Electrical Safety For Indoor Growrooms

[I.M. Boggled]

One of the frequently overlooked considerations of a indoor growroom is electrical safety.

Although this topic covers many possible problems, the first one we will deal with is proper grounding.

Electrical Safety For Indoor Growrooms

Have you ever gotten a mild tingle or shock, while touching a metal reflector or other metal components in your growroom?
This is a result of little or no ground connection in your wiring.
Properly terminated connections will help prevent this from occurring, but the most important part of the wiring is a good ground connection.

Transient electrical currents can occur when a bare wire or terminal screw touches a metal component of your system.
Transient currents will travel through the path of least electrical resistance.

If you have proper ground connections <ground wire terminated to the metal part of component and the other end spliced to the ground of your three wire power supply> then the current will follow that path instead of going through your body as the resistance of your body is higher than the resistance of the ground wire.

Another consideration is water greatly reduces a body's resistance, so if you have water all over your floor or your hands and feet, then you are greatly increasing your chance of electrocution and possible death.


Safety Tips

1. Make sure that all electrical products are unplugged before servicing.

2. Keep all electrical wires off the floor and out of the way to avoid electrical shocks due to unwanted flooding or accidentally tripping over them.

3. The capacitor's used in high intensity lighting carry an electrical charge even after being unplugged.
Make sure to always use a rubber protection cap so not to accidentally touch the terminals.

4. When using multiple H I D lighting use a individually breakered timer panel to avoid over loading the main circuit and tripping the main breaker.

5. Do not put the ballast on anything flammable even if mounted in safety box.
The ballast generates high amount of heat and can easily cause a fire if they come into contact with combustibles.

6. Do not ever hang lights from their cords.
Always use a chain attached to the electrical box or reflector.
Hanging lights by the cord can cause connections to separate and short out.

7. When adjusting the time on an industrial timer always shut the power off before opening the timer.

From "maximum yield"

Electrocution prevention w/ GFCI's (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter's) link
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=4315


Various growroom-relative thread links (Electrical Equipment)
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=15374
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=13733
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=13779
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=4075
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=6989
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=4573

 

[I.M. Boggled]

One of the commonly asked questions regarding electrical and gardening with High Intensity Discharge (HiD) lighting is "how many 1000 watt lights can run on this circuit set?"

Generally an outlet on your bedroom or basement wall is part of a 15 amp circuit. There are up to 12 lights and or plugs on that circuit.

A 1000w HPS or Metal Halide light takes 9 amps at 120 volts so you can only run one on a wall outlet circuit.

A standard dryer outlet is 220 volts and 30 amps so you can power up to six 1000 watt lights on that circuit.

A range outlet is typically 40 amps on an older house and 50 amps on a new house.
Therefore you could run up to eight lights and 10 lights respectively.
The important thing to check first is the breaker size for the circuit you want to use.
The breaker is sized to protect the wire and then anything plugged into the circuit. Below is a table used to size wire for whatever load you have.

You must note that for safety, the Canadian Electrical Code states that you can only load circuits up to 80% of their recommended capability.

"Should I run my lights on 110 volts or 220 volts?"

The answer is that it makes no difference - a 1000 watt ballast uses nine amps at 110 volts or 4.5 amps at 220 volts go on a typical dryer outlet.
You can run six lights at 4.5 amps, 220 volts for a total of 27 amps, 220 volts or six lights at 9 amps 110 volts (three lights each side of the 220 volt circuit) for 27 amps at 110 volts and 27 amps on the other 110 volts.

Note:
A 220 volt circuit is a three wire circuit with two hotwires and a shared neutral (white) wire so that there would be 27 amps on each hot wire for a total of 27 amps at 220 volts.
If you are still in doubt about what you can do, there are lots of good books on the subject at your local library or ask your local gardening store specialist.

Chart for Electrical Safety

15 amps . . . .14 GA
20 amps . . . .12
30 amps . . . .10
45 amps . . . .8
65 amps . . . .6
85 amps . . . .4
100 amps . . . .3
115 amps . . . .2
130 amps . . . .1 gauge

from "maximum yield"

 

[I.M. Boggled]

Grow House Hazards: fire and shock

Grow House Hazards: fire and shock

"One out of ten grow operations results in a fire"
According to the The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) of
Ontario, Canada...
[EDA Grow House Conference - April 18, 2002]

Uprooting Grow Houses: What are the Safety Risks?

Grow House Hazards:
The main hazards are fire and shock.

Fire Hazards
* High heat producing equipment placed on or near building combustibles
* Wiring passing through holes made in floor or walls
* Overloaded circuits with inadequate or bypassed overload protection
* Supply side of meter bypassed
* Overloaded circuits with inadequate or bypassed overload protection
* Mast cut in concealed portion of attic
* Equipment left unattended for extended periods
* On average*, one out of every ten grow operations results in a fire.
[*On average, your basic average scare tactic propaganda lie ]


Shock Hazards
* Equipment not bonded or grounded properly
* High humidity and wet grow areas with open wiring
* Unapproved wiring methods such as “open wiring”
* Equipment being used for an application not intended
* Timer circuits control operation of lights and equipment

General Hazards

* Some wiring appears to be done by the “unskilled”
* And some equipment and wiring appears to be “professionally” installed
* BUT ALL CONTAIN THE SAME SERIOUS HAZARDS!
* In many cases the home wiring is also modified i.e. Adding feeders
* Breakers & fuses jumpered within panels
* Direct tap off the bus
* Concealed alterations
* Damage due to overheating


[Electricity will always find the shortest or easiest route and you may represent it, so be very, very careful ]
Electrical Testing how to Tips...Volt testing, amp testing and ohm testing...
http://www.applianceaid.com/electrical_testing_tips.html

 

[I.M. Boggled]

Breakers

Breakers

...the neighbor's fire was just one of the 115 +/- electrical fires that happen each day in the USA. These fires cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, injure thousands of people and are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people each year. I can see why you are terrified. Ask any firefighter and he will tell you that electrical fires are non-discriminatory. They can strike anywhere and at any time.

The electrical shorts that cause these fires produce arcs. These miniature fireworks create sparks and temperatures that approach 10,000 F. This intense heat can rapidly ignite plastic insulation, wood, carpeting or any other combustible material in the vicinity of the arcing wires. Arcs happen frequently in appliance electrical cords where insulation has become brittle or is cracked. Hidden wires behind walls nicked by nails or pinched by fasteners can also be sources of sinister arcing. Loose connections where wires are attached to switches and outlets are often arc hot spots.
The traditional circuit breakers in your neighbor's house did not prevent the fire for a simple reason. They are not designed to sense arc faults. Traditional circuit breakers are actually designed to protect just the wire behind the walls and the switches and outlets that they are connected to. The circuit breakers are designed to trip when they sense a short that causes an avalanche of electricity coursing through a circuit. They also will trip when a constant massive amount of electricity passing through the circuit causes a heat buildup within the breaker. Traditional breakers are not designed to protect lightweight appliance wires and extension cords that are plugged into wall outlets.


Fire producing arcs can occur in wiring before traditional breakers react. Electrical manufacturers recognized this problem and decided to attempt to stop as many of these electrical fires as possible. The result of the hard work of many is a new arc fault circuit interrupter breaker. These devices work and act like a traditional circuit breaker except that they are smarter. Many of these new devices contain small filters and logic devices that allow them to sense an arc just as it is about to produce the sparks and intense heat. If arcing conditions are present, then the breaker trips instantaneously.

Do not confuse these devices with the personal protection ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) that have been around for over 30 years. The GFCI circuit breakers, at the present time, do not have the capability to sense arcs.
The new arc fault circuit breakers are identified in section 210-12 of the 1999 edition of the National Electric Code. Beginning January 1, 2002 they will be required to protect branch circuits that serve residential bedrooms. These areas of the house have been identified as the source of many electrical arc related fires. The state of Vermont has taken a slightly more aggressive stance. They are requiring that these new life saving circuit breakers be used in all circuits that feed residential living areas. Their regulation goes into effect on January 1, 2001.

These new arc fault breakers can be purchased now in every state in the USA. These breakers are the same size as your existing traditional circuit breakers. The new arc fault breakers cost about $25 - $50 each depending upon manufacturer, but it is a very small price to pay for peace of mind. An experienced electrician can install a new arc fault breaker in a matter of minutes. It actually takes longer to remove and replace the cover to the circuit breaker panel than it does to switch out the breaker.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/320_New_Arc_Fault_Breakers_-_Small_Price_To_Pay_For_Peace_Of_Mind.shtml

 

[relic2779]

...

...

Good thread, deserves a big bump

 

[I.M. Boggled]

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOOD WIRING (fyi)
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=16925



Chart for Electrical Safety
15 amps . . . .14 GA
20 amps . . . .12
30 amps . . . .10
45 amps . . . .8
65 amps . . . .6
85 amps . . . .4
100 amps . . . .3
115 amps . . . .2
130 amps . . . .1 gauge

SMOKE ALARMS...DETECTORS (fyi)
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=252043

 

[FlipFlops]

Sticky this!

 

[Guest]

is this safe to some degree??

10 AWG






the 240 from the A/C (40amp circuit)

my home-made 240V 'outlet strip'

 

[NightFire]

It would certainly be safer to mount those hanging outlets to the wall.

You should reduce the amount of plugins as much as possible, I always hardwire my outlets straight to the breaker box with it's own circuit breaker. I know that's not feasible for everyone, but you should do your best to reduce the number of connections.

I don't really see anything unsafe, just could use some streamlining.

Does your junction box that is hanging off the clothes pole have a collar on it to hold the wire? If not, that could cause problems, especially with it free hanging like that.

 

[Guest]

Great thread boggled! Thankfully I had my electrician buddy hook my lights up running at 240v on a 30amp circuit for two 400W HPS. I think I'm cool in that department.

 

[Guest]

apartment living has drawbacks.. its usualy on top of the shelf next to the ballist, only down for photographs. yea its collard, even grounded the metal housing.
great thread...

electricity is somthing alot of people dont go into on here..

electrical benefits to 240V vs. 120??
electronic ballist benefits??

extention cords are somthing often overlooked or leglected, small AWG cable running high pull lights or A/C's or the infamouse cut off ground pole.. to get 3 plug to fit into 2 plug non-grounded sockets..
i smacked a buddy for doing this for a bank of 600's..

 

[Guest]

Great thread.

Being a single cab 400W has its upside, electrical stuff is basic for me.

 

[HemperorsKnight]

I'm definitely seeing now that I will have to ascend my grow hobby from extension cords to more efficient ballasts n such thanks guys for sharing this helpful information!

 

[St. Phatty]

BURN IN

hopefully without any smoke or burning !!!


I'm used to the term because it was a common procedure for electronics manufacturing - but it applies to cannabis manufacturing too.

Basically, all new equipment, and all new grow set-ups, should ONLY be run WHEN YOU ARE THERE TO WATCH THEM.

And to make sure that the only smoke is,
cannabis smoke.


I still watch new acquisitions, from simple timers to a 2000 watt kiln I just bought, for about 48 hours before thinking to trust them to run, without me there or someone watching them.

 

[dufous]

Thread is twelve years old.

 

[HemperorsKnight]

BURN IN

hopefully without any smoke or burning !!!


I'm used to the term because it was a common procedure for electronics manufacturing - but it applies to cannabis manufacturing too.

Basically, all new equipment, and all new grow set-ups, should ONLY be run WHEN YOU ARE THERE TO WATCH THEM.

And to make sure that the only smoke is,
cannabis smoke.


I still watch new acquisitions, from simple timers to a 2000 watt kiln I just bought, for about 48 hours before thinking to trust them to run, without me there or someone watching them.

That's a fact that should be common sense don't you agree?

Would you have anything to add to the wealth of content on this thread you certainly know what you're talking about so I think it'd be cool if you chime in to anything that may be missing in this thread. The last actual content was posted in '07 it's crazy cuz I was just a jr high kid back then lol it's crazy