electrical cord tragedy averted

[mtbazz]

Pics below are of the plug for the cord I used t power my 1000 watt HPS and exhaust fan. Its a 25 foot 14 gauge rigid cord from lowes.

Typically I inspect my cords and surge protectors for signs of overheating once a month or so. It have been about 45 days since I last looked at this. I have no idea if this happened prior to HUrrican Sandy bringing down my power lines(resulting in a disconnected neutral wire), or if this was the result of that event, or if it was just a faulty cord from the manufacturer.

Thoughts?

 

[vukman]

There are no pictures but you really should not use a 14awg to run a 1000W light.....especially 25' of it......Spend a bit of money and get a proper 12awg cord and avoid any overheating issues

 

[mtbazz]

There are no pictures but you really should not use a 14awg to run a 1000W light.....especially 25' of it......Spend a bit of money and get a proper 12awg cord and avoid any overheating issues

pics added....yeah...i know it should have been 12 gauge..i had been meaning to get the proper cord but kept putting it off...

 

[mowood3479]

good catch.. ditto that on 12awg cord

 

[Iron_Lion]

...

 

[blazeoneup]

I recommend using the tamper resistant outlets. They sure hold the plugs nice and snug and I've never noticed a loose plug using them. Solid connection and worth the extra coin.

Also always use properly sized wire. Glad you caught it before it burnt the house down!

On a final note, I would never recommend using an extension cord to power a 1000w light even if you have 12 gauge. Your better off if you just wire outlets up to handle the load. Running a grow room off extension cords is a dangerous game to play IMO...

 

[mtbazz]

I recommend using the tamper resistant outlets. They sure hold the plugs nice and snug and I've never noticed a loose plug using them. Solid connection and worth the extra coin.

Also always use properly sized wire. Glad you caught it before it burnt the house down!

On a final note, I would never recommend using an extension cord to power a 1000w light even if you have 12 gauge. Your better off if you just wire outlets up to handle the load. Running a grow room off extension cords is a dangerous game to play IMO...

So you mean have an electrician run wire and install sockets specifically for the light? Not really an option for me at this time.

Also, how is running an extension cord more dangerous?

 

[irobot sd]

He is saying have an electrician run dedicated wiring & circuits specifically for your grow equipment. Sockets are not the problem. It's your outlets that seem faulty. Also running 1000w off 15amp wall receptacles is faulty especially with a extension cord. How many appliances are you running besides the 1000w light? The continuous load of a 1000w light running 120v is going to use up the majority of your allowance for that circuit. Leaving you with minimal amperes to play around with. Long story short your extension cord will always be HOT and you're playing with fire.

 

[mtbazz]

He is saying have an electrician run dedicated wiring & circuits specifically for your grow equipment. Sockets are not the problem. It's your outlets that seem faulty. Also running 1000w off 15amp wall receptacles is faulty especially with a extension cord. How many appliances are you running besides the 1000w light? The continuous load of a 1000w light running 120v is going to use up the majority of your allowance for that circuit. Leaving you with minimal amperes to play around with. Long story short your extension cord will always be HOT and you're playing with fire.

Got my terminology mixed up. By sockets I meant outlets.

I get the part about running 12 gauge to the room, but what exactly do you mean that my "outlets seem faulty"?

Also, the circuit this is on is a 20 amp. The only things on there are the light and a small exhaust fan. How does that change things?

 

[irobot sd]

I was mixing your post up with someone else's. But was mentioning about outlets becoming loose hence the faultyness. I guess elaborate on your setup more and it will be easier to trouble shoot your issues. But off top if you have a 20amp circuit with a 15amp cord the cord will over heat at 15amp but the breaker would not trip untill 20amp. So you are de-rating your circuit or over rating your extension cord. May as well run a 12 gauge cord to the 12 gauge circuit if this is how you like to do things. But tell me this you physically inspect your cord once a month to test for heat & damage> Do you see anything wrong with having a gut feeling that things will go wrong?

 

[mtbazz]

I was mixing your post up with someone else's. But was mentioning about outlets becoming loose hence the faultyness. I guess elaborate on your setup more and it will be easier to trouble shoot your issues. But off top if you have a 20amp circuit with a 15amp cord the cord will over heat at 15amp but the breaker would not trip untill 20amp. So you are de-rating your circuit or over rating your extension cord. May as well run a 12 gauge cord to the 12 gauge circuit if this is how you like to do things. But tell me this you physically inspect your cord once a month to test for heat & damage> Do you see anything wrong with having a gut feeling that things will go wrong?

Setup is as follows:

5x5 tent containing 1000 watt HPS, and a small fan (1/25 HP) for exhaust.

Both of these were plugged into a power strip like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-6SP-Industrial-Grade/dp/B000V58T0C

which was connected to the extension cord already discussed earlier, which fed back into the wall outlet. I did inspect this outlet and it is not loose and the wires are tight.

This outlet is run off a 20 amp breaker, and the only two things on this circuit are the light and the fan.

Also, the house wiring is 14 gauge...

I do physically inspect my cords and power strips once a month for heat and damage, but its not from a gut feeling that something could go wrong, its just a matter of habit. I go through and check all power strips and extension cords in my house approximately once a month.

I will plan on having someone come out and run 12 gauge wire to that room, but with all the damage Ive had from the Hurricane that wont happen for a few months.

Based on what I have told you, what do I need to do to safely run my setup? 12 gauge cord rated at 20 amps? Run a lower wattage light? Just forget about growing until I get the wiring done correctly?

Thanks for your help.

 

[rives]

The damage on your cord cap appears to be internal rather than from a bad connection at the receptacle. Personally, I would change out the receptacle anyhow and use a 20-amp specification/commercial grade one that has screw/clamp connections rather than the spring-loaded stabs. If that circuit is already on a 20-amp breaker and if your house was wired to code, the wire should already be 12 gauge - where did you see 14 gauge? It would be a simple matter to check it when you replace the receptacle, and if it is indeed 14, change the breaker to a 15 amp. My preference for any reasonably heavy, continuous load would be a 12-gauge cord that was as short as possible and still be long enough to route where it is unlikely to be damaged or a tripping hazard.

 

[Vic Hammer]

I'm gonna say it's due to the disconnected neutral. When you lose your neutral from the electric utility your electrical system loses its reference point for 120v. When this happens voltages can fluctuate from 0 to 240v. Then any appliance which was on at the time the neutral disconnected could see more or less than 120v depending on the balance of the load.

 

[TURBD]

Is 14/2 sufficient to run 1k lights?
I am wiring up plugs from my electrical room/ballasts to my grow room so I can plug in the ballast in there and my light into the plug in my room. To avoid extension cords.
The 14/2 tells me it must be 14g wire. You guys are saying I need 12?
Or is what I am doing ok? Headed out today to finish this so it would be nice to know if I need heavier wire. Thanks.

 

[rives]

Is 14/2 sufficient to run 1k lights?
I am wiring up plugs from my electrical room/ballasts to my grow room so I can plug in the ballast in there and my light into the plug in my room. To avoid extension cords.
The 14/2 tells me it must be 14g wire. You guys are saying I need 12?
Or is what I am doing ok? Headed out today to finish this so it would be nice to know if I need heavier wire. Thanks.

14 gauge is adequate for a 15 amp circuit. The 80% rule dictates that a 15 amp circuit shouldn't exceed 12 amps for a continuous load (anything over 3 hours duration). That is the code - personally, I never run anything smaller than 12 gauge for plug circuits.

 

[TURBD]

So I shouldn't exceed 12a continuos load.
A 1000w is 9a load so it should be ok?

 

[Mia]

Yes.
You have three amps to spare on that circuit. What else are you running on it?
Remember multiple outlets in different locations can be on the same circuit.
Be careful.

 

[TURBD]

Nothing on a circuit. There will be a outlet that my ballast plugs into. Then 14/2 to another plug in my grow area that my lights cord plugs into.
Like a hard wired extension cord.