Grow room Electrical Safety Guidelines

**NewClosetGrower** · 09-10-2010, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by CypressRyan

I have a master lighting controller running 240v, is a 50amp breaker to big for a 4k set-up?

im not sure what you mean by a 4k set up, sorry man...but as long as it doesnt run at 50 amps, or 80% of 50 amps if its a "continuous load" then you dont have to worry about getting a breaker to big...bigger the better

**NewClosetGrower** · 09-10-2010, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by medicalgrower12

I am a newbie when it comes to electrical stuff. What should one do if their equipment is reaching the max, or going over 15 amps? I hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question, is it 15 amps for each outlet? When you say home circuit what does that mean exactly?

if your getting to 80% of the 15amp circuit then you need to find another circuit or add another one like kingofqueen said..."home circuit" is a group of plugs and lights in your house that are connected to a circuit, the breakers in your panel that you flip, there are several of them in your house (each breaker in your panel is a circuit)...so when you have a 15 amp circuit and the things plugged into in are on for more then 2 hours its called a "continuous load" which means your not supposed to go over 80& of that circuit (breaker) size for safety reasons...so if your getting close to it, or you leave your lights on for a long time and the breaker trips, you need to add another circuit or find a new plug..if you have attic access close by and some basic tools i can walk you through how to get another plug where you need it off a diffrent circuit for about 20 bucks in material

**IAm5toned** · 09-10-2010, 10:06 AM

what size neutral should i pull for a 150 amp, continuous duty service?

the pipe is 375' long.

**NewClosetGrower** · 09-10-2010, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by IAm5toned

what size neutral should i pull for a 150 amp, continuous duty service?

the pipe is 375' long.

whats the voltage? thats pretty big for something that needs a neutral

**SlimDigital** · 09-10-2010, 04:52 PM

Wow great info. I had issues in my previous place where i would always trip the power. I know very litte regarding eletricity. I was running a veg and flower set uo in 1 room. 1 600w light and ballast, 1 4in exhaust and a few air pumps for flower and anyhwere between 8 and 12 43w cfl's. Now I understand the need to space out the load! Blew out my damn 42in flat screen from not having a surge protector

**CypressRyan** · 09-10-2010, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by NewClosetGrower

im not sure what you mean by a 4k set up, sorry man...but as long as it doesnt run at 50 amps, or 80% of 50 amps if its a "continuous load" then you dont have to worry about getting a breaker to big...bigger the better

I have 4 1000 watt lamps attached to this master controller, I have that wired to the main panel with 8 gauge outdoor-rated, stranded wire with a 50 amp breaker protecting it. Is the 50 amp to much as I still want to have the voltage protection close to the actual amps used. get my question?

**NewClosetGrower** · 09-10-2010, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by CypressRyan

I have 4 1000 watt lamps attached to this master controller, I have that wired to the main panel with 8 gauge outdoor-rated, stranded wire with a 50 amp breaker protecting it. Is the 50 amp to much as I still want to have the voltage protection close to the actual amps used. get my question?

yeah i get ya man...the way you figure the amps out is simple, you divide the Watts by the Volts. So 4000W/240V=16.6A...so then take 80% percent of that 50amp breaker because of the continuous load and you get 40. So basically your running 17 amps on a 40 amp breaker with the lights...i doubt your controller is powered by the same circuit but if it is make sure you add that in there to, hope this helps

**NewClosetGrower** · 09-10-2010, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by SlimDigital

Wow great info. I had issues in my previous place where i would always trip the power. I know very litte regarding eletricity. I was running a veg and flower set uo in 1 room. 1 600w light and ballast, 1 4in exhaust and a few air pumps for flower and anyhwere between 8 and 12 43w cfl's. Now I understand the need to space out the load! Blew out my damn 42in flat screen from not having a surge protector

That sucks about your tv man! i had something similar happen to me when i was re wiring my game room last year...anyway, yeah thats a lot of lights to have on at once, plus everything else you had running in your room at the time...when something goes wrong with electricity the reason the breaker trips is because electricity finds the easiest travel path...and on every circuit in a home theres a ground wire running back to the panel. all the ground is there for is safety so theres never elec. on it unless somethings wrong...hence, something messes up, elec. takes the ground back home to trip the breaker because no other elec is on it...sounds kinda confusing i guess...but what im getting at is in your case...for that very moment in time the easiest path what the plug with your tv...

**kingofqueen** · 09-11-2010, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by NewClosetGrower

awesome thread bro..i am a journeyman (licensed in commerical) electrician..so if you guys have ANY questions feel free to ask...wiring, overloading circuits, or anything of the sort...im more then willing to help

Thanks man ! There is no thread on saftey and with so many newbs throwing grows together I feel its nessesary to have a thread like this .
It doesn't get a lot of hits but its a nessesary thing hate to see someone burn their house down .

**kingofqueen** · 09-11-2010, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by CypressRyan

I have 4 1000 watt lamps attached to this master controller, I have that wired to the main panel with 8 gauge outdoor-rated, stranded wire with a 50 amp breaker protecting it. Is the 50 amp to much as I still want to have the voltage protection close to the actual amps used. get my question?

Consider the lighting controller a subfeed. The controller it self should have its own overcurrent protection . IN this case you just need to protect the wire feedin the controller . You said #8 so a 50a breaker is perfect for this scenerio .

If your lighting controller doesn't have its own overcurrent protection you have to rate your breaker to protect the controller thus you would size your breaker based on 4k ,which is 16.66 amps at 240 v . Then you would need a 20 a breaker .