No point in you and I becoming experts when we can find them here so easily! We all contribute as we can.

Pete's point is well made. A simple time delay relay may even be able to handle the 10 Amp load of the fan.

However, I as I mentioned earlier, I don't think you have to worry so long as your alternator can keep up with the load over the long haul. And yes, it may just be easier to get a new relay occasionally. Keep an eye on the contacts, though. If they get burned, the fan won't work well.

A true horror story: the contacts in the pressure switch of my home water system became burned and pitted over many years. Early in the morning of September 25, 2002, the system "called" for water but the well pump wouldn't run because the points had so much resistance that enough current wouldn't flow. So the pressure never built up and the switch kept calling for the pump to run. The circuit breaker didn't pop because the current never exceeded its limit.

The resistance of the points generated heat, which increased the resistance and generated more heat, until, about 5:00 A.M., the pressure switch caught fire. A smoke alarm went off and I put out the fire with an extinguisher and called 911 to back me up. Little damage was done beyond the pressure switch and an adjacent plastic slop sink. We were lucky that it happened while we were home.

You will not have that problem with your fans, of course, but do keep an eye on those relay contacts.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970