I'm curious.. initially I am going to be using 2 X 600W lights and the fans and other equipment needed but eventually would like to double that. This is running in a four bedroom townhouse.

Should I be worried about a big jump in the power bill and the power company reporting it to the cops or sending out some "safety office" to make sure everything is OK?

deleted for stealth..

nah.... for all they know, more ppl coulda moved in or u got a hot tub, runnin ur A/C higher... my parents bill is like 500 every 2mnths where mine is like 200 nad they dont even grow weed... the hydro comp is happy to sell u as much electricity as u need... its a meter that records ur usage and a comp that prints ur bill.. i dont think any1 even looks at them (well maybe briefly or a few here and there for QA in there system to make sure shit matches)... perhaps if ur runnin like 3-4k or more for 18hrs... as long as u pay the bill there shuldnt be a reason for them to even look at ur bill or consumption.. if the police look at ur bills, they already know and r jus collecting more evdence for a warrent... look at ur bill and see what ur paying per watt of energy... times that by ur total watts(1200) and then times that by how many hrs a day ur gonna run these lights.. i beleive thats the equasion but not posative.. it sounds rite to me but there is a thread on here sumwhere that will show u exactly.. look for it... jus think how lienient it is in canada, how many ppl u think r using a 1000k bulb in there homes growin weed... ide say lots... really, thats not that big of an op.. if ur a lil paro, perhaps ween ur way up slowly, thats if ur not ready to grow rite now

Thanks man appreciate the advice.. ready to grow now.. tent is on its way! (8 feet by 4 feet by 6.5 feet tall woohoo)! I'm just a paranoid bastard but I figure that has staid me well over the years and would like to keep it that way Like I say next I would like to add another tent and then it would be the equivalent of 2400w just for the lights with one tent running 18/6 and the other 12/12. deleted part as advised.

I dunno.. maybe I will tell them I put a hot tub in the basement for the kids and I (single Dad) if they ask :P

I'm bi-polar and this retarded country doesn't recognize that for medical MJ so I can't go that route either unfortunately. That and being a full time Dad 24/7 and all 3 of my kids have special needs which makes me finding decent employment all but impossible) so I figure some for me and some to a bud of mine to unload and give us a bit of a better life. I would just buy the stuff if I could afford it because the meds I take for it now are frigging poison imho whereas this stuff.. perfect and.. works better!

Thanks again for the reply.. most appreciated.

As an aside I am on a lot of different forums for all kinds of different things and I have to say you guys are the most helpful, kind group I have ever dealt with. Some really funny threads on here too

better to be paro then careless... the low income housing and the supported hydro billing is a diff situation tho.. dont know what to say bout that... i too am a single parent(only 1 tho) and even 1 is hard enuff to suport on my own espeacaly where im at theres shitty jobs... r u plannin a true sog, a perpetual grow with bigger plants or jus grow a few times a yr.... even if u have 100 small plants that equal as much weight as 10 big fukkers, its hard to say that 100 is for personal.. judge hears 100 plants and thinks the worst so it might be better to do a longer veg perpetual with supper-cropping.. theres a great thread on it by a defresco guy or sumthin.. look for it, it has like 500 posts... all Qand A on it... it will allow u to canopy larger plants across ur room to creat a sog with less plants used... but its up to u and whats best for u... sog is lota work.. transplanting, cloning, watering, ect all them fukers... and if u do get busted(knock on wood) in canada lotsa ppl get house arrest, espeacialy if ur a fulltime single dad... y would they lock sum1 up with kids unless they have to??? its too much for a family to go threw thats unnecacery.. like i said, "1200w aint really shit" but when u add ur next tent it maybe, so once the first 1 is goin a few mnths, get the next lights and ween ur way up by adding a light for a bit and so on so its a gradual jump may take a lil longer to get where ya wanna be but rome wasnt built in 1 day either... glad u like the site... plenty of info on here, jus gotta search for it or ask.. cheers

Thanks sogbunn! Really appreciate the answer.

Still getting up on the terminology so not sure what SOG means but basically I plan on using this ghetto box I have been using currently (actually about to use (got some clones from a bud)) for veg and moving to the tent for flowering. I should have mentioned the ghetto box earlier I guess but anyway, it will be using a 600w MH light right now. Eventually I would like to get another identical sized tent and just do staggered grows (6/7 weeks apart maybe) and go from clone to harvest in each tent and just switch the bulbs from MH to HPS when I go from veg to flower. Jees if I got all that right I am learning pretty fast :P

I am looking at going aero eventually but I am going to start with soil and then move to one 6 plant aero (the DIY thread on here using the rubbermaid container - 6 4" pots that I would use from clone to harvest without moving them) at first so I can get used to it and eventually move to all aero once I have the "art" of it down pat!

I do a bit of freelance work on the net which doesn't pay very much at all so I am slowly piecing it together. Tent will be here soon and I have a line on a couple of 600W digital ballasts for around $170 US and am looking at a vortex 6" fan and a DIY carbon filter as well. My buddy that helped me out with the clones is helping me out with soil and nutrients etc. until I get past my first grow and I will split some with him and provide back clones too.

Pondering an OZN-1 or OZN jr. too to help out with odor control and I was thinking of using a DIY carbon filter on both sides of the tent but that might be overkill. I am thinking of mounting the Vortex at the top of the tent which I *think* will help with cooling the lights (could be wrong) and relying on negative pressure to pull in air through another vent in the tent I will leave open.

Lights I will buy locally and get 2X MH and 2X HPS for the ballasts and I am looking at ways of keeping the noise down on that vortex (speed controller) and/or rigging up some noise dampening box as those fans are bloody noisy (guy at the local hydro place plugged one in for me and man they are really super noisy imho). I will probably vent right into the basement but I can always buy a Y adapter for my dryer vent and pump it out there if the fan can handle it (after running through the one or two carbon filters for sure).

I've only been researching all this stuff for less than a week so excuse any blatant errors in this post and feel free to let me know what I am doing wrong or admonish me at will :P

I am falling in love with this place :P

npz' buddy!!! i hear ya... this site to me is like facebook is for others... oh and i made a mistake.. its "super cropping" by genfranco.. great thread thats how i do er now.. jus replace sum every 3 weeks as they get harvested.. less work, less stress more bud!!!!

oh.. i jus thought!!! what if instead of gettin mre lights, get a light mover or rail??? much cheaper on the hydro... a 600MH and a light rail for veg and 1k hps and a rail for flower??? 1600k asaposed to 2400k and probly jus as efiecient

I thought about the light rail but I am not sure the tent would support it? The specs on it say it will support up to 135lbs? I wouldn't want it to collapse lol. I'll tell you how paranoid I am I even went out and bought two smoke alarms for the basement :P I had been looking at this one http://www.discount-hydro.com/produc...d=242&navid=46

Only thing is I would still need to buy two ballasts (1 X 1000 and 1 X 600). What do you think?

Thanks again!

k i checked it briefly.. i didnt see the weight but if need be u could build a frame outta 2X4's inside the tent to suport it... see if u can find a smaler 1.. that 1 can go 12 feet... u really only need it to go like 5-6ft cuz a 600 will cover 4X4 easaly and a 1k will do at least 5X5 so there only a few ft extra it needs to move if ur tent is 8ft.. if u go with the 1 ur lookin at, instead of buyin another tent for flowering u could also build 1 thats 14 ft if u wanted and that rail will cover it...it will be a lil more scetchy then a fabricated 1 but it will do and theres lots DIY on here.. i have a home made tent.. it sux tho, aint gonna lie.. put it together quick...
ur gonna have to buy 2 ballasts anyways and when u add ur 2nd tent u need another 2 aswell if ur runnin all 600's... the $ u save on that will pay for ur rails

oh my bad.. it is 6ft with the option of 12ft with the extension sold seperate... even still, 200$ is less then a ballast and bulb...all and all.. ur tactic to ur op will change daily... ull think or see a better way.. i know my stratagy is diff from last weeks.. ahhah