Breakers Shutting off all the time..

[gertrude420]

Ok So Im not much of an electrician so I need some help here...

I have noticed the breaker switching off when having to many things going in one part of a house or room, and the breaker responsible for that area switches off... so if i have a 1000 watt going its fine, but if i run a vacum in the room for ten minutes it turns off... So What I have done in my basement is drag an Extension cord to another "breaker circuit" and routed back into the grow room... This seems not too efficient, and things sometimes still turn off if i use a blow dryer upstairs, and a space heater, or dryer and washer..

Anyways if someone can enlighten me on this, because Im planning on having 4000 HPS going, and 24 bucket multiflow system, and fans running, and I have no clue how this is going go work... and i would prefer to have everything plugged into one outlet...

so any equipment that takes care of this i would like to know about..

thanks

 

[Ono Nadagin]

you are seriously overloading your circiuts if your popping breakers

I would suggest that if your planning on that size grow and your already having beaker issues..

You need to have an electrician in and run a new leg off your breaker box to your grow area...

your breaker box should have extra room in it to add a breaker or two I would suggest a min of a 15a circiut pref a 30a

this is highly recomended as if your popping breakers now youre just going to but more load on a system that wasnt made to handle the current load your attemping... this will cause wires to heat and possibly melt causing a fire/fire risk

Ext cords just add to the current/heat issues


adding a new line can be done easily if you have an electrition buddy I would only recomend doing it yourself if your have a extremely high knowledge of home wiring and electricity... you can kill yourself or burn the house down if you dont know what your doing


If you have topay an electrician your going to be looking at 150-500$ depending on where you live and how far of a run it is from the breakers to the growroom

 

[SomeGuy]

You are overloading the breaker and running the risk of burning your place down.

1. Find out what size breaker you have (amps).
2. Turn the breaker off an make a "map" of everything plugged into that circuit. Check EVERYTHING.
3. Look at everything you find plugged into the circuit and write down how many watts it is.
4. Divide the number of watts by 120v to see how many amps it draws.
Example: 1000 watt light divided by 120v = 8.33 amps. Also the ballast uses some but I don't know what it is.
5. Add up the amps used by ALL devices on the circuit IE: pumps, fans lights.

For a 15 amp circuit you shouldnt be using more than say, 12 amps, some say even less like, 8 amps. If you are having probs with a 1000 watt light and a vacuum then 4000 watts is probably not going to work.

You need to do an electrical map to see what you have available before continuing. If everything adds up lower than the rated amperage of the breaker and the circuit still blows then its a weak breaker and needs replaced.
If you are overloaded then you need to get some of the devices off that circuit or you run the risk of causing a fire.

If you really plan on a 4000 watt setup you might need to add additional dedicated circuits just for the room alone.

You need to get this problem solved and quickly.
Good Luck!

 

[Maj.PotHead]

very good right on info guys heres some reading gertrude may find to her liking and very helpfull http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=24347 this artical covers everything 1 could think of for a safe fireproofed grow erea.

 

[Guest]

If I were about to run 4K I would pull a new 10 wire 30A 240V circuit to a intermatic WH40 "little gray box" hot water heater timer then from the timer a foot or so to a 4 sq metal box holding 4 rececptacles for the 4 fixtures.

 

[gertrude420]

so if i got 240 V ballast and light system, and added a 240 V Breaker Circuit going into the grow room.... that would be the best solution ? so 1000 watt is 8 amps on 120, so on a 240 it would be 4 amps? so x 4 lights would be 16, plus any other fans or units would bring it around 20 amps, so on a 30 amp circuit i should be ok from any danger, and wouldn't have problems with breakers switching off?

I didn't realise i was in such danger at the momemt... I didn't think 1000 watts was allot... Cause the same thing happened at the old house I lived in.. and I had extension cords in other rooms in the house on different circuits.....

Is it safe to have an electrician come to my house... Wouldn't they know whats up...?

 

[Guest]

I'd just tell them what I want,if you know exactly what you want and ask for it correctly they wont ask you what it's for.A 1K fixture at 240V is closer to 5a but yea,its about half the amperage then at 120V.I was thinking the receptacles on the timer wouldbe only for the 240V fixtures,all the other stuff you could run at 120V.Instead of running the 10 wire 30A circuit to the WH40 timer,you could take it to a 30A subpanel and comeoff the subpanel to the timer and receptacle box.This way you could alsoso run a couple 120V circuits from the subpanel.If you go the subpanel route for the lights and receptacles,a neutral has to be pulled from the main panel.If you go directly to the timer box to a box holding the 240V receptacles for lighting only,no neutral is required from the main panelbox.You have a couple options at leastEDIT If you add up all your loads and it exceeds 24A or 25A,you'll have to upsize a wire size

 

[Guest]

This place is incredibly fuckin slow anymore,an OG pace isnt required but damn,some participation is nice occasionally lol.O sorry I forgot,some folks have jobs and lives..

 

[Ono Nadagin]

what more were your expecting to be added to this post?

 

[Guest]

Well maybe the poster to return for starters,a little more input on other options could be a nice thing too.

 

[Guest]

if you have 220 dryer outlet...they have them up to 15,000 watts
http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/index.html?loadfile=catalog1_0.html

 

[Guest]

I'm just a bitch sometimes.

 

[gertrude420]

sorry guys... I have been in major pain from a tooth infection... Worst pain in life i tell you!! seriously So i have been out of commission for internet time... but ya that sounds good... I got a dryer and washer in the basement... so i can just tell him we need another 220 circuit down there cause everything, cause it shuts off.. and the room is right next to the washer and dryer... so I can probably maybe even just upgrade the old one or something if its cheaper, add some more amps to the outlet... and then plug in a controller unit, that runs on 220, and has plugins for the light...

thanks for the help guys


hey unicorn, what product was i looking at on that link ?

 

[Guest]

What do you want a voltage converter for?

 

[Guest]

step down boxes are used in the music industry...sound and lighting...they allow you to make multiple 110s with a 220 outlet so you dont trip breakers...its just a suggestion of course there are many solutions for your problem

 

[Guest]

they have them up to 15,000 watts but they have to be hardwired
5000 Watts Step Down Voltage Converter
5000 watts max, converts 220 to 110 volt, built-in European grounded plug, for continuous use, Fuse Protected, CE Mark
Price : US$129.99

 

[gertrude420]

Are you Saying I should hook up the 220 to the 110 converter into my 220 plug ins that i have for my dryers and rout to the grow ?

 

[holla@yoboy]

if your nervous about having an electrician come out, i would go pick up a basic electric wiring book at your hardware store. installing circuits is very simple, but its hard to understand how it works without a diagram. there are different types of service panels, and taking advice from somoene who wires improperly could cause serious harm to you and your home. advice on electricity isnt something i like to do. very dangerous stuff. good luck and stay safe with that electricity

 

[Guest]

thats what im suggesting yes

Are you Saying I should hook up the 220 to the 110 converter into my 220 plug ins that i have for my dryers and rout to the grow ?

 

[gertrude420]

How do I check If the voltage down there is 220 volt ? I looked on the outlets where the dryers are pluggen in and they look normal... Also, I realised that i had extension cords plugged in and was running 120 volts on them. So it can't be 220 V then right ?


Those converters seem like a good solution.. I also did some research on adding a 220 volt outlet on your circuit, so it might just take some more homework and learning my wiring correctly and I can add one myself. Shouldn't cost as much as the converter, and at least it will guarantee to work if its dedicated, and not overload. The dryer/washer outlet right now even in 240 volts, is only 15-20 amps, because my house is old... a new circuit with thick gauge wire can be made 30 amps, thus being better right.