Powering an attic

Whats going on RIU? Well I have just started my first grow and it is under 2 400watters.

The original plan was to grow next door in a hobby room, and then move into that place the next year. (best friends live there now.)

Our place is a 3 story town house, and has an excellent attic on what would be the 4th floor.

The new plan is to build in the attic and basically make it look like a hospital. I will have a decent size mother area and a decent size veg area. Both of those will be run by T5's(several).

The flower area will hopefully be 4k-6k in HPS on light movers.

Yes, that sounds like a lot, but my power is cheap. At its peak, $.060200/KWH and night time is $.035500/KWH.

If ran during the day, 6k of light raises my power bill $130 total, and at night $76. 4k on light movers is probably what we will end up doing.


**MY MAIN QUESTION REGARDS POWER**
Right now there is only 1 normal dual 120v outlet up there. What process do I take to get an additional breaker setup for up there, get atleast 10 more normal outlets and 2-3 220v outlets? Power company? Electrical contractor? How much am I looking at?

Obviously I am not try to be cheap with the setup I am running, I just need to know who to contact and what types of prices I will be looking at.

Any help is appreciated. If you have any attic experience, PLEASE tell me ANYTHING that helped you out! We still have to insulate the ceiling walls, lay down flooring(plywood), complete a few walls(plywood), and then cover that sucker in mylar and make sure it is sealed off.

THANKS!

I personally HATE the attic (its where i have my grow) I live somewhere where the weather changes a lot. Yesterday it was around 85-90 and today its raining... The main problem i have is

Controlling the temperature (What i do now is i have it on during the night and off during the hottest time - 18/6)
Bugs - The warmness of the light atracts a lot of bugs
Dust - Its everywhere because of all the insulation (i have my growroom sealed in plastic)

and i dont know if your town house has this but its those spinny things ontop of the roof so that the attict is ventilated? Make sure your growroom is properly sealed because on my first attempt mine wasnt. I walked outside and i notice a HUGE BRIGHT beam of light sticking out of my attict that is a NONO!!!

Good luck mate!

You'll need to go with a contractor if you can't do it yourself. I have no idea about cost, I did my work myself. You'll need to add up the total amps you'll be using up there, then round up a bit to be safe. So if you find that you'll be running 48 amps, for example, then I'd probably go with adding a 60 amp breaker in your main breaker box in your house. Then you'll run a big main wire out of that up to a subpanel in your attic. (If I remember correctly, you'd be using 6-4 wire with a 60 amp breaker [which means 6 gauge wire, containing 4 wires - red, black, white, ground]). Then from your subpanel you can install a bunch of smaller breakers for your various outlets - 110 & 220 as needed - always using a slightly bigger breaker as needed.
Note: this isn't the only way to do it, but it is how I'd do it.
Try to figure out as much as you can what you'll specifically need - number of outlets, types of outlets. Then call a contractor for a quote.
If you have questions, I'll try to help if I can.

I personally would go for something like this... and hardwire it to a 50 amp breaker in you main box...

You will need an electrician for the hardwiring...

of if you have a spare range or dryer outlet... you can just plug it in...

This is the 50 amp, the also have 30 amp boxes...

Google 30 amp timer box...

or do a search for Sentinel products...

GypsyBush said:

I personally would go for something like this... and hardwire it to a 50 amp breaker in you main box...

You will need an electrician for the hardwiring...

of if you have a spare range or dryer outlet... you can just plug it in...

This is the 50 amp, the also have 30 amp boxes...

Google 30 amp timer box...

or do a search for Sentinel products...

Click to expand...

Ok, so with that, I will buy that package, hire an electrician, and he will install that box in the attic, as well as add an additional breaker to the box?

How much does an electrician run? I am not an idiot, I am just in college and have be fortunate enough to have parents who have dealt with those type aspects all of life up till now.

Leothwyn said:

You'll need to go with a contractor if you can't do it yourself. I have no idea about cost, I did my work myself. You'll need to add up the total amps you'll be using up there, then round up a bit to be safe. So if you find that you'll be running 48 amps, for example, then I'd probably go with adding a 60 amp breaker in your main breaker box in your house. Then you'll run a big main wire out of that up to a subpanel in your attic. (If I remember correctly, you'd be using 6-4 wire with a 60 amp breaker [which means 6 gauge wire, containing 4 wires - red, black, white, ground]). Then from your subpanel you can install a bunch of smaller breakers for your various outlets - 110 & 220 as needed - always using a slightly bigger breaker as needed.
Note: this isn't the only way to do it, but it is how I'd do it.
Try to figure out as much as you can what you'll specifically need - number of outlets, types of outlets. Then call a contractor for a quote.
If you have questions, I'll try to help if I can.

Click to expand...

Thanks a ton man! I was clueless regarding electricity and breakers. Great advice! It really laid out the big picture! Thanks!

How hard of an undertaking is it, and how much electrical safety risk is involved?

I know nothing about it, but after reading and such I am sure I can figure it out. Im a 3rd year Petroleum Engineering student, and I have a deep back ground in both computer hardware and software. I am basically from a family of rednecks with money, so i have been doing manual labor and technical work my entire life. Let me know if you think reading alone would be enough for such an undertaking.

Thanks again!

I am doing a very similar thing....

If you notice you can just plug the box in to a electric stove outlet (50 amps)...

I am running mine up with 50ft of 6-4 wire...

No electrician involved.... just plug it in...

But i am lucky to have the unused outlet ready to go...

Electricians are nosy, and they will want to stay within code... and that means you pay a lot...

Not to say you should skimp on safety...

ELECTRICITY KILLS... be careful...

Leothwyn said:

You'll need to go with a contractor if you can't do it yourself. I have no idea about cost, I did my work myself. You'll need to add up the total amps you'll be using up there, then round up a bit to be safe. So if you find that you'll be running 48 amps, for example, then I'd probably go with adding a 60 amp breaker in your main breaker box in your house. Then you'll run a big main wire out of that up to a subpanel in your attic. (If I remember correctly, you'd be using 6-4 wire with a 60 amp breaker [which means 6 gauge wire, containing 4 wires - red, black, white, ground]). Then from your subpanel you can install a bunch of smaller breakers for your various outlets - 110 & 220 as needed - always using a slightly bigger breaker as needed.
Note: this isn't the only way to do it, but it is how I'd do it.
Try to figure out as much as you can what you'll specifically need - number of outlets, types of outlets. Then call a contractor for a quote.
If you have questions, I'll try to help if I can.

Click to expand...

He is right on the money...

I ordered that 50 amp box for $365 delivered to the middle of nowhere Alaska...

You can build one cheaper, but I didn't want to fuck around... I am not an electrician... and the pre-made box reduced the chance of possible (probable?!?!?) fuck-ups.... which in this case could end up with doom, gloom, death and destruction...

Sounds like you're pretty good at figuring things out. I learned with a book and advice from a few friends when I needed to convert an old shed into a glassblowing studio. Check your local hardware store for ' Step by Step Guide Book on Home Wiring'. It's blue, about the size of a magazine, cheap, and is very useful and easy to understand.

Before you do anything, always make sure all power is off - get one of those little beeper wands... you hold the button and point it near an outlet, wire, fixture, etc., and it beeps if there's power. I always feel safer checking with that before I touch anything.

Here's how I laid out my room:

-50 amp breaker in main panel - 6/4 wire coming out of that, going to my room (red and black wires connect to the breaker, white (neutral) and ground wires connect to the neutral and ground bars.
-6/4 wire comes into room, and powers a subpanel with 12 slots (or, 6 double slots).
-a couple of 20 amp (single slot) breakers in the subpanel power various normal outlets in the room (12 gauge wire) - for fans, etc..
-a double slot, 30 amp breaker inserted in the subpanel goes out (10 gauge wire) to a digital water heater timer. The timer goes out (still 10 gauge wire) to a second subpanel.
This second subpanel is just for lights, and is controlled by the timer. It contains two 20 amp breakers (12 gauge wire) - each breaker goes to a 220v outlet with two plugs. That's a total of four plugs, for four 1000w lights.

Cost:
subpanels $20 each X2 = $40
water heater timer = $65
breakers: I think the 20a ones are only $5 or so, the bigger ones were more like $20-$30 (I think).
Then you'll need your various wires and outlets - can't remember costs... not too bad though.

Hopefully you can find a friend who knows a bit about electricity to check things out as you do it, if you decide to.

Anyway, hopefully that makes sense, and helps some.

Feel free to ask questions.

nexcare said:

Thanks a ton man! I was clueless regarding electricity and breakers. Great advice! It really laid out the big picture! Thanks!

How hard of an undertaking is it, and how much electrical safety risk is involved?

I know nothing about it, but after reading and such I am sure I can figure it out. Im a 3rd year Petroleum Engineering student, and I have a deep back ground in both computer hardware and software. I am basically from a family of rednecks with money, so i have been doing manual labor and technical work my entire life. Let me know if you think reading alone would be enough for such an undertaking.

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

I have appreciated all the help in from this thread! I just went back up there with a flood light and I saw something I must have casually missed yesterday... a breaker box, with 1 breaker in it. I am not sure what size breaker. There is nothing written on the switch to indicate anything about it...which I think is unusual...Here are some pics...The ones of the switch are blurry...sorry, very odd lighting up there, as you can imagine.

Leothwyn, thanks! I woke up today without a clue about breakers and running power, but you guys have held me see the light! The pics are below:

How can I tell what size breaker?
Can I put a larger one in?
Is there room for another one also?

That looks like it might go to some attic fan or something...

But that's some pretty small gage wire....

Trust me dude.. you do not want to fuck around with this...

Get the wire that is made to handle the job and one of those boxes...

Even if you end up with $600 in parts to get power, it beats the hell out of you house going up in flames....

I came home last week to a MELTING extension cord...

Do I need to say more?

I ordered the damn box...

Yeah, electrical is something you dont want to fuck with. I did my own wiring in my attic and was still alittle nervous. And I've done wiring before. That breaker looks like it is going to something like Gypsy Bush said. I would hire an electrican if I were you. You can make up any excuss you want. They dont care, they just want the work. Take a look at my attic:
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/151523-my-attic-grow-room-construction.html

I guess I tend to agree with everything said by others here... The pre-made thing doesn't seem like a bad deal, and would be a lot easier. This is a pretty big job to learn wiring on. I'd feel better about it if you knew someone who could help you out, or at least double check your work before you fired anything up. And, I think the previous posters are right about the existing wiring and panel - they don't look especially useful.

If you do the research...

If you have the correct parts...

If you are not a moron and can follow directions...

There are many members here on RIU that are certified electricians... you could easily find someone to help you with your project...

It is easier for me, because I have the unused 220v/50amp outlet, so I just plug the box in...

But it is not brain surgery.... it is actually pretty easy stuff...

You just can't make a mistake... or you may die...

I vote for an investigation of your breaker box...

Is there room for one more breaker? are there any unused breakers?

Do you have any 220v outlets that you are not using? like dishwasher, dryer, stove, jacuzzy heater...

Honestly, I would get the box and run the power on 6-4 wire from the outlet/breaker....

That way, when you leave the house... you are not paranoid about a fire...

RIU rocks! This thread just goes to show how helpful the folks are on here...

Nexcare - if you do hire an electrician, here in BC it is about $70 an hour cash... at least for one I know that works on licensed ops.