Electricians?

[EastCoast710]

hey guys.. so I wanted to upgrade from 4000w.. up to 6 or 8000w.. of lights but my power cant handle it.. I have 2 electric baseboard heaters that are on their own breaker.. I'm guessing they are 220v.

can I just unhook the wires going to the baseboard heater.. hook up to a 220v outlet and use those to power my ballasts . and if so wat is the easiest.. way to not kill myself or burn my house down?

basically. they are in the basement. not going to be used at all this winter because the grow keeps everything nice and warm..

just wanted to know what my options were . as I cannot have anyone over in the grow to do this work.. and I don't wana kill anyone or myself.

 

[WelderDan]

Wait for Rives to show up, or give him a PM. He's the resident electrical guru and he knows his business..

 

[mowood3479]

id verify which circuit the baseboard heaters are on in ur panel... Verify the size of the wire feeding the circuit and the Amps on the breaker.. If u post that info someone should be able to tell u if what ur proposing is ok..

 

[jimbo9414]

hi there...I'm a retired electrician...as stated above, check in your panel and verify which breakers are feeding the bb heaters, hopefully it's labeled..in my experience, residential bb heaters are 2 pole 20 amp fed (220v)..verify that each heater has its own breaker..If so, you could remove the heaters, install a remodel single gang box and put in a 20 amp 220v outlet..which would comfortably run a single 1k light..I'm assuming your lights are 220v compatible.
For larger grows I would recommend a subpanel, especially if your panel is some distance from the growroom .

 

[Jhhnn]

hi there...I'm a retired electrician...as stated above, check in your panel and verify which breakers are feeding the bb heaters, hopefully it's labeled..in my experience, residential bb heaters are 2 pole 20 amp fed (220v)..verify that each heater has its own breaker..If so, you could remove the heaters, install a remodel single gang box and put in a 20 amp 220v outlet..which would comfortably run a single 1k light..I'm assuming your lights are 220v compatible.
For larger grows I would recommend a subpanel, especially if your panel is some distance from the growroom .

If the heater is on a #12 20A 240v circuit it'll deliver 4800w. De-rating to 80% for continuous loads, that's 3840w. 1000w systems normally draw 1100-1150w each so it will comfortably operate 3 of them. At 20A, additional circuit protection is not required. If the heater(s) have a bigger breaker in the main panel & heavier wiring, then a subpanel with breakers will be necessary to properly protect cords & equipment. That, or downsize the breaker in the panel to 20A. If each heater has its own breaker, so much the better. Using a junction box & a power relay, you can even set it up so that the heater(s) are operable when the lights are off.

Most of that I learned here, from rives. His contribution is huge & much appreciated, this thread in particular-

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=117867

 

[EastCoast710]

I just bought flip boxes instead .. once I harvest. ill dry.. pack up the tents.. and have my buddy electrician swing by and have him do it.. don't wana do anything stupid.. and burn my house down .