Experienced Electrician! Here to Answer Any and All Growroom Electrical Questions

tat2ue said:

You would be going over and beyond the limit on a 20 amp circuit imo. If your tomato room is in the area of the garage is it possible that you have a 240v./30 amp circuit avail. If not would it be possible to run one and switch your ballast to 240?? My tomoato room is in the same area and I run 4 x 1000w on a dedicated 240v/30amp circuit with my ballast rewired for 240v. and the entire circuit is drawing 18-19 amps. But as far as your cost vs. the saftey of your home and family I would want to go the safest route possible and hire the electrician and not worry about coming home to a pile of ashes.

Click to expand...

Yeah? Over and beyond on a 20amp if I have just ONE 1000w light on it?

I also have a 240 in my laundry room for my drier and it is only about 20' from my grow room. Is there some way an electrician can just pull from that and set me up with a 240 plug in my room? Even if it is on the same circuit, I could make sure to ONLY use the drier during "lights off". That might be cheaper than having him run me a whole new line and set up a new circuit, since the box is clear on the other side of my house (quite a long distance).

Also, I just figured out that I have a dedicated 20amp circuit for my garage doors. One of my garage doors is not even plugged in and the other is a 6amp draw. So I pretty much have 2x20amp circuits to play with in my garage. I think one more OR a 30amp 240 would be all I would need. Eventually I may upgrade to 4x1000w lights as well, just like you have. Sound about right to you? My 2x20amps and if I can get another 20amp OR maybe a 30amp.

btw - I just ordered my ballasts. Already sent, but they are (Lumatek) 120's. I read somewhere (maybe in this thread) that you can open it up and switch it out. Is that easy enough to do? If not, then I guess I can send them back and have the guy swap them for 240's.

thank you very much

My bad brother, I thought you were running both 1000w lights on that 120 circuit. Doing that is fire starter for sure due to both lamps drawing a total of 18-19 amps not counting the strike up surge if it were a standard magnetic ballast.

I don't think an electrician will tap into a dedicated circuit for the dryer run to set up an add'l drop for a 240v run because if I am not mistaken that is aginst code due to the amp draw of the dryer.

Don't know the specifics on Lumatek ballasts as far as converting them to 240. Some simply need a different power cord that plugs in and converts it to 240 and others need to be opened up and hardwired to 240. Mine are just standard 1000w magnetic tap ballasts and I converted them myself to 240v...not hard at all.

ForbiddenFruit said:

Yeah? Over and beyond on a 20amp if I have just ONE 1000w light on it?

I also have a 240 in my laundry room for my drier and it is only about 20' from my grow room. Is there some way an electrician can just pull from that and set me up with a 240 plug in my room? Even if it is on the same circuit, I could make sure to ONLY use the drier during "lights off". That might be cheaper than having him run me a whole new line and set up a new circuit, since the box is clear on the other side of my house (quite a long distance).

Also, I just figured out that I have a dedicated 20amp circuit for my garage doors. One of my garage doors is not even plugged in and the other is a 6amp draw. So I pretty much have 2x20amp circuits to play with in my garage. I think one more OR a 30amp 240 would be all I would need. Eventually I may upgrade to 4x1000w lights as well, just like you have. Sound about right to you? My 2x20amps and if I can get another 20amp OR maybe a 30amp.

btw - I just ordered my ballasts. Already sent, but they are (Lumatek) 120's. I read somewhere (maybe in this thread) that you can open it up and switch it out. Is that easy enough to do? If not, then I guess I can send them back and have the guy swap them for 240's.

thank you very much

Click to expand...

Hi i was wondering what would happen if i put a 400w hps bulb on a 600w ballast? Cheerz

Wohjew said:

hi i have a question my 1000w MH is on a 15amp cir. where it plugs into the timer gets hot during use . whats the problem thats making it hot , heres pic, thanks if you can help me. everything else plugged in in not being used other than the watersoftener and the odd load of laundry

Click to expand...

I know you don't want to hear this but your setup is not good the second picture is scary the extension cord looks like a home depot cheapie now I'm just guessing but it looks like an 18 guage cord I don't know what amperage your pulling but the small size of the wire could be the cause or the timer you're using might be a problem you have to check the capacity of the timer and make sure it can handle the amps your pulling.
Also the wires need to be secured you can't expect the ground wire tied to the bracket to hold the cord and the wire feeding the light fixture the black one needs to be secured as well, and the ballast looks like it's flush against the wooden support and the capaciter shouldn't be hanging either in fact your whole set up is dangerous and a fire/electrocution hazard your a fire waiting to happen.
And before you just shrug off what I'm saying I'll tell you this I'm an electrician so I'm not talking out of my ass.
There are dozens of proper enclosed ballasts built for mounting on wood or other support means, I know theyre not cheap but do you really want to hurt yourself or your family just to get a buzz?
I know alot of people on here are doing just what your doing but it doesn't make it right I don't know if you own the house or rent but if you own it don't you think you should show more care.
I understand wanting to do it as cheaply as possible but you have to cincider the potential here burning down the house.
Just bear in mind if you do have a fire your insurance company will use this to get out of paying the claim and you could be arrested and god forbid someone got hurt or killed your looking at manslaughter charges at the very least.
Do yourself a favor and have an electrician run a new circuit maybe a 20 amp circuit maybe two and give piece of mind.
And buy a good timer one rated for what your using you can get them at Lowes or home depot or better yet look into CFL's they run cool and don't make the meter spin you can get a nice set at Stealth Hydro here's the link just check it out.
http://www.stealthhydroponics.com/section.php?xSec=40

RedEyedRaver said:

Hi i was wondering what would happen if i put a 400w hps bulb on a 600w ballast? Cheerz

Click to expand...

A 600 watt ballast is designed to run up to a 600 watt fixture so a 400 watt fixture would run fine on it as it will only draw 400 watts it might run a little cooler and you might get some extra life out of it.
It's not a bad thing to oversize the ballast but it would be a bad thing to oversize the bulb.
Good luck with your grow.

karloff can i use any 150 watt mh bulb in my ballast,it has to have a mogul socket tho

Marijuana Toker
Marijuana Toker

permalink
karloff can i use any 150 watt mh bulb in my ballast,it has to have a mogul socket tho



Well without seeing the fixture it would be hard to say, but the mogul base is a large screw in base it's like your standard light bulb but larger.
As far as things go the bulb has to fit into the socket and tightly if you put it in loose it will arc and damage the socket.
As far as using any 150 watt MH bulb goes if you mean manufacturer it doesn't matter as long as you match the type of bulb to the ballast there are fixtures and ballasts that allow you to use say a HPS in a MH fixture but the bulbs are higher in price.
Also I've seen HPS and Mh bulbs sold online at hydro stores that they say are for growing plants although I don't know if they really make a difference I would imagine that type of bulb might be keyed in better to produce a better color light one that will produce better results.
But I should tell you my experience with these bulbs are limited to say using them to illuminate parking lots and as far as MH goes I've installed them in commercial buildings a useless fact car dealers use them because they make the paint jobs on the cars standout better that little bit of info is useless for your purpose.
Please excuse the length of this reply I wasn't sure what you were asking and am trying to give you a broad answer on a variety of issues I've noticed the preffered bulb on here seems to be the HPS bulb for veg and bloom I'm guessing it's because the HPS seems to do a better job during the all important bloom cycle if your shopping around and have limited funds in other words you can only afford one fixture I would go with HPS the users on here swear by them as for me I prefer CFL's because they run cooler but I think your choice should be yours I would check out some of the grow journals you'll see the HPS fixtures seem to be the choice of growers.
I hope this helps if I haven't answered your question correctly post another and I'll check back.
One last thing both HPS and Mh are available in mogul base but I'm not sure if that is true at only 150 watts bulbs you could go to your local electric supply house but beware they have been known to charge homeowners more than contracters for parts you'll have to shop around the more I think about it at 150 watts the base might be the standard Edison base socket but they do sell a conversion fitting that steps allows you to either go from an Edison base (standard light bulb base like in your home) to a Mogul base it's a simple screw on adapter if that's what your looking for try this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Wiring-Socket-Reducer-332-BOX/dp/B000KKLP0O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1251251793&sr=8-4

Karloff said:

Marijuana Toker
Marijuana Toker

Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 124

​

permalink
karloff can i use any 150 watt mh bulb in my ballast,it has to have a mogul socket tho



Well without seeing the fixture it would be hard to say, but the mogul base is a large screw in base it's like your standard light bulb but larger.
As far as things go the bulb has to fit into the socket and tightly if you put it in loose it will arc and damage the socket.
As far as using any 150 watt MH bulb goes if you mean manufacturer it doesn't matter as long as you match the type of bulb to the ballast there are fixtures and ballasts that allow you to use say a HPS in a MH fixture but the bulbs are higher in price.
Also I've seen HPS and Mh bulbs sold online at hydro stores that they say are for growing plants although I don't know if they really make a difference I would imagine that type of bulb might be keyed in better to produce a better color light one that will produce better results.
But I should tell you my experience with these bulbs are limited to say using them to illuminate parking lots and as far as MH goes I've installed them in commercial buildings a useless fact car dealers use them because they make the paint jobs on the cars standout better that little bit of info is useless for your purpose.
Please excuse the length of this reply I wasn't sure what you were asking and am trying to give you a broad answer on a variety of issues I've noticed the preffered bulb on here seems to be the HPS bulb for veg and bloom I'm guessing it's because the HPS seems to do a better job during the all important bloom cycle if your shopping around and have limited funds in other words you can only afford one fixture I would go with HPS the users on here swear by them as for me I prefer CFL's because they run cooler but I think your choice should be yours I would check out some of the grow journals you'll see the HPS fixtures seem to be the choice of growers.
I hope this helps if I haven't answered your question correctly post another and I'll check back.
One last thing both HPS and Mh are available in mogul base but I'm not sure if that is true at only 150 watts bulbs you could go to your local electric supply house but beware they have been known to charge homeowners more than contracters for parts you'll have to shop around the more I think about it at 150 watts the base might be the standard Edison base socket but they do sell a conversion fitting that steps allows you to either go from an Edison base (standard light bulb base like in your home) to a Mogul base it's a simple screw on adapter if that's what your looking for try this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Wiring-Socket-Reducer-332-BOX/dp/B000KKLP0O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1251251793&sr=8-4

Click to expand...

well the fixture is mogul base,the ballast is a digital one that sits atop the reflector,i bought it on ebay,the people who sold it to me said that it also runs metal hilide bulbs i think they said it was an EYE bulb,and on the ballast it says for both hps and mh,but its pretty hard to find a eye bulb,so i was basically asking if i needed to use a conversion bulb or could i use just a regular 150 watt metal halide bulb...this is the system right here............http://shop.ebay.com/sis.html?ssPageName=VINS:SIM&_kw=150+WATT+HPS+DIGITAL+GROW+LIGHT+XL+HOOD+150w+SUN+SYSTEM&_fis=2&_id=230365985942&_isid=0&_sibeleafcat=42225,i just bought this to suppliment my veg room,im also a cfl warrior like yourself,but i needed something more...lol,any ways take a look at that oe for me and tell me what you think i should do....keep in mind that the system is already bought...thanks

edit,sorry it just takes you to the choices here is the system right here...150 WATT HPS DIGITAL GROW LIGHT XL HOOD 150w SUN SYSTEM - eBay (item 230365985942 end time Aug-16-09 20:14:01 PDT)

nikk said:

well the fixture is mogul base,the ballast is a digital one that sits atop the reflector,i bought it on ebay,the people who sold it to me said that it also runs metal hilide bulbs i think they said it was an EYE bulb,and on the ballast it says for both hps and mh,but its pretty hard to find a eye bulb,so i was basically asking if i needed to use a conversion bulb or could i use just a regular 150 watt metal halide bulb...this is the system right here............http://shop.ebay.com/sis.html?ssPageName=VINS:SIM&_kw=150+WATT+HPS+DIGITAL+GROW+LIGHT+XL+HOOD+150w+SUN+SYSTEM&_fis=2&_id=230365985942&_isid=0&_sibeleafcat=42225,i just bought this to suppliment my veg room,im also a cfl warrior like yourself,but i needed something more...lol,any ways take a look at that oe for me and tell me what you think i should do....keep in mind that the system is already bought...thanks

edit,sorry it just takes you to the choices here is the system right here...150 WATT HPS DIGITAL GROW LIGHT XL HOOD 150w SUN SYSTEM - eBay (item 230365985942 end time Aug-16-09 20:14:01 PDT)

Click to expand...

Ok I looked up the fixture and yes you can use the MH bulb but you'll need the proper reducer here is a link to the reducer it should be all you need for the veg growth phase.
just use the HPS bulb later for the Bloom cycle.
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-8681-Socket-Adapter-000-8681/dp/B000K2EJSM/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

All you have to do is screw it into the mogul baes socket you have then screw in the MH bulb being careful not to get finger prints on the bulb as the oils on your finger tips can cause a hot spot which could cause the bulb to explode the part is $2.25 plus shipping if you can't wait for shipping yo should be able to get one from a local electrical supply house just look one up in the phone book or online and you should be good to go.
On a side note the grows that I've followed on here most use a 400 watt fixture and quite a few use the HPS for the entire grow and alot use CFL's for the veg cycle then HPS for the bloom I would try to check some of the grows out and see if it is worth the extra money for the MH bulb but if your set on this path buy the adapter and have at it.
Good luck let me know how it worked out.
Thanks... Bill

Karloff said:

Ok I looked up the fixture and yes you can use the MH bulb but you'll need the proper reducer here is a link to the reducer it should be all you need for the veg growth phase.
just use the HPS bulb later for the Bloom cycle.
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-8681-Socket-Adapter-000-8681/dp/B000K2EJSM/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

All you have to do is screw it into the mogul baes socket you have then screw in the MH bulb being careful not to get finger prints on the bulb as the oils on your finger tips can cause a hot spot which could cause the bulb to explode the part is $2.25 plus shipping if you can't wait for shipping yo should be able to get one from a local electrical supply house just look one up in the phone book or online and you should be good to go.
On a side note the grows that I've followed on here most use a 400 watt fixture and quite a few use the HPS for the entire grow and alot use CFL's for the veg cycle then HPS for the bloom I would try to check some of the grows out and see if it is worth the extra money for the MH bulb but if your set on this path buy the adapter and have at it.
Good luck let me know how it worked out.
Thanks... Bill

Click to expand...

i understand,but what i was asking was if i can basically use any metal halide bulb with a mogul socket in the ballast,as long as its rated 150 watt?
oh and p.s i have like 500 watts of cfl's that used for my last grow,this is supplimental light...thanks

hey i got a chance to pick up a 1500w mh bulb on an average 16 hour on 8 hour off day how much will power will it take

i have a t5 lighting fixture as seen in the pics. it doesnt have an external plug for into a socket. is there a way to install one? and are these phillips alto t5 light going to be good for growing maro

i have this t5 lighting fixture as seen in the pics. it doesnt have an external plug for into a socket. is there a way to install one? and are these phillips alto t5 bulbs going to be good for growing maro clones?

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8059/p1011038.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/2937/p1011039.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2352/p1011040.jpg
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1480/p1011041.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2066/p1011042.jpg
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/2353/p1011043.jpg
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6577/p1011044.jpg

nikk said:

i understand,but what i was asking was if i can basically use any metal halide bulb with a mogul socket in the ballast,as long as its rated 150 watt?
oh and p.s i have like 500 watts of cfl's that used for my last grow,this is supplimental light...thanks

Click to expand...

If you can find one at the 150 watts the answer is yes but don't go over the ballast's wattage rating.
Don't try to push it over 150 watts if that is all the ballast is rated for.
I tried to check out some bulbs online and found most have a medium base that's why I said you need the converter fitting the only thing else I would say is to make sure that you get the right Kelvin or color bulb somewhere in the 2700-2900 range as MH is for vegging as you probably know also don't assume the color is right make sure it's in the right range because they vary in color a quick google search turned this up as an example: http://www.1000bulbs.com/150-Watt-Metal-Halide-Light-Bulbs/
The last 2 bulbs at the bottom of the page are near the right color but the first one is a coated bulb like a white coating the one below is a clear bulb but the color or Kelvin rating is 3000K I'm not sure if that would be in the right color spectrum for that question you might want to search out a Mh lighting link and ask one of the moderators about the coating as the coated one is 2900K.
I don't know if you allready have a bulb or not but finding one in the right color might be difficult.
Good Luck and I hope it all works out for you.

jerkin247 said:

i have this t5 lighting fixture as seen in the pics. it doesnt have an external plug for into a socket. is there a way to install one? and are these phillips alto t5 bulbs going to be good for growing maro clones?

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8059/p1011038.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/2937/p1011039.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2352/p1011040.jpg
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1480/p1011041.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2066/p1011042.jpg
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/2353/p1011043.jpg
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6577/p1011044.jpg

Click to expand...

You can use the fixture as long as you install a plug and cord they don't draw much amps. but the tubes depending on the color might be a problem I found a pair of GE Ecolux 32 watt 48" tubes 6500K for $6.99 at Lowes which I'm going to use in a 2 tube fixture for flowering and some CFL's to fill in in my grow cab for the veg cycle you need 2700K color also while the tubes will fit into the fixture read the info on the ballast to make sure you can run the t8 tubes if your not sure you can get a two tube shop light or 2 at walmart for $15.99 each they use an electronic ballast if you carefully remove the ballast cover you can take a couple pieces of scrap wood and screw up the 2 fixtures side by side to get 4 of the ho tubes.
As far as wiring the existing fixture you can get a regular orange extension cord 18 guage or 16 guage and a metal set screw romex connector install the romex connector into one ot the 1/2" knock outs tightening down the lock nut then strip the outer casing of the extension cord about 8" or so you'll see a black wire, a white wire and a green wire that is the ground use a forked compression connector and crimp it onto the ground wire after you strip a 1/2" of the insulation then take a nut and bolt through one of the screw holes in the fixture body, next take the white wire from the ext. cord strip about 3/4" of the insulation off it and connect it to the white wire coming from the ballast after that do the same thing to the black wire from the ext. cord and connect it to the black wire on the ballast next install the ballast cover and use some jack chain to hang it bulb her up and plug her in and your in business just remember to lower the fixture as close to the plants as possible a good rule of thumb is to hold your hand near the tubes and find a comfortable distance I keep my 2 tube about a 2 inches above the tops of my plants and I fill in light by using some compact Fluroescents in some cheap clamp on work lights with a "Y" bulb splitter that allows me to use two bulbs per fixture the "Y" splitter can be found in most Lowes and Home Depots for about $3.50 each the romex connectors are sold in bags of ten for about a dollar or two at the same stores the bulbs are usually found there as well 2700K for the veg cycle and 6500K for the flowering cycle.
and they vary in price make sure you read the labels and see which ones to use.Here's a link to a great tutorial on CFL lights.
https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/202718-cfl-tutorial.html

Good luck I hope I answered your question wiring the fixture takes about 2-5 minutes for a pro maybe 10 minutes for a regular guy with limited experience so it's not hard at all PS. I forgot to mention the wire nuts try yellow or tan wire nuts the tans really grab well you might be able to get away with orange wire nuts just make sure no exposed copper is showing.

slewy said:

hey i got a chance to pick up a 1500w mh bulb on an average 16 hour on 8 hour off day how much will power will it take

Click to expand...

1500 watts per hour times what ever your electric company charges you per kilowatt hour a kilowatt is 1000 watts so 1500watts would be 1.5 KW or Kilo watts, you'll have to do the math 16 hours times 1.5 Kw would be 24 Kw a day so 24 times what ever they charge you the rate is usually on your electric bill.

Good Luck and happy growing

Karloff said:

If you can find one at the 150 watts the answer is yes but don't go over the ballast's wattage rating.
Don't try to push it over 150 watts if that is all the ballast is rated for.
I tried to check out some bulbs online and found most have a medium base that's why I said you need the converter fitting the only thing else I would say is to make sure that you get the right Kelvin or color bulb somewhere in the 2700-2900 range as MH is for vegging as you probably know also don't assume the color is right make sure it's in the right range because they vary in color a quick google search turned this up as an example: http://www.1000bulbs.com/150-Watt-Metal-Halide-Light-Bulbs/
The last 2 bulbs at the bottom of the page are near the right color but the first one is a coated bulb like a white coating the one below is a clear bulb but the color or Kelvin rating is 3000K I'm not sure if that would be in the right color spectrum for that question you might want to search out a Mh lighting link and ask one of the moderators about the coating as the coated one is 2900K.
I don't know if you allready have a bulb or not but finding one in the right color might be difficult.
Good Luck and I hope it all works out for you.

Click to expand...

thanks karloff,you see that link you gave me,look at the very first light,it has the right color spectrum i need,can i use that exact one?

Karloff said:

so 24 times what ever they charge you the rate is usually on your electric bill.

Click to expand...

not to mention that if you go over your baseline the kwh unit price doubles!

Hey bricktown,

i put a panel in and ran 220 by skipping each on dual breakers. so i've got 220 for each 2 plugs. well now i'm putting in my lights and realize that i would have to have a separate timer for every lite. i had a few but i forgot they were 110 so now they are no good. lol dooooooooo!

so how can i fix this without putting an expensive 220 timer on each power ? right now i have 4 quads with 2 wires each to each quad pullin 220.

does this make sense to ya?

I'd like to get them through as few timers as possible. If ya got alink to a recommended brand and place to buy the timers that would be great too. i only found the dial type timers that you find on pool pumps and stuff at lowes for like 80 bucks a piece.

thanks man.

Hogdady said:

not to mention that if you go over your baseline the kwh unit price doubles!

Click to expand...

Thats your elec co. not all companies have the same rate schedules.