220 multi light controller question

[ocitown]

My grow is mostly 110 v. but my main 1K/LL is 240 and i have a multi light controller which has four plugs and only one is being used.

My question is i want to use the power from this controller as it has allot of unused amps (30 total with only 5 for the 1k) and my room is using a good amt of 110 amps already.

I want to plug my 9 amp AC and my 6 amp dehumidifier into it but i need some plug converter from the 240 with the two horizontal(hot) prongs and round ground IIRC to a regular 110 female receptical which uses only the one flat 110 volt prong and the ground,

Seems it may need the hot amd neutral for the 110 to work and thats why i'm here asking,im good with doing things but need to fully understand it prior to doing it.

Is there such an adapter or a way to do this w/o pulling another 110 circuit from the main??

Please advise soon as im fixin to go wild soon.

 

[Observer Tom]

Be sure you turn off the breaker before doing any electrical work, of course, and take appropriate safety precautions like checking the lines with a meter before working on them even if you think you turned off the breaker. Double check your safety steps, better safe than dead and 240v @ 30+ amps is naaasty!

The safest method, IMO, would be to bring your 240v line into a small fuse box, put in a small 240v fuse / plug for your light controller and 120v fuse / plug(s) for your new 120v stuff. Make sure your old wire can handle the combined amps. The whole setup won't be too expensive, small fuse boxes, fuses and wall sockets are pretty cheap.

You could also get a converter to plug in that would step down the voltage from 240v to 120v (or 110v if you're in Europe or someplace that uses 110v) but then I expect your light controller would turn off your AC and Humidifier which you may or may not want.

Is that what you were wanting? Or are you asking if you can just tape off one of the 240v wires to create a 120v line after your light controller?

 

[ocitown]

You do have a great point in that this light controller will be on a timer and the dehumidifier will need to be on during the nights off period but the AC wont and that draws most of what i want off the main 120v. circuits.

Rewiring any of this system is not what i really want but just a conversion block/splitter which has the 240 flat type male plug and then goes to a 120v. female for reg 120 plugs,it would have to internally know and be wired to only use one leg of the hot to draw just the 120v. i need,

Is such a simplie splitter even made and isnt my 240 using two hots and a ground where the 120v needs one hot and a neutral?

Lil confused as i have not been in the 240 box i wired for two years but the Lumatek IIRC used two hots and one ground IIRC.

 

[toby]

u can buy a cheap fuse box that will go from 240 and 120 it cost 28$ at homedepot U bring in the 240 2 a double 15 and the box will let u have 240 0n 1 leg and 2 120 and will b all safe cause your main panal will pop first so you have double the safty

 

[ocitown]

u can buy a cheap fuse box that will go from 240 and 120 it cost 28$ at homedepot U bring in the 240 2 a double 15 and the box will let u have 240 0n 1 leg and 2 120 and will b all safe cause your main panal will pop first so you have double the safty

I'm looking for an adapter plug and play even if it has a short cord if i can find one.

Does this HD fuse box need to be hard wired?

There has to be some plug and play to pull 120 off the standard 240 outlet.

 

[Observer Tom]

Fundamentally one hot from the 240v and the neutral will make a 120v, but you have no ground and an electrician would wince if he saw it. So I wouldn't try that.

A fuse box is your safest bet and yes, it will cost about $50 total between fuse box, 240v breaker, 120v breaker, 240v outlet, 120v outlet and a couple feet of wire.

I haven't seen a 240v to 120v plug adapter which makes me think there's more to it than meets the eye.

If you DO find a device let us know, but I've done a couple google searches and came up empty.

 

[ocitown]

Fundamentally one hot from the 240v and the neutral will make a 120v, but you have no ground and an electrician would wince if he saw it. So I wouldn't try that.

A fuse box is your safest bet and yes, it will cost about $50 total between fuse box, 240v breaker, 120v breaker, 240v outlet, 120v outlet and a couple feet of wire.

I haven't seen a 240v to 120v plug adapter which makes me think there's more to it than meets the eye.

If you DO find a device let us know, but I've done a couple google searches and came up empty.

Your grounding point is VERY important to me and as i have said my 240 wiring is for my Lumatek ballast 1K and it uses two hots and the ground to work right.

The attic splice i used as you know has 4 wires and although im only using the three i could hook up the other white wire up there and then just splice into one hot the neutral and ground and piggyback another junction box right next to the 240 outlet for an easy 15 amps of 120.

The circuit i'm using is for the garage dryer which is gas so it's all mine now even though its still wired there.

The main 240 breaker is a 30 and the 1K uses 5 amps(2.5 from each hot leg i would think)so each hot leg has 12.5 amps available which would work well for my 9 amp AC and if i wanted to i could add the other leg on another circuit right?

I'm no electrician so correct me if my logical thinking has figured things wrong before i do anything.

 

[Observer Tom]

So you have a 240v dryer outlet with 2 hots and a neutral, and you want to splice into an attic wire to bring a ground line down next to the dryer outlet, then pull a hot and neutral off the dryer outlet to combine with your attic ground to create a 120v outlet?

Let's step back for a moment and see if there's a safer way to do this.

Is your house's main breaker box accessible and does it have any breaker slots available?

Would it be possible to just add a breaker to your main fuse box, use a couple feet of flexible conduit to go up into your attic and across the house down to your room and have a brand spanking new, fully safe 120v outlet?

That wouldn't require adding another fuse box, the conduit up to the eve of your house would most likely blend in, you wouldn't have any janky wiring so no risk of a fire.. sounds kinda nice all around.

Is that something you've considered, or is it a possibility?

 

[ocitown]

So you have a 240v dryer outlet with 2 hots and a neutral, and you want to splice into an attic wire to bring a ground line down next to the dryer outlet, then pull a hot and neutral off the dryer outlet to combine with your attic ground to create a 120v outlet?

Let's step back for a moment and see if there's a safer way to do this.

Is your house's main breaker box accessible and does it have any breaker slots available?

Would it be possible to just add a breaker to your main fuse box, use a couple feet of flexible conduit to go up into your attic and across the house down to your room and have a brand spanking new, fully safe 120v outlet?

That wouldn't require adding another fuse box, the conduit up to the eve of your house would most likely blend in, you wouldn't have any janky wiring so no risk of a fire.. sounds kinda nice all around.

Is that something you've considered, or is it a possibility?

There is a metal junction box in the attic for all the 240v. circuits which go to the stove,oven and garage dryer.

The dryer box is just a few feet from my room and is already wired with a 4/10 or 4-12 but it is wired into my veg closet atm with just 2 hots and the ground to the 240 outlet.

If i just wired the white neutral wire which is already in that box i would then have all 4 wires in and available in the closet and could wire nut the wires to a piggybacked box with a 120 outlet for the extra circuit.

Yea the main 200 amp service is another 15 feet and does have several open slots but i just didnt want to go there at this time when i figured i was 90% there.

 

[ocitown]

The #2 ballast I'm getting will also be 240V. which will solve all those unanswered questions,thanx for the help though.

 

[repvip]

http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/grow-light-controller.asp

Sorry I know this thread is old, but I was googling trying to find the above guide and came across it. I am still trying to find an actual product--I know a hydro online shop has an IGS or similar company controller that I would just rather buy, than build

Anyway they use the 120v input cord as a "trip" cord to trip power to the 120v outlets, which works convenient since you can use a cheapo timer. I guess that is where they are getting the neutral from?

Anyway.. products do exist already for only around $3-400 I have seen them on at least one hydro shop.. if I can only find it again. I do believe the company was IGS....

EDIT:

Nevermind I think I was confused... I did find what I was looking for though:
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/30-amp-240v-power-box-p-1397.html
But it only has 2 120v outlets...