Avoided a fire, setup changed, need some quick input!!

[RSA]

I had posted not too long ago discussing medium, what types to buy, etc. Figured all that out.

Here's the setup I was running for the last 2 years:

One room that has multiple outlets within said room that pulled power from my main panel in my basement (150AMP). Electrician installed sub panel outside of grow room.

==================
I had (2) tents.

1 x 400W in a Homebox L

2 x 1000W in a GrowLab 145GL (i believe that's the model)

Accessories included fans to cool lights, air conditioner and/or space heater. They were running off of the outlets within the room just fine, never had any power issues.


Fast Forward to today.


I booted everything up - both tents booted up good, had everything rearing to go and just was making sure things were running fine prior to actually planting any seeds. I grow standard seeds, so I always plant more to account for seeds that don't germinate, runts and males. In the Homebox (400W) I would plant 10-12, hoping for 4 good females (to flower in 5 gals).

Under the 2 x 1000W, I would plant 24-30 hoping for 12 solid females also in 5 gals.

This time around, I started out 48 - 12 for the 400W and 36 for the 2000W. Hoping for a better chance at more females was the end goal.

Anyway, went up an hour after booting up and realized that the 2000W tent was running just fine, but the 400W tent (Homebox) was off. Checked the outlet - the outlet had 2 plugs, and the one plug was burned/melted! Have no idea why, but that's not my concern right now.

I have completely dismantled the Homebox/400W tent, so all that is in the room now and that will remain in the room is the 2000W tent (along with it's accessories and space heater/air conditioner for temperature control) Again, power shouldn't be an issue as I ran both tents just fine for 2 years, so I believe it to be an outlet issue not necessarily a power consumption issue.

That said....

I need to know what my options are with 48 seeds ready to be planted. They veg under 2 x 400W CMH lights, and then I transplant from beer cups into 1.5gal pots, veg until I can sex, and then I transplant the females into 5 gals for flowering and switch over to the 2 x 1000w's.

My questions:

1.) Should I continue doing (6) 5 gallons per 1000w light?
2.) Should I do (9) 5 gallons per 1000w light?
3.) Should I switch to 3 gallons to provide more plants versus more rootspace?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

your going to start a fire if you dont redo your electric.

unless someone wired the room for growing they are all on the same breaker... usually a 15a breaker but at most a 20a breaker and you need to be 80% of max load for saftey.

2 1k = 18 amps
fans 2 amps
400 3.5 amps
anything else pluged in is extra


max load for a 20a = 16a
max load for 15a = 12a


even on a 20a your 2 1k's is way over load and your probably on a 15a breaker... get some more breakers wired in to that room before you burn it all down.

Your shit burned up because they are daisy chained together and that 400w was WAY over loaded. not only are your amps from the 400w running through the wires all your amps from your 2k's runnin on that same line through all your plugs. Not to mention you probably have plugs rated for only 15a also.

 

[Mikron]

Explain your breaker/CCTV system that might yield a better answer. General rule 2x600w per 15a or 1x1000w per 15a. 20a should hold 2kw fine but more is pushing it

 

[Mikron]

Cct not CCTV stupid autocorrect lol

 

[Mikron]

I'd try 9 per lamp for indica 6 for sativas

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

Explain your breaker/CCTV system that might yield a better answer. General rule 2x600w per 15a or 1x1000w per 15a. 20a should hold 2kw fine but more is pushing it

i dont agree with the 2k on 20a being safe... it may take the load but its not code. also even if he has 20a breaker who knows if they wired his outlets and or wire guage is correct...

 

[RSA]

Well it was professionally installed and I told the guy the amount of power I would be needing. Here is the picture of the sub panel:

 

[RSA]

the first 3 are 15A, second 2 are 20A

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

so each 1k has its own 20a breaker... not sure why that almost caught fire then... kinda wierd...

 

[BullnAChinaShop]

Probably a bad outlet/wiring issue like you said. Should be an easy fix.

 

[jm420]

what size breaker at the main pael

 

[RSA]

so each 1k has its own 20a breaker... not sure why that almost caught fire then... kinda wierd...

Mothefucker, I figured it out.

It was the god damn space heater.

I just bought the thing a couple months ago - i dismantled the 400W tent, turned everything off and plugged the space heater in to an alternate outlet on another wall - I went 2 floors down in my home, and my lights were dimming (while heater was running) - I then went back up, unplugged it, dimming went away.

The space heater was the cause.

Even though they use a ton of power, I can run air conditioners and space heaters just fine via the outlets in the room, so it seems that power itself isn't the issue but the equipment itself (space heater).

I could run a propane powered heater I have, but god damn that would impossible to regulate temperatures in the grow room.

 

[RSA]

Also keep in mind...

The outlet that almost caught fire was a wall outlet within the room, not on the subpanel.

Again, due to the space heater.

Here's my question to people who know this kind of stuff...

I want the 400W tent up and running in the same room, albeit I will need a space heater. Does anyone know of any good types, brands, models to get that aren't prone to failure like those cheap $40 Lasko ones?

They're all like 1500W.

So, the 1000w's have their own 20A breakers. inside the room, there are 3 walls with outlets, 2 plugs in each outlet. I am now down to using 5 plugs, instead of 6 (the burned one) - i won't even use the outlet that has the burned plug at all, so i'm down to two walls, 2 outlets, 4 plugs.

Would it be safe to run a 400W ballast, 1500w space heater (or substitute air conditioner) and fan?

Again, I did this for 2 years, but assumed that the room could handle the use as it did for years prior.

 

[RSA]

3rd update:

found an older space heater that has worked fine for over 3 years (i know, probably not the best choice) - plugged it up there, working fine. no dimming of lights. the problem was the space heater without a doubt.

now back to the other questions:

1.) Should I continue doing (6) 5 gallons per 1000w light?
2.) Should I do (9) 5 gallons per 1000w light?
3.) Should I switch to 3 gallons to provide more plants versus more rootspace?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

Also keep in mind...

The outlet that almost caught fire was a wall outlet within the room, not on the subpanel.

Again, due to the space heater.

Here's my question to people who know this kind of stuff...

I want the 400W tent up and running in the same room, albeit I will need a space heater. Does anyone know of any good types, brands, models to get that aren't prone to failure like those cheap $40 Lasko ones?

They're all like 1500W.

So, the 1000w's have their own 20A breakers. inside the room, there are 3 walls with outlets, 2 plugs in each outlet. I am now down to using 5 plugs, instead of 6 (the burned one) - i won't even use the outlet that has the burned plug at all, so i'm down to two walls, 2 outlets, 4 plugs.

Would it be safe to run a 400W ballast, 1500w space heater (or substitute air conditioner) and fan?

Again, I did this for 2 years, but assumed that the room could handle the use as it did for years prior.

the ones inside the room that are not on the sub panel are 15a... theres no way you can run all that....

the 1500w space heater needs its own 20a breaker/plug

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

3rd update:

found an older space heater that has worked fine for over 3 years (i know, probably not the best choice) - plugged it up there, working fine. no dimming of lights. the problem was the space heater without a doubt.

now back to the other questions:

1.) Should I continue doing (6) 5 gallons per 1000w light?
2.) Should I do (9) 5 gallons per 1000w light?
3.) Should I switch to 3 gallons to provide more plants versus more rootspace?

they will all do the same the variable is veg time... least amount of plants will need more veg time.

 

[RSA]

the ones inside the room that are not on the sub panel are 15a... theres no way you can run all that....

the 1500w space heater needs its own 20a breaker/plug

in the picture i posted, what would all be involved as far as adding an additional 20a breaker? cost/work wise?

 

[TribalSeeds]

Can you just exhaust the 400w back into the room instead of using a heater?

 

[RSA]

Can you just exhaust the 400w back into the room instead of using a heater?

that would work, but only if lights were kept on 24/7 and wouldn't guarantee optimal temps...

i think i'm kinda effed...i mean it does work, the stuff turns on and did work for over a year, but i obviously overlooked a major safety issue and don't want to do that.

the sub panel says 100A.

right now, there's the 15 15 15 20 20 - 85A. another 20a would put it at 105A, so correct me if i'm wrong but...that subpanel can't handle another 20a breaker....right?

would it be possible to have a 20a breaker installed, but say turn off one of the 15a breakers? i know that one of the outlets would cease to work if it was turned off, but would that allow things to work or does the 100A limit mean 100A limit regardless if things are on or off?

 

[Mikron]

6x 5gal sativas per lamp or 9x indicas. Try to veg in min 2gal under mh for 4 wks if u can. Average 2oz per plant minimum. Heat mats work but lamp heat is best. I run flipflop to combat cold temps and humidity.