Frequently Asked Questions
A Chicken Switch is available for most control switches. Click here for help in selecting the correct model. Call us if you would like to speak to an application engineer.
In most cases, we can provide a steel plate that will mount between your control switch and the escutcheon. Installation is as easy as removing the escutcheon plate, sliding the plate over the control switch shaft, and re-installing the escutcheon. Contact us for more details.
The National Fire Protection Association 70E and OSHA do not address this issue directly. Whether arc flash PPE is necessary when installing the Chicken Switch over your control switch is based upon what your employer has determined is necessary to protect their employees against arc flash hazards.
Due to the minimal amount of time that the motor in a Chicken Switch operates (usually a second or so with each operation), battery life is usually in the range of several hundred operations.Whenever the actuator is connected to the hand-held controller, the microprocessor inside the actuator is powered which provides a continual drain on the batteries. This drain is very small but over several days will discharge the batteries. To prevent this, the actuator should be disconnected from the hand-held controller when not in use.
No, there is no shock hazard from the Chicken Switch power supply. The Chicken Switch is powered from 16 AA batteries. The maximum voltage available is approximately 24-volts DC.
MarTek is unable to answer this question as it requires a detailed arc flash study of your electrical system. In most cases, 30-feet will be outside the arc-flash boundary. However, it is the customer’s responsibility to make the final determination using results from your arc flash study. In cases where the arc flash study has shown a distance greater than 30-feet, we are able to provide a 50-foot cable as an option. For applications requiring greater than 50-feet, call us for assistance.
Yes and No. They are generally interchangeable; however, some of the Chicken Switch models require a “Rotation” switch that allows the operator to select the amount of switch rotation that is desired. Other models do not require this switch. Using a controller without the rotation switch on an actuator that has been programmed for multiple rotation angles will result in the actuator defaulting to maximum rotation. Due to the confusion that this may cause to the Operator, we strongly encourage that hand-held controllers not be interchanged.
The National Fire Protection Association Standard NFPA 70E is good starting point. There are many companies that provide arc flash study services and others that provide arc flash PPE.A Google searchof “arc flash studies” will return results of many companies that provide this type of service.
We usually quote five business days for shipment. In many cases we have units in stock and they will the ship same day if we have the order by 3:00pm EST. Our standard shipping is UPS Ground, but we can ship other methods and/or other shippers upon request. If you have an urgent need, please call us. We will do the best we can to accommodate you.
Your control switch will need to have a pistol-shaped handle. If yours has the T-shaped handle, call us. We stock pistol grip handles that can easily replace most T-handles.
Nearly all control switches used in applications where an arc-flash hazard exists are of the “spring-return-to-center” design. The Chicken Switch products currently available are not intended for “maintained” type control switches. If you have a special application with a “maintained” type switch, you should contact us to discuss a solution.
