Warmup DS-2C Installation Instructions Manual

™

The w

orld’s best-selling electric floor heating brand

™

The w

orld’s best-selling electric floor heating brand

WARMUP INC.

USA: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone]
www.warmup.com

CANADA: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone]
www.warmup.ca

DS-2C RAIN/SNOW SENSOR CONTROLLER
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

CAUTION: Read all instructions carefully before installation.
Save this Installation Manual for future reference.

GENERAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

1. THIS UNIT SHOULD BE INSTALLED, OPENED AND REPAIRED BY QUALIFIED
PERSONNEL ONLY!

2. To avoid shock hazard do not open the front cover with power
connected to the DS-2C or any controlled equipment.

SELECTING A MOUNTING LOCATION FOR THE DS-2C

The interleaved grid on the top of the DS-2C is the precipitation or “moisture” sensor. The brass cylinder
protruding from the bottom of the enclosure is the temperature sensor. For reliable rain and snow detection
the unit must be mounted in a location that exposes the moisture sensor to a clear view of the sky.
The unit should not be mounted directly under eaves or overhangs. It should not be mounted so close to the
ground that it may become buried in snow. For proper temperature detection the DS-2C must be mounted
outdoors, away from furnace vents, dryer vents, and other sources of heat. Note that, when powered, the
DS-2C moisture grid will always remain hot. This is normal. This allows the sensor to continuously melt
snow and evaporate both rain and snow from the grid.

The DS-2C can be mounted by screwing
the base conduit hub onto an appropriate
size free-standing conduit or by using
the mounting holes in each corner of the
enclosure.

DO NOT DRILL HOLES THROUGH THE
ENCLOSURE FOR MOUNTING! This can allow

water into the enclosure causing a potential
shock hazard. It is recommended that a
weatherproof junction box be mounted
below the DS-2C for termination of the power
and load pigtails to the building wiring.

Use Care When Replacing the Front Cover. Do Not Pinch the Gasket or Overtighten the Screws.

ALWAYS FOLLOW LOCAL AND NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODES.

™

The w

orld’s best-selling electric floor heating brand

WARMUP INC.

USA: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone]
www.warmup.com

CANADA: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone]
www.warmup.ca

™

The w

orld’s best-selling electric floor heating brand

DS-2C RAIN/SNOW SENSOR CONTROLLER
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

SETTING THE CONFIGURATION SWITCHES AND ADJUSTMENTS

The following paragraphs and table outline the operating modes for the DS-2C
and explain the functions of the adjustments. Trigger temp (TT) is adjustable from
34°F-44°F (1°C-6°C) using the TRIG TEMP control. When ambient air temperature
(AT) is below this setting precipitation is assumed to be snow. When above this
setting, precipitation is assumed to be rain.

The DEL configuration switch activates the Delay-Off drying cycle timer on the
DS-2C. The timer allows the DS-2C to continue to operate and dry the heated
surface through evaporation once precipitation has stopped. The drying cycle
reduces the chance of moisture left behind refreezing into ice. This timer is
restarted by each sensor trigger. Therefore, the DS-2C will continue to operate
as long as it is triggered, then for the Delay-Off period once the trigger clears.

All “sensor” modes (DEL off) provide a 2 minute Delay-Off time. When in
“controller” mode (DEL on) the Long Delay (LD) configuration switch determines the time span of the
drying cycle. The Delay-Off time can be adjusted from 30-90 minutes (LD Off) or 2-6 hours (LD On) using
the DELAY OFF control.

The Low Temperature Cutoff (LTC) option is typically used on snow melting
systems with limited output capacity where melting cannot be maintained at
very low temperature. If selected, the snow sensor will clear a trigger below 5°F
(-15°C) even if snow is still falling. It will resume normal operation above 9°F
(-13°C). However, the sensor will remember if it was triggered before the drop
below 5°F or if snow was detected during the cold period. If so, the sensor will
execute one Delay-Off cycle when the temperature rises above 9°F in order to
melt any snow left behind during the cold period.
This is referred to as RECOVER mode. Care should be exercised in using this mode as the potential exists
for ice to be formed on the melting surface.

The DS-2C precipitation sensor is very sensitive and can detect a single snow
flake or rain drop. However, if the DS-2C is mounted in an area susceptible to
high winds, overhanging trees, or blowing ground snow, nuisance triggering
may occur. While proper placement is the best remedy, the SENSITIVITY control
can also be used to reduce nuisance triggering. An internal timer checks the

precipitation sensor for moisture and compares cleared time with triggered
time. The highest sensitivity setting (toward MORE) triggers on first detection. As the control is adjusted
clockwise precipitation must be detected for a longer period to be considered valid. The lowest sensitivity
setting (toward LESS) requires 120 seconds of detection before the unit triggers. If a trace amount of snow
blows onto the grid from a drift or overhang it will likely be melted and evaporated in less than a minute.
Similarly, a very light snowfall may also clear quickly from the grid. If these conditions should be ignored
by the sensor the SENSITIVITY control can be adjusted as required. However, to prevent non-triggering
during a true event, it is recommended that the user start at highest sensitivity (MORE), then adjust
while monitoring operation over time.