McChris421
Member
haha yes crazy people are the best
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How many lights can you run before getting attention?
- Thread starter Vantranist
- Start date
Y
yamaha_1fan
I run 10,000 Watts and my grow is only about 1/3 of the bill. Sometimes I pay in cash, sometimes just pay online.
The way I pay is not going to get me caught.
The way I pay is not going to get me caught.
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dankaholic
Member
u guys are crazy! use money orders from the gas station, Always!
bluebublelove
Active member
Greyskull said:
"when the going (growing) gets weird, the weird turn pro"
H.S.T.
1800kw + 200 to 300 wt veg lighting costs me on avg about $250 or $170ish US every two months.
guess im lucky our power hasnt really peaked still going up i can expect to pay around extra $250 next year oh just had alooksie at my bill 11.6c per unit and up $8o/ us$50 over aug/sep last year.
guess im lucky our power hasnt really peaked still going up i can expect to pay around extra $250 next year oh just had alooksie at my bill 11.6c per unit and up $8o/ us$50 over aug/sep last year.
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julsbagell
Member
My bill has been 1000 to 1500 every month for 2 years never had a problem just pay your bill on time they probably wish everyones bill was that high. I always pay cash at the mail store because its not in my name. I run 5000 watts in a three bedroom.
C
confedrate69
if u jump over a $4000 bill get a diesel genny and pay for diesel in cash at different stations no one looks at the old chev work truck with 2x125 gal tanks in the bed gettin topped of every few days. "that damed old case is leaking fuel agin billy bob looks like im gonna need a lot this month till they fix it "
midwestganja
Member
Well I am no expert, but, my utility bill fluctuates quite a bit, even without any equipment running, some months my bill is 50-75% more than it was the prior month! I think you are safe unless you have some OUTRAGEOUS peaks of power. Even a 1000-2000w light would not make that much of a power increase compared to all of the things we use on a daily basis.
Just leaving your tv on all day is about the same thing as running a 400w light or so.
Really just be smart about it. Another thing i've always loved to do when you move into a new house or new place-- set up your lights/equipment right away, the day you move in basically(if possible). That way your utility/power consumption is about the same from month to month as it was the day you moved in. Nothin suspicious there IMO.
peace
Just leaving your tv on all day is about the same thing as running a 400w light or so.
Really just be smart about it. Another thing i've always loved to do when you move into a new house or new place-- set up your lights/equipment right away, the day you move in basically(if possible). That way your utility/power consumption is about the same from month to month as it was the day you moved in. Nothin suspicious there IMO.
peace
A
alpinestar
everyone here has great ideas
first of all find out how much power you can run without tripping the damn breaker
find out how much you currently use
make an informed decision on how much total power you feel comfortable paying for and using to grow - remember fan pumps etc all use power as well
chances are that youll have a lot more room to play with than you think
i think a decent sized home grow would be 4 to 8 lights 600 to 1000watt depending on preference
or maybe 2 to 3 600s in an apt
this much light is more than enough to grow a decent amount of personal bud for you and your friends/family or for small time commercial use
heat is a major issue to take into account thinking of power consumption, always expect to run more exhaust than you first think you'd need to - shit happens
people who get caught are usually doing these types of things:
-buying all their equipment (especially all the lights) from the same places and often
-paying in forms other than cash
-paying with cash and then making it blatantly obvious that they have a lot of cash
-projecting the image of a grower (ie lots of grow stuff can be seen being brought into the house) - park in the garage and unload, or put stuff into bags from different stores and bring them in. some people think hey why not grow a lot of other plants so it looks like im just into plants - sorry but youll still get that stereotype - think about this : who would you least expect to be into cannabis? the guy who doest even cut his own lawn and doesn't know or care about plants or the guy who has a greenhouse behind his house and is always talking about plants?
-leaving trash (EVIDENCE) out - dont leave pot leaves stems seeds blunt wraps roaches baggies nutrient containers grow light boxes or anything else that could be marijuana related in your curbside trash. if youve ever been fingerprinted, then im sorry but your life will be harder, because fingerprints could be taken from grow related trash even if its ditched somewhere. buy some gasoline and burn the shit in your back yard if you have to, just dont get lazy and risk getting caught. never leave your regular trash (ie stuff with your name with your name or address) in the same bag or even types of bags as your grow trash.
-trusting others (this is the biggest one) - even if they dont narc on you, anyone can fuck you over by accidentally telling someone else - people are walking liabilities regardless of whether or not you are related to them or have known them forever. trusting people is just bad bad bad.
***if you have to put trust into someone involving this then it should be your spouse (and not if the marriage is going to shit) and/or a sibling (dont trust your kids either - kids and teens do the stupidest things to be cool)
I have one tenth the friends that I used have, but none of the security issues - to me this was a good deal
I hope all goes well, as planning can be the most stressful part of any project
good luck!
first of all find out how much power you can run without tripping the damn breaker
find out how much you currently use
make an informed decision on how much total power you feel comfortable paying for and using to grow - remember fan pumps etc all use power as well
chances are that youll have a lot more room to play with than you think
i think a decent sized home grow would be 4 to 8 lights 600 to 1000watt depending on preference
or maybe 2 to 3 600s in an apt
this much light is more than enough to grow a decent amount of personal bud for you and your friends/family or for small time commercial use
heat is a major issue to take into account thinking of power consumption, always expect to run more exhaust than you first think you'd need to - shit happens
people who get caught are usually doing these types of things:
-buying all their equipment (especially all the lights) from the same places and often
-paying in forms other than cash
-paying with cash and then making it blatantly obvious that they have a lot of cash
-projecting the image of a grower (ie lots of grow stuff can be seen being brought into the house) - park in the garage and unload, or put stuff into bags from different stores and bring them in. some people think hey why not grow a lot of other plants so it looks like im just into plants - sorry but youll still get that stereotype - think about this : who would you least expect to be into cannabis? the guy who doest even cut his own lawn and doesn't know or care about plants or the guy who has a greenhouse behind his house and is always talking about plants?
-leaving trash (EVIDENCE) out - dont leave pot leaves stems seeds blunt wraps roaches baggies nutrient containers grow light boxes or anything else that could be marijuana related in your curbside trash. if youve ever been fingerprinted, then im sorry but your life will be harder, because fingerprints could be taken from grow related trash even if its ditched somewhere. buy some gasoline and burn the shit in your back yard if you have to, just dont get lazy and risk getting caught. never leave your regular trash (ie stuff with your name with your name or address) in the same bag or even types of bags as your grow trash.
-trusting others (this is the biggest one) - even if they dont narc on you, anyone can fuck you over by accidentally telling someone else - people are walking liabilities regardless of whether or not you are related to them or have known them forever. trusting people is just bad bad bad.
***if you have to put trust into someone involving this then it should be your spouse (and not if the marriage is going to shit) and/or a sibling (dont trust your kids either - kids and teens do the stupidest things to be cool)
I have one tenth the friends that I used have, but none of the security issues - to me this was a good deal
I hope all goes well, as planning can be the most stressful part of any project
good luck!
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Ajunta Pall
Member
I agree w/ Unionman about this being a unthought out question, and I'll tell you why. There are other factors involved than just the power company. Each factor will have to be addressed if you wish to attract as little attention as possible. Proper planning based on your level of experience will limit your risks.
First off there could be light leaks, if you double the amount of light used it maybe a problem. Just because you tackled the problem w/ 5 lights, doesn't necessarily mean that when you double your lights that you will be okay. Checking to see if light is coming out of your exhaust port maybe something you inadvertantly forgot to do.
Also, if you go from 5k watts to 10k watts you'll be generating twice the heat and may be more prone to being busted w/ flir. Not only will your outer walls be a lot hotter than ambient temp, your exhaust will be too. And as a result your house will look very bright on flir. Lining your grow room w/ Reflectix will help to cool down your outer wall temps if done correctly.
Lastly too many lights could lead to attention due to poor odor control and poor ventilation. Heat build up could damage your plants as well as increasing your flir visibility. Odor of course because the more lights you put in the more plants you add, the more odor becomes a problem. Maybe not so much in veg, but 5 weeks into flowering you don't want to find out that you have a big stinky problem on your hands.
First off there could be light leaks, if you double the amount of light used it maybe a problem. Just because you tackled the problem w/ 5 lights, doesn't necessarily mean that when you double your lights that you will be okay. Checking to see if light is coming out of your exhaust port maybe something you inadvertantly forgot to do.
Also, if you go from 5k watts to 10k watts you'll be generating twice the heat and may be more prone to being busted w/ flir. Not only will your outer walls be a lot hotter than ambient temp, your exhaust will be too. And as a result your house will look very bright on flir. Lining your grow room w/ Reflectix will help to cool down your outer wall temps if done correctly.
Lastly too many lights could lead to attention due to poor odor control and poor ventilation. Heat build up could damage your plants as well as increasing your flir visibility. Odor of course because the more lights you put in the more plants you add, the more odor becomes a problem. Maybe not so much in veg, but 5 weeks into flowering you don't want to find out that you have a big stinky problem on your hands.
Bulénath
Member
Not trying to scare anyone,
but I know for a fact I read an article created within the last few years, that talked about a Single mother with four kids.
Her home was raided by the cops on the basis of her large power consumption. When she was questioned, she said something like
"I have four kids, five loads of laundry each day" etc...
But it is a true story. So it makes me wonder sometimes.
So many of you say that running 1800 watts of ballast, 600 watts of fan, and 500 watts of air condition is too small time for the LEO's to fuck with.
But, for a single dude who lives alone and works from home?
Plus all other utility costs.. I mean it seems a little steep....
I was thinking, to counter this problem, I will buy a couple 1500w Air condtions and mount them in plain view, but never use them!
Still yet, isn't it really the Power Spikes that get people caught?
Like flipping on and off your ballasts every twelve hours, instead of running them 24/7 by splitting the light cycle with a Flip Flop Relay between two seperate flower chambers?
On that same note, how does house hold power consupmtion register on the meter ?
I am really confused about how the electric meter reads the electricty...
Someone said that it reads what you take in, and also what returns to the grid, and the meter deducts the two to find the actual power consumption?
I need a really good break down of how this shit works!
but I know for a fact I read an article created within the last few years, that talked about a Single mother with four kids.
Her home was raided by the cops on the basis of her large power consumption. When she was questioned, she said something like
"I have four kids, five loads of laundry each day" etc...
But it is a true story. So it makes me wonder sometimes.
So many of you say that running 1800 watts of ballast, 600 watts of fan, and 500 watts of air condition is too small time for the LEO's to fuck with.
But, for a single dude who lives alone and works from home?
Plus all other utility costs.. I mean it seems a little steep....
I was thinking, to counter this problem, I will buy a couple 1500w Air condtions and mount them in plain view, but never use them!
Still yet, isn't it really the Power Spikes that get people caught?
Like flipping on and off your ballasts every twelve hours, instead of running them 24/7 by splitting the light cycle with a Flip Flop Relay between two seperate flower chambers?
On that same note, how does house hold power consupmtion register on the meter ?
I am really confused about how the electric meter reads the electricty...
Someone said that it reads what you take in, and also what returns to the grid, and the meter deducts the two to find the actual power consumption?
I need a really good break down of how this shit works!
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lowriderguy
Member
FLIR is easy, REAL easy to beat....
just build a room within a room...
got a basement? put in a "movie theater"
sound proof the walls, etc... hell have a contractor do it for you if you have the cash.
Or do it yourself, I guarantee that when you finish it, you will feel amazing just because you built it yourself.
With regards to watts... its all in appearance and ramp up.
don't just double your wattage one month and then keep that constant...
I would say slowly ramp it up as if you were getting more tech equipment etc.
if you live in a cold climate some of the year, setup a valve (or whatever they call it in HVAC, I can't remember it right now... heh), so that some of the time the hot air will vent back into your homes heating, and the other half you can dump it in your sewer.. lots of guides on this, and it is always worth a look if you are in the basement.
I would say the best way to estimate Wattage is by either square feet or # of rooms.
on average, you could probably do between 400W- 1000W per room additional on your bill, assuming you try to maximize your efficiency throughout the house.
This is just a guess of course, and I by no means recommend you use this method without looking at everything.
Everything in todays police state (if you are in the US) comes down to what people perceive you as. As long as the government has no reason to look at you, they have better things to do (usually).
Note: i consider this a police state for only one reason:
I Saw a news report about how in Florida, there are police stations rewarding citizens with cash for basically snitching on people. there are actually people living on this income alone in florida. So now you are not only watching out for the police all the time, you have to be especially careful about that neighbor of yours, and give them NO REASON to see you as a threat... (and let me tell you, to most neighbors, someone growing such an illegal and dangerous drug as weed IS a threat)
/rant
what were we talking about?
just build a room within a room...
got a basement? put in a "movie theater"
sound proof the walls, etc... hell have a contractor do it for you if you have the cash.
Or do it yourself, I guarantee that when you finish it, you will feel amazing just because you built it yourself.
With regards to watts... its all in appearance and ramp up.
don't just double your wattage one month and then keep that constant...
I would say slowly ramp it up as if you were getting more tech equipment etc.
if you live in a cold climate some of the year, setup a valve (or whatever they call it in HVAC, I can't remember it right now... heh), so that some of the time the hot air will vent back into your homes heating, and the other half you can dump it in your sewer.. lots of guides on this, and it is always worth a look if you are in the basement.
I would say the best way to estimate Wattage is by either square feet or # of rooms.
on average, you could probably do between 400W- 1000W per room additional on your bill, assuming you try to maximize your efficiency throughout the house.
This is just a guess of course, and I by no means recommend you use this method without looking at everything.
Everything in todays police state (if you are in the US) comes down to what people perceive you as. As long as the government has no reason to look at you, they have better things to do (usually).
Note: i consider this a police state for only one reason:
I Saw a news report about how in Florida, there are police stations rewarding citizens with cash for basically snitching on people. there are actually people living on this income alone in florida. So now you are not only watching out for the police all the time, you have to be especially careful about that neighbor of yours, and give them NO REASON to see you as a threat... (and let me tell you, to most neighbors, someone growing such an illegal and dangerous drug as weed IS a threat)
/rant
what were we talking about?
G
grasspass
Beware of retired people . I have a friend that lives next to a retirement community . When he changed his glass sliding back door to a french door a building inspector showed up and asked for the building permit. Many things like that have happened. Some retired people with too much time on their hands want to manage everybody near them.
Macster2
Member
Power consumption is not how people get caught.The power co. aren't interested in turning over their best customers to the cops however if leo is suspicious of you they will go to your power co. and subponae your bill and offer as evidence at your trial that your bill was much to high for a standard household.
Its usually someone squealled on you.
When I first started growing I was infatuated on how peps got caught growing and the main reasons were someone ratted you out or they stole electricity.
Its usually someone squealled on you.
When I first started growing I was infatuated on how peps got caught growing and the main reasons were someone ratted you out or they stole electricity.
