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

Man what an ordeal. You are correct, It's a pain. But, I finally got it. I had to spend another day crawling around in the insulation. I think I have become immune to fiberglass.

I followed the wire from the plug to the panel, the "other" wire I thought was there in the wall was indeed hooked to a GFI outlet. But, I traced it back, and put it in a box nailed to a stud in the attic then pulled it to my room hooked it up and IT WORKS!!!!!

Praise the Lord!, how I ever kept from getting shocked is a mystery to me. I was crawling on top of hot wires for three days. Very scary.

We all know growing weed is dangerous, I think I took it to a new level.

Thanks to all for advice.

Po.

So I'm trying to run 4k watts in flower and 1k watts in veg. I have a dedicated 30-amp 240v dryer outlet that I will be plugging these 5 1k watt lights into to run off 240v, which comes out to be 23-24 amps. Which is 80% of the circuit running continuously, so it shouldn't flip the breaker if I'm correct. I have a 20 amp breaker that comes into the rooms as well and I plan on also running 16 amps continuously, so the same goes with the breaker in that it shouldn't flip. I also then have a 15 amp circuit which will run 9 amps continuously for these rooms and the remaining amps for house lights, always keeping it limited to 80% of the circuit. I also determined the load of the other random things (modem,router,fridge,computers,dishwasher) that will possibly be continuously running during peak usage to be about 21 amps. Then the stove has it's 50 amp breaker as well. My question is:

I've got an old ass panel that has no main breaker (no disconnect anywhere) and I'm not entirely sure of the ampacity of the service entrance cable. The only limiting factor of the electrical service that I could find was that the service panel says "70 amp mains". Does this mean that there are two 70 amp legs coming in supplying the house with 140 amps of main service, OR is the combined amperage coming into the panel distributing 70 amps main service. I had a friend that's an electrician tell me it was #6 gauge CU service entrance wire.

Essentially, I'm trying to determine what the limiting factor of the electrical service is compared to the possible continuous load that I might be demanding.

If I'm pulling all of this during flowering:
-24 amps on 30 amp dryer circuit
-16 amps on 20 amp circuit
- 9 amps on 15 amp circuit
Totaling to be: 49 amps possibly continuous during Flowering

If my main service really is only 70 amps and the continuous load can only be 80%, which is 56 amps, that only leaves 7 amps free. It also only leaves 21 total amps free, correct? Therefore, if I was to run 20+ amps from the range, not flipping that 50 amp breaker, and be pulling over 70 amps total...would that likely lead to a fire or would the main panel somehow magically without a main breaker limit the panel from pulling more than 70 amps?

I know probably not all of the amps during flowering will be pulled continuously, but I'm just trying to be extra safe without a main breaker so I don't overheat the wires. The 16 and 9 amps separate from the lights will power fans, A/C, dehumidifier/humidifier. So, some won't be running at max capacity all the time.

Thanks so much! This has been driving me crazy and it's preventing me from taking on something that I've been waiting 2 years for!

ive been reading for hours and I think I got it down but if you could break it down for me here id REALLY appreciate it.

I need to know how and what i need to wire 3 cfl sockets together to all 3 run to the same plug.

Im trying to make my own CFL fixture like this but have never dealt with any electric work at all.

Thanks,

dude, im glad your doing this! alot of growers need help seting up electrical boxes. every grow needs to be wired corectly.

Any Idea where I can find a mogul to medium base light socket adapter? Preferably a hardware store as I cant order anything off the internet

Hey, I got an easy question. Is it ok to run a fan through a speed control and a CAP cooling thermostat so the fan only goes on when it needs to?

Just wondering if this hack job my buddy did for me would be considered a fire hazard and if i should get it done again. Thanks.

bedroom grow. 10x10, 15 amp circuit. I've got 1000 watts on a 12/12 switch running all day. Then I've got a Big Bastardly extension cord running a few feet to the bathroom circuit on a 12/12 switch of 1K as well. Total in room is 4K watts.


Safe or unsafe? What is the general consensus on running 1k ballast through extension cords in to other circuits?

Hey! i'm planning my indoor grow right now and wanted to ask you about an electrical product i plan on using since i already own it. Its called a quick 220, basically you just plug the two cords into 110 volt outlets and it combines the power to make a 220 or 240 volt outlet. heres the link

:http://www.eaglesystem.biz/quick220.html

this would perfect for my situation because i already have a ballast with 240 volt ONLY cords. i have the dual 600 watt lumatek ballast(its just two 600 watt ballasts built into one) so i'm just wondering if you think that it would be safe to run 2400 watts (and 10 volts, i think) off of one of these cheap little converters for 12 to 18 hours a day

i also don't want to do this setup if its going to draw power away from the lights, and make them not as strong.

Can't be just any 2 outlets. Would have to be each outlet fed from one phase of the house.

phatsexygirlz said:

Hey! i'm planning my indoor grow right now and wanted to ask you about an electrical product i plan on using since i already own it. Its called a quick 220, basically you just plug the two cords into 110 volt outlets and it combines the power to make a 220 or 240 volt outlet. heres the link

:http://www.eaglesystem.biz/quick220.html

this would perfect for my situation because i already have a ballast with 240 volt ONLY cords. i have the dual 600 watt lumatek ballast(its just two 600 watt ballasts built into one) so i'm just wondering if you think that it would be safe to run 2400 watts (and 10 volts, i think) off of one of these cheap little converters for 12 to 18 hours a day

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THANKS Brickman. vb

Hey there, Im pretty good at electrical but our problem is our 200amp main panel has every slot full.

So first Question
We are running a total of around 9000 watts of light, a 22,000 btu AC, a 1HP chiller, 3 8 in blowers, 4 6in and a 4 in. plus the normal pumps, and fns and shit. so the question is do you think 120amps is a good safe side estimation for all that or is it to high?

Second question
So how do I wire it to my already full panel?
I saw a wire tap online, can I call edison to have them shut off power while I tap it? good or bad idea? help...

Trazzer said:

Second question
So how do I wire it to my already full panel?
I saw a wire tap online, can I call edison to have them shut off power while I tap it? good or bad idea? help...

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There are quad breakers at the size of a double. Used just for this situation. One will probably be a 240V the other two 120's.

BigBudBalls said:

There are quad breakers at the size of a double. Used just for this situation. One will probably be a 240V the other two 120's.

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If Im understanding you right, your saying run the sub panel off a 100amp or so breaker?
the problem is I do not have any more breaker slots, there is tons of electrical in this house and none can be combined..

Wish break would chime back in....

alrite brickman everytime I turn my light/ballast on all the sockets in my house trip and I have to turn it back on at the mains,ive changed fuses an that but dont really know what else to try,any help would be great cheers

ok so im growing 5 plants under a 225 strip full spectrum led panel, and i also run a cfl light the size of my head(not sure the watts on it). both light sources dont create much heat.
i grow in my shed, and its getting chilly, living in new england.
what do you sudgest i use to heat up my area, and not destroy my electricity bill?

sgt.stiffy said:

ok so im growing 5 plants under a 225 strip full spectrum led panel, and i also run a cfl light the size of my head(not sure the watts on it). both light sources dont create much heat.
i grow in my shed, and its getting chilly, living in new england.
what do you sudgest i use to heat up my area, and not destroy my electricity bill?

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Ha I would recommend a HPS or MH light, maybe a 150 or 250. the reason is although LEDs and CFLs are cool and good and produce a different result but the fact is they both have little or no canopy penatration. ur lucky if you askin for heat, I have way to much haha...

Trazzer said:

If Im understanding you right, your saying run the sub panel off a 100amp or so breaker?
the problem is I do not have any more breaker slots, there is tons of electrical in this house and none can be combined..

Wish break would chime back in....

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No not a sub panel. If you look in your panel, you will see a 240 breaker or two. Looks like two single breakers with the lever bridged to the other one.

They make a quad, that is 4 breakers that takes up the room of a double. Basically 1/2 width.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=212677-82364-BQ220220&lpage=none

1/2" (1/2 thickness single):
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=71914-76863-THQP120&lpage=none

BigBudBalls said:

No not a sub panel. If you look in your panel, you will see a 240 breaker or two. Looks like two single breakers with the lever bridged to the other one.

They make a quad, that is 4 breakers that takes up the room of a double. Basically 1/2 width.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=212677-82364-BQ220220&lpage=none

1/2" (1/2 thickness single):
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=71914-76863-THQP120&lpage=none

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Yea all of those are filled too, its maxed out at over 200amps haha but thanks for you responses.