Well where are you? I can be many different places...........I'm in Santa Cruz todayGFCI = ground fault circuit interrupter, it is meant to protect YOU from shock in the case of a short. I don't see how this will affect anything either way. (unless your standing in water, then I'd go with the GFCI if I had one)
If I were close by, I'd stop by and help connect the circuit
Sorry I'm much farther North.Well where are you? I can be many different places...........I'm in Santa Cruz today
I would be happy to do it if I was closer. Only you know if you feel like doing this yourself so if your not feeling up to it don't do it. If all you want is to switch the line to 220v then it's a 15min job. whoever dose it will probably want to change out the outlet also.
Converting to 240 is simple and cheap. Alls you really need is the breaker changed out and the outlet changed out., and bam, 240v. Have you tried looking for a home renovation or building for dummies? they got just about a book for everything. I know its not your forte, but framing in a room is fairly easy, generally people use 2"x4" to frame it in and rent a nailgun ment for framing. The guy at the local home depot should be able to help some. But dont trust every thing he says. I would help, but you live too far bob.Firstly, good luck on your meeting
Secondly, the 8x8 flower room wouldn't be totally filled to the walls - it'd be 4 3x3 trays in there (so a 6x6 plant footprint) that the 2 1Ks would be covering, and that's only a couple square feet more then a 4x8 (32 vs. 36). I want the room to be a little oversized so I have room to the side for a dehumidifier, CO2 tanks (although would probably go generator in that size), and whatever else, instead of having to cram them underneath a tray, which has led to the height issues I'm currently having.
The size of the box is going to be right around 12 feet long by 8 feet wide and 7 or 8 feet high - need to do some more measuring, but that's 95% accurate to what it's gonna be.
Heading to Home Depot now to get some ideas - BTW, anyone know how to cut perfect 6" holes (for the ducting)? I know there's a way to do it, maybe I'll ask my Home Depot guy........some drill attachment or something.
EDIT: 4K's not an option because I'm not wired for that much juice in there; that being said, was thinking of having an electrician come out and turn one of my new 120V 20 amp circuits into a 240V circuit - anyone know how difficult that would be for him? Figure as long as I'm totally going to be cleaning out the garage that this is my last chance to get anything done that I need to, because this is gonna be the final project - anyone have any specific requests or suggestions of what I could get done while my garage is empty? FYI, will take place after my next harvest, so sometime in mid to late April, hopefully beating the hot summer weather.
Will move a small tent inside for the week or two it takes to get rocking and rolling so that my clones will be ready to roll whenever.
So to convert, would I need an empty breaker spot either above or below the current 120V breaker? Or just anywhere on the panel? Or would I need an extra slot at all?
Yeah, the 240v breaker is a double pole, so it takes out 2 slots. Also, if you look at the specs for most portable a/c units, they say not to opperate them in ambient temps above 90F because the air is to warm to cool the compressor. So doing a full insulation job on the garage and giving it a split a/c is probly the way to go. otherwise, you might be able to make an intake into the house and pull cool air from there, and setup a roof exhaust to get the general summer temps down(insulation probly still needed) and them you might be able to pull off the portables and tents. I trying to cook up some other ideas still, but this is what I got so far.
Well that settles that then - Integra, you're a handy guy to have around, my friend
So to convert, would I need an empty breaker spot either above or below the current 120V breaker? Or just anywhere on the panel? Or would I need an extra slot at all?
And as far the "structure" situation goes, I'm still in limbo on that - currently researching mini-split ACs and how effective they are. Figure an 18KBTU one of those could probably do a pretty good job, and if I get wired for 240V, I could still have a portable in the flowering tent to be totally sealed.
EDIT: I'll put some pics up of my breaker box and the breaker in question tomorrow - hopefully that can help you guys help me a little better. You guys have made it sound pretty moronically easy, so I'm gonna give it a go, but if I die by electrocution, I'm gonna be really, really, really mad at you two
DOUBLE EDIT: Here's something for you guys - my garage and shed share a 40amp breaker (20 amps to each) - could I wire that line up for 240V as well? Nothing EVER runs in the shed, ever.........like ever.
Holy crap would that be a bundle of power........
Yeah, but if it make your setup more productive and easier to maintain, then its money well spent. As far as the temps for portable a/c's, just find the owners manual for the one you have or were planning on getting, and its usually lited in the begening under safety, they never advertise it, but I was looking a 3 different units and ordered one this week, and all 3 said the same thing about the max operating temp. figured I'd give you the info incase you had any doubts. Its really funny too, because I'm putting in a dedicated 240v outlet tomorrow for my new Lumatek dual 600w ballast. also putting in a dedicated 20a for portable ac, and a stadard 15a to run the rest since my whole room was on a shared circuit with my pc and basement tv setup.Well that settles that then - Integra, you're a handy guy to have around, my friend
I've been researching ACs all day and haven't seen that once, but I 100% believe that is probably the case.
That being said, a split AC is what it's gonna have to be, it sounds like.
Well, there's another couple of grand for my hobby
I think that you may be looking at the older pics from October 6th - the two newest pics from today are the first two, and I'm pretty sure he used "18" to run the extra two circuits out to the garage.
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No problem. Looks like you have one more knock-out #1 on the top left of the panel. You should be able to get a half-height-double-pole breaker to fit. You can move everything up.I think that you may be looking at the older pics from October 6th - the two newest pics from today are the first two, and I'm pretty sure he used "18" to run the extra two circuits out to the garage.
Not sure "20" was a spare in either case - matter of fact, I'm not sure there's a spare at all in the panel - will take another couple of pics tomorrow from a better, more heads-on angle.
I guess I'm shit outta luck if there's no extra slot, huh?
And even if there is an extra slot, I'd need to save it for the mini-split, which I'm kinda set on right now (just need to find out a way to hide it from my girl
BTW, anyone know what's up with the massive price variation in mini-splits? An 18000BTU from LG is $2400, whereas an 18000BTU from Soleus is $800 - anyone know why this might be?
Not sure about the gauge, but those two are noticeably thicker then the other wires in there - will it just have it written on the wires? Gonna go take a couple of pics now.
Obviously it would be easier if I could walk around and take a look. But it looks like we're getting closer. Can you trace and describe how the garage/shop 240v/20amp line is run? Do you have a 240v outlet in either place or another sub-panel(breaker box)? Dose it just end up running 120V to both places (this seems strange as the breaker you show has them bonded together as a 2 pole line, so as I see it, it should be delivering 220v somewhere or they should have been split.(20amps to each space.) If there is enough of the main wire covering exposed there will be numbers on it describing the gauge and amount of wires (i.e.12/3 w G, 10/2....) knowing the gauge might allow you to switch out to a larger breaker, (10gauge = 30amp.?)then you can just add a sub panel if you don't already have one in the garage to split the line, 120v for the A/C and 240V for lights and whatever else you can. I did this without using a sub-panel and just split the load in the G-room (so I guess your 240V line might be doing something similar). Let me know if this circuit has a white wire too, I'm sure it dose. If this line is running to your garage and shed as you said and is not being used then you are already set with 40amps available! you just need to know exactly where and how this line is run. Can you follow the line? Open the boxes it supplies and see which wires are going where. (black,white,copper-ground-to garage, red,white, copper-ground to shed...?)which (all) outlets are supplied... Once you know all this then your ready to go.
I wouldn't think that adding a NG line to the garage would raise much suspicion.
No 240V power/outlet in either the shed or the garage, but I know that there's a wire running to each (i.e., they each are wired for their own dedicated circuit - there's a wire to the garage and a wire to the shed running straight from the breaker box - they don't share the same wire out). Tried to look at the wire, but there's not enough exposed to see what gauge it is - if it helps, all the other wires are gray, and the shed/garage wire and the heater/central AC wire are the only two pairs covered in orange wire.Obviously it would be easier if I could walk around and take a look. But it looks like we're getting closer. Can you trace and describe how the garage/shop 240v/20amp line is run? Do you have a 240v outlet in either place or another sub-panel(breaker box)? Dose it just end up running 120V to both places (this seems strange as the breaker you show has them bonded together as a 2 pole line, so as I see it, it should be delivering 220v somewhere or they should have been split.(20amps to each space.) If there is enough of the main wire covering exposed there will be numbers on it describing the gauge and amount of wires (i.e.12/3 w G, 10/2....) knowing the gauge might allow you to switch out to a larger breaker, (10gauge = 30amp.?)then you can just add a sub panel if you don't already have one in the garage to split the line, 120v for the A/C and 240V for lights and whatever else you can. I did this without using a sub-panel and just split the load in the G-room (so I guess your 240V line might be doing something similar). Let me know if this circuit has a white wire too, I'm sure it dose. If this line is running to your garage and shed as you said and is not being used then you are already set with 40amps available! you just need to know exactly where and how this line is run. Can you follow the line? Open the boxes it supplies and see which wires are going where. (black,white,copper-ground-to garage, red,white, copper-ground to shed...?)which (all) outlets are supplied... Once you know all this then your ready to go.
As far as the natural gas running to the garage. You could DIY too. I wouldn't worry about coming up with a reason. Sounds like you have reasons enough already. NG heater is cheaper to use, Do you have power outages or worried about them a NG generator is safer to run and can run without the need to refill as long as the gas lines are working. You might want to put a NG clothes dryer in the garage for any reason. Tell them your buying the new NG Hybrid car and you want to fill it up at home
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