini Timer (HAS-1100) have rocker keys which transmit Number-On, or Number- Off when a key is pressed. You can therefore only control one Module (or group of Modules on the some Unit Code) at a time. However, if you have a Maxi Controller (HAS-4020), you can press buttons 1,2,3,4, and 5 etc. and then press on, and Modules set to 1,2,3,4 and 5 will all go on together at the same time as a group. you can then press bright or dim and they will all brighten or dim as a group.

Question
Can I have more than one Controller in the same house?
Answer
Yes. You can have as many Controllers as you like. The Modules obey the signals they receive if they match the Housecode and Unit Code they are set to. The Modules don?t know which Controller the signals came from.

Question
Will the system work from one house to another?
Answer
It is possible for X10 signals (which are transmitted onto your house wiring) to travel from one house to another if the two houses are on the same pole transformer. If you suspect that your neighbor might be turning your lights on and off, try setting your system to a different Housecode. There is usually less than 4 or 5 houses on the same pole transformer and you have 16 Housecodes to choose from.

Question
I?m told that the Wall Switch Module can?t be used to control a fluorescent light and that there is a Wall Switch Module available for this application from Leviton. However, for my information, please will you tell me why the regular Wall Switch Module won?t work?
Answer
The Wall Switch Module is a two wire device and is connected in series with the light bulb. The signals transmitted from X10 POWERHOUSE Controllers are transmitted across your house wiring from live to neutral. These signals therefore have to pass through the light bulb. The signals will not pass through a fluorescent tube. The ballast in a fluorescent light also acts as a block to the signals.

Question
I would like to install a Wall Switch Module in my garage but it gets quite cold out there. What is the operating temperature range of the X10 POWERHOUSE System?
Answer
The Integrated Circuits used in the X10 POWERHOUSE System are designed to operate from 0-50 degrees C (32-122 degrees F). However, the Modules generate some heat from their own power supplies so the ambient temperature could probably fall a bit below zero without affecting the operation of the module.

Question
I presently own mechanical timers and was thinking about replacing them with electronic ones. The X10 POWERHOUSE System seems like a better idea but what happens if the power fails. Will I lose all the information I have programmed?
Answer
No. The Mini Timer has battery back up to protect the time of day and your programmed information during a power outage for up to 48 hours. The Home Automation Interface (which you program from your computer and then disconnect) has battery back up for up to 100 hours. Both use a 9 volt alkaline battery.

Question
I am controlling a fluorescent lamp from an Appliance Module and have noticed that sometimes when I turn the Module off from a controller, it mysteriously pops back on a few seconds later. I tried replacing the module and it didn?t make any difference, The Module works fine with a regular incandescent light bulb. Why is this?
Answer
All X10 POWERHOUSE Modules have a feature called local control. This lets you turn a module on by turning the switch on the light or appliance off then on again once or twice. There is a circuit in the Module which ?looks?for a change in the load being controlled to detect this. Some kinds of fluorescent light, when turned off, store voltage in their ballast which takes a long time to die away. This can cause the Module to think that the on-off switch has been turned off and on again and so the Module?s local control circuitry regards this as a request to turn on. The problem can be fixed by plugging a cube tap into the Appliance Module and then connecting a small seven and a half watt night light to the same Module as the fluorescent lamp so that when the Module is turned off, the night light will soak up the voltage stored in the ballast of the fluorescent lamp.

X-10 - FAQ