How can i run one light off my dryer outlet?

[rives]

DocTroll, where've you been? It looks like another cut & paste job from you since it is readable, but as usual, your advice is wrong.

First, per the NEC, you are limited to 80% of the circuit's breaker rating for continuous loads which are any loads of greater than 3 hours duration. There are specially-listed breakers available for 100% duty on continuous loads, but they are expensive and very hard to find.

Second, a 3-wire 240v circuit is (2) hot legs of 120v and a GROUND, not a neutral. Only a 4-wire 240v circuit can be safely used to split off 120v circuits because it has both a neutral and a ground.

Third, the CAP controller is junk. They didn't have either UL or CSA approvals, didn't use proper fusing, had inadequate wire sizing, the receptacles are Chinese-made crap, and they are out of business.

Nvarma, the problem with what you are doing is that you have a 30 amp circuit that you are trying to run 20a components on. There needs to be some intermediate protection installed to limit the current if (when) something goes wrong. With the exception of the 125v receptacle your list is ok, but you need some additional equipment. You can add a small sub-panel to your installation and it will work fine - use the dryer cord to feed a 240v sub-panel, and set a double-pole 15 or 20a breaker in the sub. You can then feed the T104 with 12/2, and use it to power a receptacle. The receptacle should be changed out with either a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 design (15 or 20a, 240v).

 

[nvarma]

DocTroll, where've you been? It looks like another cut & paste job from you since it is readable, but as usual, your advice is wrong.

First, per the NEC, you are limited to 80% of the circuit's breaker rating for continuous loads which are any loads of greater than 3 hours duration. There are specially-listed breakers available for 100% duty on continuous loads, but they are expensive and very hard to find.

Second, a 3-wire 240v circuit is (2) hot legs of 120v and a GROUND, not a neutral. Only a 4-wire 240v circuit can be safely used to split off 120v circuits because it has both a neutral and a ground.

Third, the CAP controller is junk. They didn't have either UL or CSA approvals, didn't use proper fusing, had inadequate wire sizing, the receptacles are Chinese-made crap, and they are out of business.

Nvarma, the problem with what you are doing is that you have a 30 amp circuit that you are trying to run 20a components on. There needs to be some intermediate protection installed to limit the current if (when) something goes wrong. With the exception of the 125v receptacle your list is ok, but you need some additional equipment. You can add a small sub-panel to your installation and it will work fine - use the dryer cord to feed a 240v sub-panel, and set a double-pole 15 or 20a breaker in the sub. You can then feed the T104 with 12/2, and use it to power a receptacle. The receptacle should be changed out with either a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 design (15 or 20a, 240v).

Ok, so I found a 240v sub panel: GE 24-Circuit 14-Space 125-Amp Main Lug Load Center

Will this work? How do I set a double pole 20a breaker in the sub? Is that another part I need to acquire.

Also, I guess I will also need to replace my 13a 125v cord that came with the ballast, yes? The 240v receptacle won't fit this?

Somewhat unrelated, I currently have my dryer cord hooked up to my t104 timer and I plugged it into my light last night just to see if there was any current, the timer didn't see to work but I was able to use the override switch to flip the light on and off. Is there an issue with my timer motor? It's brand new, so maybe I just need to wire as you have stated above and it will work?


I was also reading somewhere that a cheap option to bypass using a subpanel would be to connect the white (hot/neutral) of the 12/2 as well as the ground/neutral on the dryer cord to slot A of the timer, rendering them both neutral, and then connecting the 12/2 ground to the ground on the timer and the 12/2 hot on Slot 2. - If that statement is confusing let me know I can send a pic. Unless you think the sub panel/breaker is necessary, and please speak up, I am trying to be as safe as possible.

Rives, thank you for all of your help.

 

[rives]

Ok, so I found a 240v sub panel: GE 24-Circuit 14-Space 125-Amp Main Lug Load Center

Will this work? How do I set a double pole 20a breaker in the sub? Is that another part I need to acquire.

Also, I guess I will also need to replace my 13a 125v cord that came with the ballast, yes? The 240v receptacle won't fit this?

Somewhat unrelated, I currently have my dryer cord hooked up to my t104 timer and I plugged it into my light last night just to see if there was any current, the timer didn't see to work but I was able to use the override switch to flip the light on and off. Is there an issue with my timer motor? It's brand new, so maybe I just need to wire as you have stated above and it will work?


I was also reading somewhere that a cheap option to bypass using a subpanel would be to connect the white (hot/neutral) of the 12/2 as well as the ground/neutral on the dryer cord to slot A of the timer, rendering them both neutral, and then connecting the 12/2 ground to the ground on the timer and the 12/2 hot on Slot 2. - If that statement is confusing let me know I can send a pic. Unless you think the sub panel/breaker is necessary, and please speak up, I am trying to be as safe as possible.

Rives, thank you for all of your help.

Just about any sub will work as long as there is space for a double-pole (240v) breaker in it. If a more compact panel works better for you, Home Depot offers some pretty small ones, like 4 circuit, 2 space or 8 circuit, 4 space. A double-pole breaker will just snap into place, and will cost about $9 or so.

Breaker -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Q-Line-15-Amp-1-in-Double-Pole-Circuit-Breaker-THQP215/100172856

A sub-panel -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Power...Lug-Circuit-Breaker-Panel-TL240SCUP/202978667

You can either replace the cordset that came with your ballast with the 240v version, or cut the plug off and replace it with a 240v configuration (6-15 or 6-20). While the 120v cord would work, it is a huge safety issue to wire a 120v receptacle for 240v. When you inadvertently plug in a 120v device, it will be blown up before you can get it unplugged.

Make sure that the timer is wired correctly (the hot wires on terminals 1 & 3, the wires to the ballast on 2 & 4). Check that the small wires that feed the timer motor didn't get bumped out of the terminals and that the connections are tight. It would be very unusual for there to be an issue with the timer - the T-series Intermatics are excellent gear.

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between neutrals and grounds by laymen. The ONLY place that they should be tied together is at the main panel. They perform entirely different functions - the neutral is a full-time current-carrying conductor, and the ground is ONLY meant for short-term usage when a ground fault occurs. Grounds are normally uninsulated so you would wind up having a current-carrying conductor that can energize any conductive material that it comes into contact with. Bonding the neutral and the ground together at points other than the main can result in stray currents that raise hell with electronics, cause your stereo to buzz, etc.