External Breaker Boxs (30 amp + 50 amp) = DIY Tutorial ??

[Dreamscape]

Hello everybody !

I was doing some research on setting up the foundation of doing an indoor grow in a house/apartment and came across the topic of electrical. I then realized that for the space I was able to use the electrical of the place wouldn't be able to handle the amount of lights I wanted to use.

I then came to learn about breaker boxes , amperage , voltage and the limits that can be imposed on them. IE: If your breaker is rated at 15 amps , generally speaking , every 100 watts is 1 amp. So you couldn't run 2 1000 watt lamps on a 15 amp breaker because that would equal roughly 20 amps and trip the 15 amp. And I can't remember exactly how voltage effects everything so look it up but anyhow - Moving along ...

I started fishing around on the forums (gotta love ICMAG !!!) for economical set-ups that could run what I wanted.

The options were basically this:
#1. Find a place with better electrical supply.
#2. Hire an electrican and have him add breakers onto your existing circuit(assuming it were possible)

and...
#3. Add an additional outlet onto your circuit such as a 30 amp 220 volt commonly used for Dryers or a 50 amp 220 volt commonly used for an electric stove and then run an extension cord of matching amperage and voltage to the room you wish to use for a grow and hook up one of these :

30 amp box
http://www.ecogrow.com/images/prodlg/30amptimer.bmp
50 amp box
http://www.ecogrow.com/images/prodlg/50amptimer.bmp

Description of the 30 amp box is same as 50 amp except 50 handles more:
30 amp Timer Box

POWER CORD: 1 - 30 Amp Dryer Cord

BREAKERS: 1 - 20 Amp Breaker 240 volt 1 - 10 Amp Breaker 120 volt

RECEPTACLES:
4 - 240 volt Receptacles (supplies up to 4 - 1000 watt light systems)
2 - 120 volt Receptacles (supplies accessories such as fans or light movers)

DIGITAL TIMER:

7-Day Digital Timer

42 Weekly ON/OFF Settings

6 Daily ON/OFF Settings

Manual Override

Battery Back-up

This unit allows the user to run up to 4 - 1000 watt light systems and up to 10 amps of accessories from the same timer. An inline fuse protects the timer. Internally, the timer operates a contactor to control the power supply to the receptacles.

Found at: http://www.ecogrow.com/index.cfm?product=1481&special=new

Now the main point of me writing this post is to state that these boxes run for 300 and 500 USD a piece (not including shipping).

I was talking to an electrician and told him what I wanted to do - "I want to run an outlet and then attach one of these boxes onto it." He then began to ask me about the box and I described everything except for the fact that they have the lighting timers built in (told him i needed the box for high end music equipment) ... Upon telling him how much it cost - he basically laughed at the simplicity and said he could make the same thing (minus the timers) for 1/5 to 1/3 of the price. Needless to say my penis got hard at the thought of saving some much needed cash which brings me to my purpose in writing this and question...

Does anyone out there have an idea how to duplicate one of these bad boys ?? I'm assuming its not nearly as difficult as one of those flip flop boxes and i'm sure this would be of even greater value to a community needing of stealthy - DIY ways in which to set up for a grow.

I'm practically willing to pay for a tutorial on these considering how much it would cost to buy one of these from ecogrow.

Going upon what the electrician told me - for the 50 amp box it would be around 125 bucks or so ... then add to that the cost of a timer that could run your equipment and you've got total price of roughly 250 bucks - thats half the price and I'm POSITIVE thats an overshoot of the actual cost in cash.

And I suppose in a WORST CASE SCENARIO this thread can serve as an advertisement for these box's.

Best of luck
~Dreamscape

 

[Dreamscape]

Wow ... no one has ANYTHING to say about this at ALL !? ... lol

... and here I thought I was doing something good for everyone heh ...

I mean I atleast expected a couple of flames from some miserable trolling prick with nothing better to do than talk trash ... I must say i'm surprised...

Then again the title is probably scaring people away with the "Tutorial ??" in it...

... oh well - fuck it ...

Best of luck
~Dreamscape

 

[Guest]

fucking current!! wish all rooms had 220v

 

[Budweiser13]

I am also interested, You probably don't need the breakers right on the box like the one in the picture. you would need to run A 30 amp or 50 amp circuit from your main panel to your room and have a 240volt plug installed. Then just go to home depot buy the timer they have that timer I have seen them before intermatic makes them. They also have 10"X10"X4" grey metal pull boxes or junction boxes. Get a 30amp or 50 amp dryer cord they have those also. Get 2 metal duplex box raised covers. And some relays for your HID's and you have your control box...............well its a start anyway.........

 

[stonewall]

First thing you should consider is the size of the service feed(main feed to the house), and then how much spare capacity you have before reaching max current.

50 amps is easily 1/4 or even 1/2 of many service feeds. Considering most builders don't over do anything, it is easy to see this could create some problems unless you conserve in the regular electrical needs of your house. The limiting aspects of current start before the breaker box, in other words there is not an unlimited supply at the breaker box.

Consider this and we can move forward with building a parts list and compareing prices.

 

[Dreamscape]

Consider this and we can move forward with building a parts list and compareing prices.

Done

 

[stonewall]

Ok, so how many watts are you looking to run? Just the two 1000 watters? and the a/c and fans and pumps of course? And your plan is to hire an electrician to wire up a dryer outlet somewhere? Then you are going to make up a heavy duty cord and plug it into the new outlet and run it into the grow room where you want a power distribution point for your lights and such? How far are we talking? Total from the breaker box to the outlet and then from the outlet to the grow room? Do you want it customized or exactly like the links?

edit:
Ok, I went back and reread the original post, so you are going to have the outlet in the grow room, but need the power distribution panel?

 

[irie-i]

heres what i know about this...
for a 4k room, no a/c, i opened the plug in for the dryer (after turning off the 30a dryer breaker of course) and simply wired in a wire of the appropriate gauge and ran it under the house, buried it a few feet, and into the 10x12 shed and straight into my board where it split to the intermatic timer (240) and receptacles (120). i could still use the dryer but only when the lights were off.... actually I didnt do that, but i moved into the house and the grow was already set up. i grew there for a while with no electrical problem (except when my mom visited and ran the dryer all the freakin time)

i helped a friend run a very expensive and very huge "tech" cable from the main. under the driveway to a shop and into a sub-panel with a breaker, then a wire to a dryer plug receptacle, to which the grow's board would plug in.

panels are pretty easy to build, i found an old electical work for the homeowner book and have done some of it myself. be that as it may...be very sure that you do it right and have it inspected if you can...

 

[Dreamscape]

so you are going to have the outlet in the grow room, but need the power distribution panel?

The breaker box's in the basement are around 30 ft. away from where the 50 amp 220v would be installed. From there - the growroom would be roughly 15 ft.

The basic plan (not set in stone) is:

Either unplug the dryer or electrical stove and run a custom extension cord of the proper gauge , amperage and voltage from that specific outlet (220v 30 or 50 amp) into the grow room where it would then connect one of those boxes above or a box nearly identical to it ( custom made of course ) - give or take the built in timers depending on price.

Thanks stonewall
~Dreamscape

 

[maverick]

What kind of a lighting load are you planning on using???? This will be your largest load....No sense in running larger wire than is needed since todays prices on copper are terrible....a 240 volt 30 amp circuit goes a long ways for a room!!!

 

[Dreamscape]

Ideally , I would like to - if possible - be able to duplicate one or both of those boxes - with the exception of the built in timers. Check the links for the specs...

 

[Dreamscape]

bump

 

[cesartime]

Anyone come up with any solutions for this? I've seen the numerous tutorials for how to construct the box with a relay connected to a 120v intermatic but never how to add an additional 110v feed for fans and whatnot additionally to the lights, Ive been searching for days now to no avail, and hoped someone would have some info on the subject.

 

[1hitWONDER]

this is what your looking for
http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/grow-light-controller.asp


i need a sub pannel with 1 220 outlet timed and 4 120 outlets untimed.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

Btw, for anyone reading this old thread www.cheaphydroponics.com has the best prices on these breaker boxes. It works like a charm.

 

[cesartime]

Thanx but I already have the tutorial for that controller

Thanx but I already have the tutorial for that controller

1Hit, thanx for the reply, but the link you posted to is the one i am referring to seeing numerous copies of. I was trying to find out if anyone knew how to construct one like this:


...One like that which has 220 outlets for lights along with a seperate 10amp 110v circut to run fans, etc off of but all on a 3 prong dryer plug.

Im trying to avoid at all costs paying 300 bux for one of these from a hydro shop when i suspect that its only about 175-200$ or less in parts.

thanx a million for any replies.

 

[cannigrow]

Those instructions are great. Not sure if they explain how to bypass the 120v outlets so they provide power constantly but i just saw another guy do that the other day, i'll try and dig that up.

 

[1hitWONDER]

cesartime i need the same thing as you. 220 and 110 outlets on the same pannel with there own breaker. Really needs to be a sticky b/c without power you can't grow.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

I have the 30amp box and its different than the one advertised. They took out the integrated timer and put a standard digi timer on a trigger cable instead. Apparently the timers were failing too much and the whole box had to be sent back for repair. Now you just swap the timer.
See here:


If anyone wants I can pop open the cover and take some pics. I dont know much about how it works (hence why I paid 250 for it) but if it helps anyone build their own and save money Ill do it.

 

[DB2004]

Those timerboxes failed because of the cheap Intermatic timer. I build timerboxes and use an AUBE T1033 digital timer. It's the same wall-switch style of timer, but they never fail. I've installed hundreds of them in homes that need a timer for humidy control, turns on bathroom fan and furnace fan, set for twice a day for about a few hours. I also use them in timerboxes and flips I build. The relays I use also don't hum, they're silent. I've heard lots of complaints that this style of timerbox and others, they tend to hum quite often when the contactor(s) are on. My units make no noise. I use Sprechert-Shuh or Cutler-Hammer contactors, not cheap chinese. Plus the 30A timerbox has only a three prong plug, what if you need a four prong, needed in Canada. Check inside to see if they have used terminal lugs to the wires going to the receptacles. Some are built with NM 14AWG and use "quick-wire", slides into back of receptacle. I have some pix here in my gallery. This style of load center is rated for 100A @ 240V. I use a 6-gang box for 8 outlets timed and 4 outlets constant. Looks niced than 3 2-gang boxes.

Best Regards

DB