DIESEL GENERATOR, (as your primary power source)

[Guest]

i'm thinkin the only way a setup like this will work is if you live at the location and you live off the grid. you'll hafta live in the boonies or semi boonies and make sure everyone knows you live of the grid. you'll also hafta run a dc battery setup. a couple of solar panels would help to give the illusion that you just plain hate the electric companies. have the power company pull the meter if you have one.
a grow room could run 18 hr days so theres a 15% savings rite there, along with battery power it could be very feasable. i know it coud be done cheaper with plug and play but if power is not available it's without a doubt something to look at.
i live in a place with pricey electric so it's easier for me to sit here and think it'll work i betya you'd hafta fill that bulk tank twice a week at the most.

 

[skin]

i will be doing maybe two grows a year with my set up when finished , i got a 1 ton pickup , will get 1000 litres a time as heating oil , i calculate i will need 6000 litres a grow and will just use different suppliers . i have a 12 v fuel transfer pump and lots of 1000 litre ibc plastic containers and a trolley jack . my genny is in a cellar with 65 cm thick stone walls and in a insulated block sub room and is going to be exhausted into a stainless steel chimney used by my log burner , so hopefully exhaust and wood smoke will mix and be disguised . my genny has a programmable start stop feature added so i will just run it for 12/12 for flowering and do all the veg on grid power . i have a friendly plant fitter for genny maintenance that has helped out with grows before so if anything goes wrong hopefully i am covered . i have 40 acres of mountain side and a fence going around my house so i can let my dogs run free for added security . my genny is 100 amp 230v so dont need to mess with 3 phase .
i do not agree with the cost run down previously in this thread but i cannot say for definate till i have completed a run to be certain ! also i am not US based and costs are different .
but one thing stands YOU DON'T KNOW TILL YOU TRY !

 

[Guest]

i will be doing maybe two grows a year with my set up when finished , i got a 1 ton pickup , will get 1000 litres a time as heating oil , i calculate i will need 6000 litres a grow and will just use different suppliers . i have a 12 v fuel transfer pump and lots of 1000 litre ibc plastic containers and a trolley jack . my genny is in a cellar with 65 cm thick stone walls and in a insulated block sub room and is going to be exhausted into a stainless steel chimney used by my log burner , so hopefully exhaust and wood smoke will mix and be disguised . my genny has a programmable start stop feature added so i will just run it for 12/12 for flowering and do all the veg on grid power . i have a friendly plant fitter for genny maintenance that has helped out with grows before so if anything goes wrong hopefully i am covered . i have 40 acres of mountain side and a fence going around my house so i can let my dogs run free for added security . my genny is 100 amp 230v so dont need to mess with 3 phase .
i do not agree with the cost run down previously in this thread but i cannot say for definate till i have completed a run to be certain ! also i am not US based and costs are different .
but one thing stands YOU DON'T KNOW TILL YOU TRY !

it sounds like you have a great setup and a well thought out plan. i'd hope it works out for ya. the only thing i read that i would try to change is venting into a flue that burns wood. it's generally not the best way to vent.
good luck on it.

 

[researchOnly]

since these things work off fuel, I assume there is some fuel smell exhausting??? can they run in the grow room ???

 

[skin]

not really mate , they need to be away from where you or your plants will be , in their own ventilated room or outbuilding !
very bad plan being in an enclosed space with one , carbon monoxide and all that !

 

[researchOnly]

that's what I thought... guess its best to run in a house / farm... unless you got a place on a very high floor with a balcony and great sound insulatioon.

 

[skin]

well my genny weighs in at about 950 kg so i wouldnt want to try and get it anywhere to high , it was a complete bastard trying to get it where i have it in a cellar !
trying to be discreet and large trucks delivering big crates and you driving them to remote locations with an all terrain fork trucks dont really go hand in hand !
it takes some serious planning and info gathering to be able to undertake this unless you are one of those lucky people who just seem have access to everything you need !

 

[Jack Crevalle]

BUMP. I agree with GDW, Excellent post thanks

 

[Liam]

People like DEDHEDFRED are so misinformed. More energy goes into making solar panels than they will EVER produce in their short lifetime. Plus all the chemical waste from manufacturing them is appalling. Bio-diesel is by far a better alternative.

Anyhow, new diesel generators have hoses that are bio-diesel friendly, mostly because of sulphur reduction legislation for diesel. I recall diesel will soon (this year?) lose a lubricant in it due to legislation, meaning everyone will have to start adding an additive to their diesel tanks. I'd go with the bio-diesel either way, since its supposed to lubricate better (but u have to watch for carbon build up I recall).



So I've done a fair bit of reading on 1 phase vs 3 phase... but I seem to be missing something, for powering 240v magnetic ballasts, what would I want? I'm guessing 3-phase is better, but why do they offer 1 phase if thats true? The higher up generators seem to all be 3 phase only.

Also, is it a bad idea to use electronic ballasts on generator power?

 

[pico]

Bio Diesel is a joke in itself, but I agree that solar is a waste of time at this point.

You only need 1 phase for a grow op. 1 phase will do 120 and 240. I think 3 phase will do up to 480 or something. That is for industrial applications.

 

[jarff]

bump ...nice thread

 

[Guest]

bump ...nice thread

There will be a thread by this late winter. A nice brand new generator being setup and wired into a home. Hang in there all. I'll link the thread as it happens.
Take care,
BG

 

[jarff]

Same here .I bought a light plant which is a portable light source for construction.6000 watt Kubota with 100 hrs on it .Also came with 4x1000 mh ballast wired up,each on a seperate toggle switch.I figure I can run 5x1000 HPS and with a flip-flop for 24 hr operation.I am going to run another 6x1000 off my power from the shop.Been lookin,for a thread like this for awhile.So with a small diesel genset and power from the hydro company I can run 16 lights.I am a happy camper.
Keep us in mind when you get yer set up ready Gold.......
I,m stoked b,cause I thought I was the only one wanting to utilize a diesel gen.for my show...Gotta cover up the noise but my son is a carpenter and can build me a bunker.
good luck
jarff

 

[Guest]

Hey,

Noise isn't really a issue if you take the time to deal with it. One thing you can do that is easy, but cost money. Is buy a sound proof housing. Allot of the units have this option and depending on the generator size. Runs about 1000 on up. Me, my unit will be in a outdoor shop. Roughly a 20x30 large garage. The unit will be installed in a framed up room. All the walls will be lined with good sound proof material. I like a room over a sound proof container, because it makes life so much easier. Don't for get, oil changes, fuel filter changes. Oil i normal do every 5000 mile on truck and fuel filter every 10,000, but these units don't run by miles but hours. So, i'll check with the manuals and change before normal change time. Getting back to my point. Having the unit in a sub room. Makes it so much easier to work on. I want to be able to walk around mine without any issues. To me, framing a sub room up is the way to go. I can frame a room and line it properly with sound proof material for a fair amount of money and you won't even hear it outside. OH, one thing that hasn't been talked about. Rubber Matting on the floor. Install unit over rubber matting to get rid of any vibrations. These units are rubber mounted on the frames, but the matting will help even more.

Well, that's about it for me. Can't wait to see your setup also. Sounds like you got a plan like the rest of us. I don't know the light setup just yet. Waiting to hear about these new 1000HPS digital ballast. Got someone check for me. To see if these newer models can handle a generator. I know the older ones couldn't. I'll most likely be running a bunch of 600HPS lights. Will see.
Take care,
BG

 

[jarff]

I will prob go along the same style as you with a room within a room with good soundproofing insulation.I just don,t know about the exhaust ...been thinkin bout runnin a flue thru the roof of the shop withe the exhaust vent out that way.I am in the country with no neigbors for a 1/4 mile..so that is a big help.Also I agree with maintenance...I had been a mechanic for 20 yrs before my disability and have re-built a lot of diesel engines mainly from lobster fishing boats.They are a breeze to work on.The life of any engine is clean oil and clean filters....you can,t change the oil often enuff IMHO esp a diesel.Gas line filters are very important also due to condensation..nothin,worse then an engine with water in the fuel....I will attach my gen to a cement floor with rubber mounts and a thich sheet of rubber under the unit also.Don,t forget a good ground wire preferably to an outside location.
Funny that you mention electronic ballasts as I was checkin,up on em lately.I do believe they will be the only type used in the near future.They have bugs to be worked out but they will get that sorted out with the potential sales and money to be made off these new gadgets..I have been lookin,at Lumatek 600...seems they are fairly good.If you get any good stuff on the ballast keep me informed and I will do the same....
anyhow good luck to you
latr
jarff

 

[Guest]

Hey jarff,

I hear you about the Diesels. I've got a family member that has been a Diesel GOD for over 25 years. Units that are 16 Cylinders and the cylinders so large. You can fit a person standing upright in just one of them. Diesels are a big part of our lives around here. Boy, your right on fuel filters. Man, i've seen water get into a motor and they run like shit or totally quit on you. I change all my fuel filter with oil changes to be safe.

As for my unit. I'm going to do the same as you. Vent the exhaust out the roof and run a couple of mufflers to keep the noise down as much as possible. The inter room is best for me. Give me plenty of room to work on unit and also helps with sound also. More area between unit and walls. Helps with reducing db levels. Your right about the sound proofing and good insulation. I'm going to line the inter walls with the thickess stuff i can fit between the dry wall. Then i'll run sound proofing board along all the walls. I doubt you'll be able to hear anything once i get done. If anything, it's going to be the vent above. Running these lower rpm units helps out allot. Using rubber matting with help as well. Can't be to careful with setting up these units.

I've got someone checking with the company on these lights and ballast. I should hear something within a day or so. I'll let you know what the real deal is. I'd love to use these units, but i'm not going to spend money both ways. Buying the trusted out units and then the newer ones. I'll keep you in the loop. Well, thanks for your post. Love seeing and reading up dates here.
Take care,
BG

PS, I will be runing some Biofuel also. Some B100 or B99.8 or so. lolol Guess pico is going to rip on me now. lolol Jokin

 

[Guest]

First i need to say I'm sorry to I.M. Boggled. Man, me and others have taken over this thread from day one. I hope you intended for me and others to talk and share as much info as we are and don't mind. Sorry. Just got caught up in the generator quest I.M. Boggled. Thanks for starting the thread.
Take care,
BG

OK

I got the 411 today on the new Digital ballast from Chris (the tech support guy) at Lumatek. Well it seems that these ballast "Can" run on a generator, but there are a few issues. The problem they have seen is bulbs blowing and ballast tripping. From what i'm told and i didn't want to post the PM i got. I think posting a pm is against rules anyways. Is that cheap generators have a less constant power output and causes the bulbs to blow or trip the safety feature inside the ballast. These new ballast have a safe feature. That if the power is all messed up. It's like a breaker and trips it's self. This is a good thing, but not if your running a cheap unconstant genset. I was told that if i use a good generator with a good constant power output. I shouldn't have any issues. Now, there wasn't anything said about honoring warranty,but since i'm buying them from a local hydro shop. I shouldn't have any problems if there is a issue. So, what "I'm" going to do. Is order a few of them and get a grow setup and give them a whirl. The generators i've been shopping around for. Have stated they are safe for computers, so i'm thinking I should be fine and the generator are used to power a whole home. I'll do some major testing and if all goes well. I'll see if i can work out a deal with the company and maybe get some free gear for my testing,lolol. Well, this is good news for me. Don't have to buy two sets of lights. I can now start stock piling some lights. Just thought i would share this info, since a couple of you are in the same boat as me and asked about the info.Take care and good luck to all. I'll do a thread this early winter and link the thread of my grow here. I'm hoping i don't have any issues. Oh, and by the way. I'm going to be running all 220 volts ballast. Not the normal 110 ballast.
Take care,
BG

 

[jarff]

Thanks for the info Gold..always nice to get to the truth of some of these questions.
I am going to buy a couple of these digitals to try them out on my grid power prior to tryin,em on a gen.Just to see if I like them.I guess like all things that dig.ballast are the future of growing.Hope they get to the stage of being bug free....
jarff

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info Gold..always nice to get to the truth of some of these questions.
I am going to buy a couple of these digitals to try them out on my grid power prior to tryin,em on a gen.Just to see if I like them.I guess like all things that dig.ballast are the future of growing.Hope they get to the stage of being bug free....
jarff

Hey jarff,

No worries. It's about sharing the info. I'm also going to pick up a few and run the piss out of them. Thinking about starting out with 4 of the 600HPS 240 volts and seeing how they do after a full grow or two. Once they pan out and i don't see or have any issues. Then i'll buy the rest of the units i plan on running. Found a nice deal on a 12K generator and plan on picking it up next month. Going to run this little unit then upgrade to a larger unit. Got my eye on either a 25K or a 30K for a nice price with a good warranty also. Very nice units for sure. Do a search on E-bay and you'll come across them. Don't want to post any links. Well, take care and let me know when your up and running also.
Later,
BG

 

[coolx]

I did some research on gens about 6 months ago - how I missed this thread?

Re dig ballasts - I did find one gen that was good - I think it was a whisper quiet honda - where the output wave had an extra fine tolerance and could be used ..... but the way I figured the costs it was about 35 c / kwh - not really worth it just cost wise for me. I'll look into this again.