Experienced Electrician! Here to Answer Any and All Growroom Electrical Questions
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- Start date
Coolvibes
Well-Known Member
Hi I tried running a 10volt charger connected to a 12 volt incandescent car headlight bulb as its 12 volts I thought the charger would power it 90 per cent creating light (well heat is what I want) now every think went fine for 2 hours then the charger stopped working so I found another 10volt charger and rewired it fantastic 3 hours charger burnt out can you explain what I am doing wrong please
IAm5toned
Well-Known Member
you just showed your ignorance.
you know the people that write the NFPA, headquartered in quincy, mass, are all NICET certified.
the National Electrical code is just one small chapter of the NFPA...
anyways, this thread is yours
one11
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by thepaan
I'm pretty sure the distance from the electrical source provides negligible loss so you shouldn't count that in your cost estimate. Just use the chart above or find your kilowatt usage then multiply by the number of hours per month you plan on having it on then multiply again by the cost of a kilowatt hour for the area. That is your monthly cost. In the US it varies largely from state to state but about $.15 is average. For a 600W lamp .63 is the kilowatt use if the ballast is 95% efficient or .75 with one 80% efficient. If running for 14 hours a day you sould have the following.
.63 x (14hours x 30days) x $.15 = $39.69
.75 x (14hours x 30days) x $.15 = $47.25
Some places (like where I live) have a pretty good cost as long as your total use is low but the price is doubled or even tripled once you go over a certain amount. For example, my first 100kWh/month cost like $.045 then it doubles every 100kWh. For a cost model like this you have to break out each cost bracket starting from what you use normally (without the lights). Thats why the dude above said look at your electric bill to get an accurate idea of the cost.
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good news. my state has one of the lowest cost per kilowatt hour. .10 cents.
And i did calculate it for vegging and it will be 34 dollars a month. not bad. but how would my ballast not be at 100% efficiency? and i NEED to know if i would be losing significant amount of energy/efficiency/or money due to the 250ft of wiring it has to travel to to the light and fans.
Originally Posted by thepaan
I'm pretty sure the distance from the electrical source provides negligible loss so you shouldn't count that in your cost estimate. Just use the chart above or find your kilowatt usage then multiply by the number of hours per month you plan on having it on then multiply again by the cost of a kilowatt hour for the area. That is your monthly cost. In the US it varies largely from state to state but about $.15 is average. For a 600W lamp .63 is the kilowatt use if the ballast is 95% efficient or .75 with one 80% efficient. If running for 14 hours a day you sould have the following.
.63 x (14hours x 30days) x $.15 = $39.69
.75 x (14hours x 30days) x $.15 = $47.25
Some places (like where I live) have a pretty good cost as long as your total use is low but the price is doubled or even tripled once you go over a certain amount. For example, my first 100kWh/month cost like $.045 then it doubles every 100kWh. For a cost model like this you have to break out each cost bracket starting from what you use normally (without the lights). Thats why the dude above said look at your electric bill to get an accurate idea of the cost.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
good news. my state has one of the lowest cost per kilowatt hour. .10 cents.
And i did calculate it for vegging and it will be 34 dollars a month. not bad. but how would my ballast not be at 100% efficiency? and i NEED to know if i would be losing significant amount of energy/efficiency/or money due to the 250ft of wiring it has to travel to to the light and fans.
Coolvibes
Well-Known Member
charger 1 stopped working input:239v 50hz 140ma output 10v 1.2a
charger 2 burnt out Input:100-240 50-60hz 150ma output: 4.9v 700ma
Bulb lamp incandescent 12v 100/80w H4
EvlMunkee
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your quick reply IAm5toned. You have saved me some work and made it safer. Y'all are doing a great job!the only thing wrong with it is you should be using #12 where i highlighted in red.
#14 would work in a pinch, but if you ever decide to expand the op it will give you lots of problems, especially if you u/g yourlight to a 1000w down the road. using #12 now will save you aggravation later.
and its against code to run #14 on a 20 amp breaker too
Coolvibes
Well-Known Member
Hi people me again well its winter here and I have 4 metal cans with screw lids I am able to tin weld the lights under the cap feed the wires through the hole I ran this in my non heated propagator for 3 hours with a steady temp of 78f now in my roof space(winter) unless directly under lights it falls to 10c which isnt much good for propagation as you know now my flower room is 10c and worked out roughly it bring my temps back into the 70s at night with no light naked flame or cost so a work round on the power would be great I have a large selection of power sources can some one point me in the right direction I know I am nearly their what valuable bit of the puzzle am I missing as if resistance before the light a coil say would lower amps/watts/heat/light and would solve the problem?? Help
wyteboi
Well-Known Member
makes a ton of sense. Thanks
wyteboi
Well-Known Member
It is very possible but your gonna want to know what else might be on that circuit, and also how many watts/amps you will be using (lights, fans, ect...) and you need to know what size wire it is?Ok, quick question. I am wanting to change the light in my attic into a socket that i could plug my hps and a couple fans into. Would this be possible, if so what would I need to do this?
Here are some pix of what I have to work with.
other then that you will need a outlet to put in place of that light, you can use an adapter but i dont like um.....
sorry not very detailed answer
wb
OGKush00
Active Member
Well the attic is right above my laundry room and bathroom, so i would assume it is on the same circuit as one of those, probably the laundry. As far as the light goes, I am wanting to completely remove the light and change that into the socket I would use for the HPS/fans.It is very possible but your gonna want to know what else might be on that circuit, and also how many watts/amps you will be using (lights, fans, ect...) and you need to know what size wire it is?
other then that you will need a outlet to put in place of that light, you can use an adapter but i dont like um.....
sorry not very detailed answer
wb
As far as the size of the wire I would have to go back up, but before I do.. What should I be looking for?
Well the attic is right above my laundry room and bathroom, so i would assume it is on the same circuit as one of those, probably the laundry. As far as the light goes, I am wanting to completely remove the light and change that into the socket I would use for the HPS/fans.
As far as the size of the wire I would have to go back up, but before I do.. What should I be looking for?
Without being able to look at what is holding the light fixture in its hard to say.
But NORMALLY you would just take the light off, add a "mudplate" (they sell multiple ones, this is used to hold the sockets) to the "electric box". I forget its real name.
i personally would run a dedicated circuit for a 600w hps and fans unless your sure nothing else uses it much.
Check to make sure the circuit is not a 20amp. Putting a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit is a no no.
Also, make sure everything is grounded via the box or a ground wire. Ungrounded outlets are a hazard.
Your going to the hardware store to buy , mudplates, and 15 or 20 amp outlets. 20 amp outlets are preferred, and obviously are no problem on a 15 amp circuit. And possibly a little bit of 14 gauge wire to daisy chain to one other outlet.
That box looks wierd and possible non standard. An electric box with a wireclamp fitting would solve that problem.
buggin69
Active Member
This is wrong.
You CAN have a 15a duplex receptacle on a 20a circuit(as long as it is not the only receptacle on the circuit). Alternatively, you CAN NOT have a 20a outlet on a 15a circuit. Also, for a 20a circuit you should use 12 gauge wire.
That is all.
wyteboi
Well-Known Member
Look at the side of the wire, it says the guage all the way down it. if its 14 wire then its good for upto 15 amps. you dont wanna use anymore then 75% of the total ......so you would not want to run no more then 11 or 12 amps/ or 1500 watts, topps.Well the attic is right above my laundry room and bathroom, so i would assume it is on the same circuit as one of those, probably the laundry. As far as the light goes, I am wanting to completely remove the light and change that into the socket I would use for the HPS/fans.
As far as the size of the wire I would have to go back up, but before I do.. What should I be looking for?
and thats only if the circuit is by itself (its not)
and as long as your wire and breaker sizes match then who gives a fuck what kind of outlet..... a 15 is fine and so is a 20. that might not be code but its common sense.
the easy way would be to wire up your outlet to a couple small pieces of wire........then climb up and take the light down and use a plate that will hold an outlet or u could take down the whole box and replace with a outlet box (dont matter) and just take the wires from the light off and replace with the wires from the outlet u hooked up.
sorry i dont explain things worth a shit....
wb
No offense, but if you're so damn knowledgeable, explain to me why you can't put a 20 amp outlet on a 15amp circuit. I'm an electrician apprentice for 4 years now, and pretty damn sure i got that right.
If you put a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit, the breaker wont trip if you overpull the outlet causing a hazard. (yes im aware CODE allows you to put 15 amp outlets on a 20 amp circuit as long as there is a few, but why chance it?)
If you put a 20amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit the breaker trips before you hit the outlets limit. Aka, no problem.
Yes, he SHOULD use 12 guage on a 20amp, but we haven't determined ANYTHING about his setup. On top of that, i am not about to ask a person with no electrical backround to re-wire a circuit, 14 gauge wire is FINE for his setup under 800 watts.
one11
Active Member
yes hello hello! Question. Im going to be running a 600w hps along with a fan or two. This shed is located approx. 250 ft away from the power outlet (120v 30amp) and it will be traveling thru 10/2 wiring. I've calculated the cost if my ballast is running 95% efficient at 34 bucks a month. But i havent taken into consideration if i will be losing power/efficency/money due to the distance it must travel. Will I? And also, i dont understand how my ballast would not be running at 100%. Thank you ahead of time.
buggin69
Active Member
Just common knowledge bro... don't know who you're doing electric for.. but I'm feel for them
It's in the NEC and if you want an explanation it's so somebody doesn't come down the line in the future and say.. well this must me a 20A circuit... so I can load up 16 amps right here... and then pop... and maybe the breaker isn't EXACTLY 15 amps... maybe it is 16 (they aren't PERFECT you know)... and maybe the wire heats up and starts a fire...
you got it backwards.. you said no to 15a outlet on 20a circuit and yes to 20a outlet on 15 a circuit
you can't have a 20a receptacle unless the wire and breaker are both rated for 20a... 12gauge 20a breaker
EDIT: for functional purposes it will most likely be fine.. and in theory you're right.. any overload will cause the breaker to trip... and I'm sure you can find an electrician buddy to agree with you. that's all well and good... but i can read. I know the code.
dude if you bought a 20a outlet already throw the breaker and figure out what's on the circuit and it's it's not too much install the thing.. write 15a on the box... and be done