Light Timer Problem.

my lights are on seperate timers as the mcb switches in my consumer unit and my rcd protected sockets sometimes trip at lamp switch on as they are so sensitive, so i separated them, one lamp on is better than none if there is a trip, my problem is my timers are about 5 minutes apart off and on, can this upset my 12/12 if one lamp comes on at 10.00am the other at 10.05am and then off at 10.00pm and the other off at 10.05pm.

so the plants are actually getting about 5 or 10 minutes light longer than the 12 hours. but total darkness in between.

I find you can get this kind of problem with normal mechanical timers with the 15min segments.

I tend to adjust my timer for my flowering room to 11.5hours ON and 12.5hours off.


Where are you in the world? As you equipment should not make your RCB's etc trip regardless of how sensitive they are if you have the right equipment.



J

i am in the uk, 240v 32amp miniature circuit breakers are not tripping they protect electrical equipment from short circuit and fire, its the 17 millisecond residual current devices on the circuit after the mcbs that are tripping, they protect people from an electric shock on the circuit and if it detects even the slightest of earth leak it trips in 1/17th of a second to protect your life.
i could by-pass them but not recommended.

there must be a short spark or fluctuation in the voltage causing a slight earth fault to develop that is tripping the rcd when the timer switches on the lamp, it is probably the very high electric power draw at lamp switch on that is causing it.
it only does it with the timers, not if you switch the lights on manually. and it only does it now and again.

anyway i take it a few minutes between the 2 lamps switching on and off wont harm my flowering 12/12 period.

OK so you live in the same country as i do.

How is your setup configured as far as plugging your ballasts into the electrical socket?

Run me through from the socket back to your ballast.


J

NO it shouldnt harm your 12/12 period.

However i worry about your electrical equipment and wish to help you with this.


J

my electrical equipment is safer than yours.

i have a 5-way consumer unit that is seperate from my homes consumer unit. the 5-way unit has 25mm twin cable and 16mm earth, it has 3 x 32 amp mcbs installed just now running 3 x 2.5mm twin and earth to 3 double gang rcd sockets giving 6 separate rcd sockets, the two timers are plugged in to 2 seperate rcd sockets and my ballasts are plugged in to the timers as the timers have their own built in contactors.
this is where my trouble is coming from. the rcd sockets are very sensitive. it is 99.9% impossible to have a short circuit cause a fire or receive an electric shock.
as i said i could by-pass the rcds but if i get a 240v 32 amp electric shock from any equipment in the future it may or may not kill me.

The only thing i can think of is that your Built in Contactors are not capable of running your ballasts.

Did you not think to get yourself something along the lines of the ECOTECHNICS POWERSTAR PRO range of contactors and have all your lights running on the same built in timer.


http://www.ecotechnics.co.uk/contactors_range.htm

The powerstar pro range halfway down



Which timers with built in contactors are you using? The PLUG AND GROW VERSIONS?

something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160493543892




J

jondamon said:

The only thing i can think of is that your Built in Contactors are not capable of running your ballasts.

Did you not think to get yourself something along the lines of the ECOTECHNICS POWERSTAR PRO range of contactors and have all your lights running on the same built in timer.


http://www.ecotechnics.co.uk/contactors_range.htm

The powerstar pro range halfway down



Which timers with built in contactors are you using? The PLUG AND GROW VERSIONS?

something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160493543892




J

Click to expand...

yes i am using them.

i know for a fact if i plug them in to a normal 240v 32 amp socket they will not trip.

but i always use rcd protection in my grow rooms now. it would not be the first time i have had an electric shock and i am not getting any younger hence the over the top protection.

Yes you are using which?

The PLUG AND GROW version?

What lights are you running with what ballasts?



J

Also why do you have all the RCD protected sockets?


I take it you are protected at your consumer unit? Then you only need a standard socket to plug everything into along with a contactor.



J

no homes are only required to be mcb protected at the consumer unit, mcb will protect you from electrical faults, and short circuits that cause fire.
but mcbs do not protect you against electric shock. i have rcd protection too as i am always doing electrical work in my grow houses and i have a lot of hydroponic water and electric power.
it is only a personal thing. i was working on the electrics one day and a friend was in, i asked if he wanted a couple of bacon rolls from the local bakers and he said yes, so i said wait here i will get them for us, when i returned he had made two cups of tea, it never dawned on me where he got the electric power for the kettle, as i simply forgot, we ate the rolls and i went back to work, i was fitting a new socket on one of the ring mains and when i grabbed the brown and blue wire to stretch them out for connection i received a massive 32 amp shock up both arms and across my chest, i was thrown to the floor and i felt very ill for about 20 minutes, breathless palpitations and giddiness, i hadnt figured on him turning the consumer unit fully back on to operate the kettle.
my mistake. if the system was rcd protected i would simply have felt a short twinge in my hands before trip disconnection.

anyway my concern was the timers and you say 5 or 10 minutes over or below will not matter.

thanks very much for your help.

NO problem.







J

I've got a 600 watt hps running on a 3000 watt + timer from a 13 amp extension. i went to alter the time on it the other day and it started fizzing and the light went out?? i turned it off at the switch then on again but it didnt short anything. Can anyone tell me what the problem is?? Dont want to burn my house down