question about electricity usage.

[Litz_C]

hi everybody. i planning to veg my crops for 24/0 for 2 weeks.

total 5 lights around 50 amp out of the 100 amp breaker box.

i read about safety should be under 80% of th supply of the electricity should be safe...

but i gonna run it continue for 2 weeks. Is it fine or i will catch a fire or whatever?

i need someone is good with electricity to answer this question and i don;t want to ruin it in one shot. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Continuous loads are just that,continuous so two weeks two years its all good.

 

[toohighmf]

wow

wow

you have 5 different 15 amp breakers running different banks of outlets? are you doing the speghetti special? runnin ext. cords from each circuit to feed enough power to the 5 lights? have you considered putting in a 30 amp split breaker and buying or building a light timer w the outlets all in one box? you would have a lot more power to use a dryer, microwave, bigscreen, etc if you went to 220v. as you would only need about 25 amps to run your room vs. 50 just for lighting. dont forget about fans, AC, pumps, etc... not to mention all those ext. cords throughout the house!

 

[Guest]

If he has the newer style electrical panel (post 60's) his outlet runs should be 20 amp (the duplex outlets (physically) in homes are usually rated 15 amp and heavier duty duplexes in commercial/industrial applications, rated 20 amps, same as the wire supplying them.

Check your electrical panel "outlet circuits" for wire size 12-2 w.ground connected to 20 amp circuit breakers. If this is correct you can always change out your 15 amp rated duplexes for the slightly more expensive 120 volt 20 amp rated type. Usually around $3.10 at Lowe's as opposed to under a buck for the 15's.

Inside the panel you will find large wires coming into the box and hooked to a Main Breaker that equally distributes power to the 2 Hot Bus Bars. A third wire, white (or black with white identifier tape applied) runs to the ground/neutral bus bar to which a bare (usually) grounding wire is also attached.

Regarding power usage, 240 volt uses a double breaker and although it attaches to the hot bus bar, either on one side of the panel or the other, the breaker itself straddles and connects to both Hot bus bars distributing the load equally from that point, to the main, through the meter and up to the power pole itself. You will still use the same amount of electricity and the draw will be balanced.

This could go on and on but you have the basics to work with. Its late, and I hope this is explained clearly.

When working on the panel, TURN OFF the MAIN, this will secure the power at the breakers BUT NOT before the MAIN itself. Touching the incoming hot(s) will severely injure or kill you. My home is all electric with a 200 amp main panel and if some one were to touch the incoming bare line(s) they would eat the whole 200 AMPS.......as their "Last Supper".

Be safe and happy growing

 

[GrassRoots]

And if somehow your place is like mine and there is no main breaker in your box, look outside. Mine main breaker was near the meter. I'm no electrician so I didn't know that places sometimes get built that way.

 

[Guest]

If your main panel is a main lug panel void of a main breaker a breaker enclosure or fused disconnect will be somewhere between the meter and the main panel by code.You must have a way to deenergize the main panel other than savaging the meter

 

[Buzzsmirk!]

Take care to "balance" ur actual "loads" on those two buss bars , this helps with heat mangement per "line", it also keeps the meter a bit "happier" with things too.

you cannot legally/safely put a subpanel in and not have a means of disconnect at the source or near it, pulling the meter should not be the "means" of disconnect.
like "american"sez
BUZZ!