Installing a subpanel - need advice

[simpleword]

I am going to begin a 4000 watt sealed room grow relatively soon. I have a 60 amp 240volt breaker for my heater that I never use as we have a monitor. I would like to run this line to my grow room instead. I would install a subpanel in the grow room with a 240 volt breaker for the 18kBTU AC and a couple 120 volt breakers for the lights. It's about 25 feet from the main breaker to the room. Can anyone recommend a book or tutorial that would explain how to do this? My understanding is that it's relatively simple but there are of course many safety issues that need to be covered. I'd like to do this by the books. Besides the book and/or tutorials, does anyone have any tips or advice they would like to offer?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Guest]

You gave yourself the best advice...
If you want to do it by the book, go to the library get the book. It is basic for anybody, and you can do it. but a "teacher" is the best/savest way. Oh yea, get a volt meter and learn how it works, in few you'll know how to check for "hot" wires aleast.

 

[10k]

Check any good home improvement store like Lowes or home depot,
home improvement book section..
I suggest time life books "basic wiring". It covers doing a sub panel breaker box and the correct guage wires to run from your main box 60 amp breaker to the sub panel.
Be sure to run another ground for that new box too.

 

[Guest]

Check any good home improvement store like Lowes or home depot,
home improvement book section..
I suggest time life books "basic wiring". It covers doing a sub panel breaker box and the correct guage wires to run from your main box 60 amp breaker to the sub panel.
Be sure to run another ground for that new box too.

I bet your library will have that Time/Life book. I've heard that it is a good book also...

Very good point on the ground if "I" could "I" would drive another rod for it as close to the new panel as "I" could.

 

[Guest]

No you dont drive a ground rod for a subpanel,whats being said I believe is dont forget to take a ground from the main panel to the subpanel along with your two hots.If you plant on running your lights at 120V I dont know why but make sure and run a neutral also.

 

[Guest]

No you dont drive a ground rod for a subpanel,whats being said I believe is dont forget to take a ground from the main panel to the subpanel along with your two hots.If you plant on running your lights at 120V I dont know why but make sure and run a neutral also.

Never said ya had to. Just said I would if I could. path of least resesence and all. 25 foot run, two wire alot cheaper in a heavy gauge the a ground wire to a rod. As long as it's grounded no probs.

Added

Don't do both one or the other. could feed back juice if double grounded...

Added again

This isn't a residential practice, but used in industrial settings. if the sub is close run three wires to the main. But don't think there's only one way to skin a cat...

 

[Guest]

Just something everybody should know...

Just something everybody should know...

There are different electrical building codes for different settings, residential (good), commercial (Better), and industrial (Even better yet). I think of my room as a factory, not as just another room in the house. Any one would be good/ok, but if you know the "tricks of the trade"/better whys...

Added

How many other rooms in the house are 4000w+ rooms? I don't have a sub panel, I have another/jumped main and mine is much smaller of a room. And above should have said safe, safer, safer yet.

 

[The Dopest]

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME....

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME....

unless you are qualified, please do not monkey around power lines, this is a scan from a home depot basic wiring book. if you do not know what your doing i would not suggest anyone try this.

 

[Guest]

Thats a good tutorial,it should make it simple.The only thing that really takes any carefulness is installing and wiring the 2 pole breaker in the main panel.If you main panel is a main breaker panel,you can kill the power to the hot bus when installing and wiring the breaker,but this will kill all power to the house

 

[Guest]

unless you are qualified, please do not monkey around power lines, this is a scan from a home depot basic wiring book. if you do not know what your doing i would not suggest anyone try this.

CAN NOT condon # 7

Take the breaker out of the bus in the main panel BEFORE disconecting/conecting any wires to it. They pop right in/out lift up on the end that the wire hooks to and slide out do your work, snap it back in.

Was on a site where a man died, doing #7 in that book, one slip of the hand... He should of took the time...

 

[MTF-Sandman]

Yeah, that is definitely a needless risk to take. I can't imagine trying to do that shit with hot wires just underneath a screwdriver....I guess it's cool if you've got a main panel kill tho, but it's still more of a PITA due to the cramped conditions often found in panels.

Just attach/remove the wires from the breaker with it out of the panel and snap the breaker in after the wires are securely attached (with the breaker in the off position of course).

 

[Guest]

I guess thats the safest way,if you install your line wires while the breaker is in the panel and off,there is little risk of electricution unless your screwdriver somehow slips and hits the bus.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, that is definitely a needless risk to take. I can't imagine trying to do that shit with hot wires just underneath a screwdriver....I guess it's cool if you've got a main panel kill tho, but it's still more of a PITA due to the cramped conditions often found in panels.

Just attach/remove the wires from the breaker with it out of the panel and snap the breaker in after the wires are securely attached (with the breaker in the off position of course).

Call me a ol' stoner, but those straight drivers slip on me all the time. IMOA they are/have been obsolete for a very long time. Torx or aleast Phillips heads sould be a industry standard... Damn lobbiest...

Oh ya, stand to the side if you can, if it slips your hand goes to the air not the box... That "spare" wire in the box isn't just to make it preaty.

 

[simpleword]

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys. Luckily I got a friend of mine who is an electrician to help me out. I went to the store with him and we picked up all the parts needed. He had me just mount the subpanel and the outlet boxes where I want them and he's going to come over tomorrow and help me run the line (whew 140 bucks for 55 feet) and do all the wiring. I was semi nervous about doing this myself, now I don't have to sweat it.

Thanks again. The grow room is almost finished, if I can get the clones by next week, I'll have 4000 watts of glory. I've dropped about 2500 bucks (still about 1000 to go) into this bad boy but it should be worth it. This is my first grow over 1000 watts. I'm doing a sealed room setup with an 18,000 BTU AC. I still haven't bought the last 3000 watts of lights. Is it a good idea to mix metal halides and high pressure sodiums, or should I just stick with HPS? This is one thing I can't seem to find to much info on.

 

[Guest]

Groovy...
Best of luck to ya, word.
Been try to find that info also. Seems that folks use the "Super" bulbs of one or the other. But don't they try to give you both with them? MH with more red, HPS with more white, but I'm new to indoors and sure that someone with more "know how" can help.

 

[Guest]

I would suggest just sticking to HPS, and if you think a bit more blue spectrum will help you out go for hortilux bulbs.

 

[GirlWonderGrows]

I've read in the Yield O' Rama that all HPS is best, though this has at least something to do with the fact that HPS bulbs put out more light, and it may be true on a lumen for lumin basis that some blue light is good.
For the extra cost of hortilux bulbs, I'd just add another ballast. That may not be an option, but thoes bulbs are damn spendy.
I've heard of something like 20% Mh mixed with hps, so one in five. I definatly wouldn't go with more than one MH bulb in a 4 light room. On the other hand, if you are using hoods than some plants are going to get almost all MH light while the others are going to get almost all HPS. If this is the case, I'd go with all HPS.

Just my opinion.
GWG

 

[Guest]

Not just HPS,flower with hortilux

 

[Pops]

Simpleword, please don't try to put 2 1000w light on one line/breaker. Each 1000w light with ballast draws about 9.2amps. Even on a 20 amp breaker, you are drawing more that 80% of the amperage, which is unsafe.

I would put 4 15a 120v breakers in the subpanel with your 1 240v 20a breaker for the a/c. The a/c should not draw more than 8 amps.

Your total amperage will run about 45 amps, which is fine for the subpanel. You will probably want to run fans and pumps off this as well.

By having each light on its own breaker, you could plug a fan in the same line, since most fans don't take more than 1/4 to 1/2 amps.

 

[Guest]

Good stuff pops.I think I'd run my fixtures at 240V since the AC is already 240 V?Its pretty simple only 1 wire in the ballast enclosure needs to be switched.I'd come right out of the panel 1 foot or so to an intermatic WH40 "little gray box" hot water heater timer and from there come out with another foot of wire to a 4 sq. inch box holding the 4 receptacles to plug the lights into.I'm kinda biased though as thats basically my setup