Electricity

[RockyMntFarmer]

Well hello first off though this is my first post i have been lurking in the forums for a few years now. Ive had a few grows over the years but nothing more than 4000w. I am looking to go larger now that i am medical patient/caregiver (100% legal finally!) but i am wondering how large i can go safely.

So my question is what percentage of a 100 AMP breaker can i use for a room while living in the house? (using washer/dryer, dishwasher,A/C to cool room, TV, etc...

 

[LlamaSchool]

Well you will know when you trip the breaker. It really depends which of your appliances are electric and which are gas/something else. It sounds like you have a lot of appliances and you haven't even mentioned your stove, refrigerator, and water heater (sometimes electric). You can plan around when your lights will be on but I would guess you need at least 40 amps at minimum if you use an A/C, TV, dishwasher, and other such appliances alongside normal stuff like a fridge, etc.

I think you could run your grow on 60 amps if you were careful about using other apps during the dark period.

As with all electrical advice, wait for experts or research it yourself.

 

[PharmaCan]

You don't want to exceed 80% of the rating for any individual circuit or 80% of the 100 amps for the total of all circuits in use at any given time. So, theoretically, you could put ten 100 amp breakers in your 100 amp main and run 80 amps on each breaker, BUT you could only use one circuit (breaker) at a time.

What you need to do is to determine the total amps of everything you think you might be using at the same time during certain parts of the day & night then determine how much you would have left over for your grow room. Things like the washer and dryer you would use during your lights off period.

PC

 

[RockyMntFarmer]

Thanks to all for the help. We went the breaker tripping route for a while but its kinda stressful so im trying to stay away from that Ill definitely have to discuss the using power when lights are off thing with the room mates but we should be able to make this work.

I had an electrician run a 50 amp 240v wire down to my basement so i can run a MLC-8(http://www.4hydroponics.com/grow_room/capMLC8.asp) for my lights. Since im using this i figure if all the lights run on that then i can run fans/portable A/C on the existing outlets in my basement.

Sweet well thanks again! now i feel a little more confident in not burning my house down.

 

[limey]

I was always useless at physics so am going to leave that to the excellent advice already given by others on the thread.

I'd add though that if you are running HIDs with that sort of load then it is really worth you investing in high quality ballasts. FOAF in Scotland burned down their house using ballasts "recycled" from use as ballasts for a security lamp: doh! I've also seen some pretty badly built commercially available ballasts.

keep those ballasts cool
keep them well away from water and humidity
make sure they are properly earthed

and if you are 100% legal, find a trustworthy, discrete electrician to check it is all safe for you? why take the risk?

best wishes for your grow!

 

[RockyMntFarmer]

I was always useless at physics so am going to leave that to the excellent advice already given by others on the thread.

I'd add though that if you are running HIDs with that sort of load then it is really worth you investing in high quality ballasts. FOAF in Scotland burned down their house using ballasts "recycled" from use as ballasts for a security lamp: doh! I've also seen some pretty badly built commercially available ballasts.

keep those ballasts cool
keep them well away from water and humidity
make sure they are properly earthed

and if you are 100% legal, find a trustworthy, discrete electrician to check it is all safe for you? why take the risk?

best wishes for your grow!

Thanks for the advice. what do you mean by "high quality ballasts" We bought 8 brand new Xtrasun ballasts. I would have gone with the lumatek's but at twice the cost i could not afford them.

Any suggestions for keeping them cool? i have seen a ballast cooling tube made by Hydro Innovations but i figure it's overkill and we are almost out of room anyways.

and what do you mean by earthed?

While having an electrician stop by would be nice id really rather keep it under raps for the time being.(and i just checked my plant count id say im 93% legal currently)

 

[PharmaCan]

Earthed means grounded.

PC

 

[BudGood]

Thanks for the advice. what do you mean by "high quality ballasts" We bought 8 brand new Xtrasun ballasts. I would have gone with the lumatek's but at twice the cost i could not afford them.

He's referring to actual ballasts for indoor gardening. His friend was using security light ballasts and a fire ensued.

Any suggestions for keeping them cool? i have seen a ballast cooling tube made by Hydro Innovations but i figure it's overkill and we are almost out of room anyways.

Just keep them out of the grow room, that'll be plenty.

and what do you mean by earthed?

It's the European way of saying "grounded".

While having an electrician stop by would be nice id really rather keep it under raps for the time being.(and i just checked my plant count id say im 93% legal currently)

This is where having an electrician for a friend is helpful. Peace of mind is worth the $$$, IMHO...

 

[limey]

Hi Rocky

yeah, I am not sure what is available over in the States as, well, am a Pom/Limey/Brit (!! - I know. 200 years + of independence and we are STILL keeping an eye on you 'orrible colonials)

... if you were here I would recommend those lumatek things. Ideally you want digital ballasts with integral fan and timer.

If that's not possible in your budget, I'd recommend:
*training a fan over the ballasts to keep them as cool as possible
*not having the ballasts actually in your grow room(s) because of the humidity ; run the cables through a hole in the wall
*putting grommets on the cables so any condensation/spray on the cables cannot run into the ballasts
*keeping the ballasts off the floor, preferably fixed to a shelf that is not underneath any pipe work (leaks, drips, condensation). Fixed because they can get knocked off ; on a shelf so there's little risk of any spillages touching the ballasts

As pharma says earthed (is what we say in the UK) = grounded. Everytime I see american appliances I shudder at the lack of "the third pin". The casing on your ballasts (which am guessing is metal and therefore conducts) really must be grounded/earthed. to be honest, everything electrical in your grow room should be grounded as 1. you could give yourself a very nasty (possibly fatal) shockif something went wrong and 2. it significantly lowers the risk of something shorting out, which could cause other things to blow, which could be very costly, and is a big fire risk

I completely sympathise with your security concerns. Just be careful!!

best wishes from across the pond

Limey