G
gazcat
How can I power 4 1000W lights on a standard 15amp Socket?
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only way you get 4 x 1000w on a 15a circuit is 220v.
@ 120v, no way.
you have to run a line.
@ 120v, no way.
you have to run a line.
BritishColumbia
Member
No!
No!
Never load a circuit more then 80%,you need a 2 ballast flip for this application.
No!
Never load a circuit more then 80%,you need a 2 ballast flip for this application.
G
gazcat
So what can I do? Run a line from where? I basically have 3 basic wall sockets with 2 outputs each. I know they are 15amp. How can I run them at 220v?
G
gazcat
BritishColumbia said:
Could you please ellaborate on this? I really am not familiar with this stuff. If you could just lay it out in simple steps at what I need to do.
Thank you so much in advance!
dude, if you dont understand basic electrical, dont fuck w/ it.
everybody knows an electrician.
get one over there to run the wire, as long as your not growing already.
but by the sounds of it, ur not.
electrical is serious shit man, you dont want to get busted for burning your grow to the ground.
everybody knows an electrician.
get one over there to run the wire, as long as your not growing already.
but by the sounds of it, ur not.
electrical is serious shit man, you dont want to get busted for burning your grow to the ground.
G
Guest
Sorry man but read the thread title and coughed up my beer.
BritishColumbia
Member
You could get a load center/flip built that would plug into the wall socket,this way you would not need an electrician to come over and run a wire from the main circuit panel off a 30amp breaker to a sub panel but either way you need a certified electrician.gazcat said:
BritishColumbia said:
Its still only a 15amp socket....
My guess is that all 3 sockets are on the same 15amp breaker. Just because you have the outlets doesn't mean you have enough power.
Like cocktailfrank said, you shouldn't be messing with electrical if you don't know it.
good luck with your growing, but be safe!
BritishColumbia
Member
Do you know what a ballast flip flop is? If so then you know a 2 ballast 120v 1000w flip would be pushing no more then 13amps as their are only 2 lamps running at a time and the ballasts run 24/7 so when the lights come on the surge is 6.5 amp each light instead of 8.6 with no flip their for you will be able to run it of the 15amp outlet but if you don't have 2 rooms then you can always have a loadcenter built that plugs into 2 15amp outlets as most rooms have a few and no you don't need 2 timers (1 for each light) as you can get a relay to switch both sides of the loadcenter (2 ballasts on each side) on at the same time,the best thing to do is call every grow shop in your area/state and ask if they have an electrician and he can make you one or the other and you can be comfortable asking questions that you would not ask a regular electrician.FirstTracks said:
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One light running uses 8.3 amps all the time its running.No matter how you do it only one 1000w light on a 15 amp curcuit.Had a freind that pluged one 1000w light in a wall outlet After a couple days you could see a scorch mark up the wall.The surge when the light comes on There is a capacitor in the ballast for this.The flip flop you are talking about.he would have to run two lights at a time for 12hr each.Dont see much advantage in this.
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N. Accumbens
Member
fumancu:The advantage of the flip flop 12hrs @ 2 lights = 24 hrs of bloom time per day, two rooms two crops on one breaker, that's a mega advantage.
But really, before anyone spits up anymore beer.
It's fairly simple math, and one doesn't have to be an electrician to use it.
V x A = W where V= Volts [110 for US generally, Europe has 220 Woohoo]; A=Amps [your breaker, in this case 15]; W= the amounts of Watts you have available.
Of this it really is true you should only use 80%, I use more on my start-up pushing the 110% limit and I nearly frazzled my wires not too long ago, the breaker eventually can't take this stress and I had to exchange it just recently. Of course, the wires are damaged and can now take only about 70% of what they used to, but at least it is Spring and my dumb ass can fix this.
Trust me you don't want an electrical fire while there are grow supplies or marijuana in your house, especially if your pulling 110v because that means you might be in an area where growing herb can cause serious harm to your health, or freedom...whichever you'd like to call it.
So here we are with some fuzzy arithmetic 110V X 15A = 1650W that is your available wattage on this circuit, this means not using any of the other plugs or whatever, or dividing the use somehow among them. If you curb that to the MINIMUM safety requirement of 80% you have
1650 x 0.80 = 1320 watts available not including the lamp start-up which could zing you up a bit.
Now that would probably afford for one 1000w lamp or two on a relay for the flip- flop, but then you must have another or build another room so there are no light leaks from one bloom room to another. Actually the timer is set at 11hrs45m or so, this is so that there is no interference on the single breaker.
With the lamp you will need other equipment which when you turn on individually, you should hope not to hear a pop sound, that means you can not even pull 1000w lamp but must go 600 or 750.
But yeah, just find a dryer outlet if you can.
Make sure to get a fire ext., and please be careful....blah...blah....blah
Y'known I think many of us are bound by our breakers. Eventually we learn to avoid using our washers, microwaves, dryers completely. All I know is when I switch to a little gas burner stove and start taking cold showers it will be time to move. cheche
But really, before anyone spits up anymore beer.
It's fairly simple math, and one doesn't have to be an electrician to use it.
V x A = W where V= Volts [110 for US generally, Europe has 220 Woohoo]; A=Amps [your breaker, in this case 15]; W= the amounts of Watts you have available.
Of this it really is true you should only use 80%, I use more on my start-up pushing the 110% limit and I nearly frazzled my wires not too long ago, the breaker eventually can't take this stress and I had to exchange it just recently. Of course, the wires are damaged and can now take only about 70% of what they used to, but at least it is Spring and my dumb ass can fix this.
Trust me you don't want an electrical fire while there are grow supplies or marijuana in your house, especially if your pulling 110v because that means you might be in an area where growing herb can cause serious harm to your health, or freedom...whichever you'd like to call it.
So here we are with some fuzzy arithmetic 110V X 15A = 1650W that is your available wattage on this circuit, this means not using any of the other plugs or whatever, or dividing the use somehow among them. If you curb that to the MINIMUM safety requirement of 80% you have
1650 x 0.80 = 1320 watts available not including the lamp start-up which could zing you up a bit.
Now that would probably afford for one 1000w lamp or two on a relay for the flip- flop, but then you must have another or build another room so there are no light leaks from one bloom room to another. Actually the timer is set at 11hrs45m or so, this is so that there is no interference on the single breaker.
With the lamp you will need other equipment which when you turn on individually, you should hope not to hear a pop sound, that means you can not even pull 1000w lamp but must go 600 or 750.
But yeah, just find a dryer outlet if you can.
Make sure to get a fire ext., and please be careful....blah...blah....blah
Y'known I think many of us are bound by our breakers. Eventually we learn to avoid using our washers, microwaves, dryers completely. All I know is when I switch to a little gas burner stove and start taking cold showers it will be time to move. cheche
im pretty sure a 1000w hps ballast draws just under 10 amps @ 120v. 9.5amps to be exact.
80% of a 15 amp circuit is 12 amps.
that leaves you w/ 2.5 amps to your cutoff point.
thats 1 ballast.
you could do a flip and have that 1 ballast control 2 lights, but only at opposite 12/12 schedules.
there's no way in hell you can run 2 ballasts off that same circuit, flip flop or not.
the 80% rule applies to whats called "continuos load"
continuos load is any load thats on for 3 hours or more in a row
80% of a 15 amp circuit is 12 amps.
that leaves you w/ 2.5 amps to your cutoff point.
thats 1 ballast.
you could do a flip and have that 1 ballast control 2 lights, but only at opposite 12/12 schedules.
there's no way in hell you can run 2 ballasts off that same circuit, flip flop or not.
the 80% rule applies to whats called "continuos load"
continuos load is any load thats on for 3 hours or more in a row
selfprofider
Member
I have run a 5 k before and know enough about electricity to do it safely One 15 amp breaker typicall can run 1-1000w light and a few small fans, airstone ect. Typically your 1000watter weill use betwenn 8.5-9.5 amps seams to use more when first king on. If you tried (and I have put 2- 1000w ) ont he one circuit that kicks the breaker 8.5 + 8.5=17amps. Now don't knnow how old your wiring is but I have swithed in the breaker box a 20amp breaker to replace the 15 amp and was able to run 2 lights on the one circuit but it would kick the braker if both lights were turned on exactly at the same time. But given I had ll new 12/2 wireing that i belive can handle it. Looks to me like you need to go to the breaker box see if any available slots are available to first determine if a new ine is possible. Also just because you see more outlets in the room or close by it is very possible that all or some of these plugs are all hooked up to the same circuit (4-6 plugins/circut)typoically new construction. May be some inforo don't know Im buzzed
Later
Later
i would like to clarify on what selfprovider just said.
he mentioned changing the 15amp breaker for a 20amp breaker.
it isnt that easy.
i know he said he changed the wire to a 12 guage romex, which is the correct way to do it.
you cannot put a 20amp breaker on 14 guage cu or 12 guage al.
wire size isnt meant for the extra amperage.
this can and will cause a fire.
so dont go thinking you can just change a breaker to solve your problem, unless the wire size permits it.
he mentioned changing the 15amp breaker for a 20amp breaker.
it isnt that easy.
i know he said he changed the wire to a 12 guage romex, which is the correct way to do it.
you cannot put a 20amp breaker on 14 guage cu or 12 guage al.
wire size isnt meant for the extra amperage.
this can and will cause a fire.
so dont go thinking you can just change a breaker to solve your problem, unless the wire size permits it.
