Growroom Electricity and Wiring

[FreedomGrower]

Looks fine to me ... power can be confusing to some people ... but is nothing to be afraid of when done correct. can't read the labels on the subs but looks like you got plenty of power for your needs.

Also it's ok if there is more power in breakers of the panels as it will only blow the main breaker if your using all the power in the house;

It's better to overload breakers; overloading lines causes fires ...

aka most growers do there laundry lol when the lights are off

Odd they used two 100 amp panels; would have been abit less trouble with a 200 amp 240V main

 

[noWon]

What kinda gear do I need to buy?

When you available mang?

 

[FreedomGrower]

Looks like it should be limited to

Cap MLC-8X lighting controller
http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=HkoFTufAKYq6sQOi1OnQDQ&ved=0CFkQ8wIwAA#

50 amp 240v breaker for your breaker box (there are different brand )

http://www.toolboxsupply.com/productdetails.aspx?sku=10839970&source=GoogleBase

http://www.google.com/search?q=240v..._gc.r_pw.&fp=96637dbaae642b25&biw=984&bih=540


6/3 wire (however feet) for light controller
25'
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/non-metallic-indoor-wire/6899.html
90'
http://www.amazon.com/Southwire-63950072-Merchandiser-Replacement-Spools-Nm-B/dp/B000BQSSPW


Pipe for external wiring ?

shmoe gets hydro equip at cheap cheap in oak town btw

 

[noWon]

Slips you are right about putting the breaker in the sub panel. I just found out the max to the house is 200amps. I think I would need an upgrade if I wanted a dedicated line


The 50amp breaker is for the lights right? We'll need another 30amps for the A/C?

Does this mean we need to run 2 sets of heavy gauge wire?

Do I need to purchase the same cutler hammer breakers and sub panels? Was looking at sub panels at lowes, they got a few different types.
I will need to get a truck if we need to get those long conduit or pvc pipes.

Talked to shmoe and we just got to work it out when we can do this. I am gonna work on purchasing the gear.

noWon

 

[supersmallgiant]

I will need to get a truck if we need to get those long conduit or pvc pipes.

Home depot will cut the pvc in half for free and then you can use a union to join them back together if a truck isn't possible. They rent trucks too though so...

 

[FreedomGrower]

You will need two 240v cutler hammer breakers 50, and 30 for the ac
10/3 wire for the ac
Will run the ac off the panel that currently has lights '
then add 50 amp to other panel ... then you should be good for a sec ...

Only need conduit if we are going outside; and to the ac

Wire is already shielded it's to make sure nothing chews / damages it etc outside

The ac needs to be drop shipped pretty sure its going to be hard to get one locally at a good price of course I could be wrong

If you upgrade past that you may have to give up central ac

 

[noWon]

Good point supersmallgiant, I would hate to rent a truck just for 30 to 40 ft of pipe. I dont think the run would actually be that far.

Slips, there is already a 30amp 240v connection that is already ran to a 240 4 prong outlet, can we just use that for the a/c, just continue the run to a disconnect outside for the condenser. Then just add one 50amp breaker to one of the sub panels, doing our best to balance the load.
BTW The a/c unit will take 7-10 days from east coast once I place the order.

Do you think I would have to drop the main a/c when I add a 50 and 30 amp breaker or if I go over that?

noWon

 

[FreedomGrower]

You will only have to drop the central ac if you need a second mini-split;

That 30 should be fine; we can use the wires to the outlet or just use the breaker and run new wiring ...

Each panel is independent we don't need to balance the load; just not max the load ...

 

[noWon]

I dont think a second mini-split will be needed. I hope not anyway.

And for balancing the load, I thought it would be best to have one grow room on on subpanel and the other grow room on the other subpanel type deal. Permitting whats currently there.

We should be fine. I have a much better feeling and understanding of this now. I think LOL

noWon

 

[SmokinErb]

So my window AC unit that I just put in my grow room's power cable isn't long enough to reach the receptacle.

Not sure if using a heavy duty extension cord is a safe option? I tried using a power strip made for PC's that's capable of handling 1880 watts (AC unit is 1110 watts) however when the compressor turns on, it trips the fuse in the power strip.

I don't want a fire hazard in my grow room, so I'm just wondering what the solution is here.

 

[rives]

So my window AC unit that I just put in my grow room's power cable isn't long enough to reach the receptacle.

Not sure if using a heavy duty extension cord is a safe option? I tried using a power strip made for PC's that's capable of handling 1880 watts (AC unit is 1110 watts) however when the compressor turns on, it trips the fuse in the power strip.

I don't want a fire hazard in my grow room, so I'm just wondering what the solution is here.

I would use the shortest possible 12 gauge extension cord with quality cord caps. If you can build one yourself, get the appropriate length 12/3 SJ or SO cord and some good cord caps and be done with it.

 

[SmokinErb]

Appreciate it. I did 5 more minutes research after posting that and found that they make extension cords for AC units, go figure. Walmart has 'em for about $13, found out later that I could have gotten one at the hardware store for about half that.

Got my ambient temps down to about 68-70f now

 

[farmhouse cat]

Need some electrical help

Need some electrical help

My house's main panel is 100 amps. I need to hire an electrician to run a sub panel to my garage. Im thinking a 100 amp sub should be enough, but am not sure? Will i need to upgrade the main panel to do this?


Here is what my garage will need to run.

1= 14000btu mini split ...specs 208-230 1 Phase

I want to be able to run up to 4 1kwatt hps lights from my light controller i use now that plugs into a 240 volt 30 amp dryer receptacle.

I will need proper outlets to run fans, pumps, timers chiller, etc.
10 outlets seems like it would be good to go.

All the electrical will be inside of a lung room. so running outlets everywhere is not needed.

I really dont know what to tell an electrician to get this job done.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[avant gardener]

My house's main panel is 100 amps. I need to hire an electrician to run a sub panel to my garage. Im thinking a 100 amp sub should be enough, but am not sure? Will i need to upgrade the main panel to do this?


Here is what my garage will need to run.

1= 14000btu mini split ...specs 208-230 1 Phase

I want to be able to run up to 4 1kwatt hps lights from my light controller i use now that plugs into a 240 volt 30 amp dryer receptacle.

I will need proper outlets to run fans, pumps, timers chiller, etc.
10 outlets seems like it would be good to go.

All the electrical will be inside of a lung room. so running outlets everywhere is not needed.

I really dont know what to tell an electrician to get this job done.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

the btu rating doesn't tell you anything about load by itself. you need the wattage, amperage, or EER rating for the a/c.

the lights you've got sorted out: a 30 amp 220v circuit for the lights and probably a 15 amp 110v receptacle for the trigger.

as for the rest, it's really easy. take the wattage for a given 110 fixture. divide by the voltage. this is your ampacity. multiply this by 1.25. that's your maximum ampacity. how many fixtures can you fit on a 20amp 110 circuit? now do the same for your 220 stuff.

if you've only got a 100 amp main, it would probably be helpful to find out what the actual load is on your panel. if it's high, you might want to consider an upgrade to a bigger main or cutting in your sub at the meter can. just saying.

 

[farmhouse cat]

The mini split is 15amp max breaker. I was told to have an electrician run 208v single phase circuit to the outdoor unit with a disconnect. I assume he will run this from the 100amp sub which will be on the wall directly ajacent to where the outdoor unit will sit?

From the sub panel i should have him run a 30amp 240v dryer plug for my light controller?

I have some power sucking pumps (2) that will be on a cycle timer. They are rated at 1200watts/115v. So 1200w/115v=10.4amps x1.25= 13amps max..? so i assume each pump will need at leat a 15 amp dedicated circuit?

so with just the above ... thats about 70 amps? Not including the AC though, which leaves 30 amps left of the 100 amp panel for which i could have the sparky run another 30amp dryer plug and buy one of these to run my fans and other stuff? http://www.planetnatural.com/site/powerbox-7500.html

am i way off? Thanks for the help

 

[Hoots]

Hi there,

Was directed here with my question about wiring.

Planning to remove reflector from 400w hps light so as to hang vertically.

Was wanting to know what I should do with the earth wire that is connected to the reflector?

Any advice appreciated

cheers.

 

[Guffetrold]

Hello fellow growers

I am about to give up finding out how to do it on my own.. It just isnt working.. Im positive I havent fried it or anything

The main problem probably is that i know very little of wiring, so any help would be much, much appreciated!!

The manual says the extractor can run at either min/max speeds via an external switch (? i cant just plug a cable in and power it up? Or does it mean something else) or you can use a speed switcher, which i dont have, so im interested in the other method, min/max.

I have included an image of how its supossed to be set up, when running at max speed. Can anybody help me with this?

This is the model: http://www.hydroponics.eu/fans-and-f...5m3h-9072.html

It came with no wiring what so ever..

 

[Guffetrold]

problem solved.

 

[farmhouse cat]

The mini split is 15amp max breaker. I was told to have an electrician run 208v single phase circuit to the outdoor unit with a disconnect. I assume he will run this from the 100amp sub which will be on the wall directly ajacent to where the outdoor unit will sit?

From the sub panel i should have him run a 30amp 240v dryer plug for my light controller?

I have some power sucking pumps (2) that will be on a cycle timer. They are rated at 1200watts/115v. So 1200w/115v=10.4amps x1.25= 13amps max..? so i assume each pump will need at leat a 15 amp dedicated circuit?

so with just the above ... thats about 70 amps? Not including the AC though, which leaves 30 amps left of the 100 amp panel for which i could have the sparky run another 30amp dryer plug and buy one of these to run my fans and other stuff? http://www.planetnatural.com/site/powerbox-7500.html

am i way off? Thanks for the help

Need Help. Electrician is coming soon. I need to know what to tell him??? 60 amp sub panel to the garage? Is that enough? or 100? Im never going to use more then 4 1000 watt lights. I will be installing a mini split eventually but wanna have it ready to hook up when that time comes. I was told to have the electrician run a dedicated 15amp 208v circuit to the outside with a disconnect for the future mini split? Does that sound correct?

Also i need lots of plugs for fans timers and pumps.

The pumps are 13amps/1200 watts, I will need two 15amp/120v plugs for them alone?

And then how many more 120v/15amp plugs can i use off the 60 amp panel?












Its my understanding that

 

[rives]

FC - just adding up what you have listed - 17 amps (4kw@240) in lights, 26 amps in pump load and somewhere around 10-12 amps for a mini-split, you have already shot past a 60 amp service. Remember that you don't want to exceed 80% of the capacity for continuous service, so that means 48 amps on a 60 amp service. Total up everything that you know the specs on, multiply by 1.25 for the 80% factor, and then give it some headroom to grow for things that you haven't considered yet. Remember to tell the electrician that you need dedicated circuits for each of the big pumps that you mentioned.

*edit* I've never had anything to do with a mini-split, but in my experience 240v is far more likely to be what you need in a residential setting. I would be surprised if you had 208.