inherited two warehouses

[fatcat666]

one is about 800 sq ft. and the other is about 1000 sq ft. one is more of a shed / small shop type in a rural area, the other is in more of an industrial area. before i go nilly willy outfitting one of them, there is something i must learn about. the 1000sq ft one has "3 phase power" , which I think also means that it is 240v, but I could be wrong as I dont have the information on hand but im pretty sure it is. can anyone educate me to as what this 3 phase power business actually is? i also recall the description stating that it has 225 amps. cant remember the amps on the 800 sq ft one but all i know is that its standard 120v like your house plugs.

for either location, what are the first steps i need to take to ensure that they can handle a load of 9000-10,000 watts? i think i can call in a discreet electrician if it is necessary, as I am totally uncomfortable dealing with this sort of stuff. i assume i cant just walk in there and plug in all my ballasts and just start. I have no reason to believe the wiring is shoddy in either location, but would rather be safe than sorry.


as well, is it even possible to draw that much power (say 10,000 continuous watts) on the shop with the standard 120v plug ins? as far as I know if i tried that in my apartment id just throw the breaker. but i guess it depends on the total amperage it can sustain right?

 

[magiccannabus]

When you hire the electrician, tell him it's for a pottery shop or something. The wiring requirements are similar: Water-resistant(GFCI), temperature controlled, humidity controlled, easy access to utilities. These are all totally normal for a pottery shop.

 

[LucasFormula]

watts = volts x amps

A 1,000 watt light at 120 volts uses 8-10 watts depending on your ballast. (120 volts times 8 amps gets you around 1,000). 240 volts obviously uses half the amps.

Three phase is just 3 legs of electricity running the device. This allows for an almost constant distributed load (which is good for really big torquey motors in a machine shop). Not exactly necessary for a bunch of grow lights. Your 240 volt, however, is very friendly to many ballasts as modern designs have a plugin for 120/240. A simple flick of the switch makes things right.

Three phase has a much different wiring, but if you ask your electrician for a circuit breaker with a 50/50 of single-phase 120 and 240, you should be good.

For every 1,000 watt light, I like to factor in another 500-800 watts for moms, clones, hydro pumps, ballast loss, fans, etc.

10 1kw lights = 18,000 watts maximum to operate

18,000/240 means 75 amps.

This isn't even approaching the generally accepted 75% maximum load on a main breaker. You should be easy peasy and definitely under the radar for a wharehouse/manufacturing shop. Most 1,000ft^2 shops will pull just 3,000 watts in ambient lighting for the whole joint.

 

[HinduKushed_423]

yeah i say do it right do not wan the firemarshall having an opertunity to inspect it cause of fire.

 

[fatcat666]

thanks bros
lucas your post was most informative. i understand the concept much more clearly. the problem for someone like me that is willing to learn and is searching the forums for the answers is that i just come across conversations between people who already know this business discussing it so its hard to glean the information i need but you totally explained it to me.

 

[perfectnug420]

that would be awesome to inherit a wharehouse.I know someone who lives down the city and has a wharehouse that he converted into his own house,pulls his car right inside.If your not gonna grow there could convert it into a nice little living space.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

I wouldnt worry about the 3 phase

I have recently dealt with this and we have basically ignored the 3 phase. My unit has two transformers, one that runs 120/240, the other is 277/480. Each transformer has its own breaker panel. We will be working off the 120/240 for the whole op.

You should have a panel that has 120/240, as most places need the 120 to run normal everyday items. Thats what I would use, using the 240 to run all your lights. I THINK its possible for you to have 120/something else

Best thing is to look inside the panel and read any labels.



The 800 sq ft place should have 120/240. There may be nothing wired 240 but as far as I know, its impossible for a place to have 120 and not 240




If you plan on running a 10KW op, its almost going to be mandatory that you get some basics in electric down.

 

[almostoverit]

watts = volts x amps

A 1,000 watt light at 120 volts uses 8-10 watts depending on your ballast. (120 volts times 8 amps gets you around 1,000). 240 volts obviously uses half the amps.

Three phase is just 3 legs of electricity running the device. This allows for an almost constant distributed load (which is good for really big torquey motors in a machine shop). Not exactly necessary for a bunch of grow lights. Your 240 volt, however, is very friendly to many ballasts as modern designs have a plugin for 120/240. A simple flick of the switch makes things right.

Three phase has a much different wiring, but if you ask your electrician for a circuit breaker with a 50/50 of single-phase 120 and 240, you should be good.

For every 1,000 watt light, I like to factor in another 500-800 watts for moms, clones, hydro pumps, ballast loss, fans, etc.

10 1kw lights = 18,000 watts maximum to operate

18,000/240 means 75 amps.

This isn't even approaching the generally accepted 75% maximum load on a main breaker. You should be easy peasy and definitely under the radar for a wharehouse/manufacturing shop. Most 1,000ft^2 shops will pull just 3,000 watts in ambient lighting for the whole joint.

always great to learn sumthin from someone's first post

 

[badugi]

I think 3-phase will only be useful if you're doing a large grow with large cooling requirements, where a 3-phase A/C unit would be more efficient.