Temporary 50 amp Outlet?

[EastCoast710]

is it possible to just grab 6 gauge wire.. and run a 30 foot 50amp outlet out of my breaker box.. I'm in a rental house. so permanent is not an option. so I thought well I could staple the wire to the wall. have my buddy come over and do the last few steps so I don't burn the house down.. but if its easy .. then theres always the option for a DIY.. as I have an existing 60 amp breaker.. that I was going to replace with a 50 amp new breaker.. to run this new line off. I figure the 60 amp basement heat I can disable.. and if my landlord calls a few big ass staples get pulled from the wall.. the breaker gets shut off. wires come out.. just shut the box.. hide everything and just set it back up after they leave like I have to do with the entire grow anyways..

anyone have any advice.. besides getting an electrician.. I really don't want someone knowing that I'm growing.. but if its really ness I do have 1 buddy I can trust enough to do the hard parts.

 

[Easy7]

Sounds stupid and why there are max sentences.

 

[HarvestMoon303]

The problem with moving something containing 6AWG 2-conductor + grnd is that the copper will get work hardened and brittle the more that it is handled/bent. That's why extension cords aren't just 6AWG solid conductors.

 

[EastCoast710]

thats not an issue.. if I have to rebuy wire everytime to be safe I will.. they usually only come once every year. sometimes every 2 years.. so its not like I would need to move it very often.. its just not smart for me to put holes in walls. or run wire into the walls and shit because its harder to cover up my tracks if need be..

 

[Floridian]

Just run a new circuit if there is room in the panel don't go disconnecting and reconnecting all willy nilly.What exactly are you feeding question mark.My qm is shot lol

 

[queequeg152]

oy vey... if its not your house, you should not be growing shit inside of it imho...

that being said, im MORE concerned that you will actually just lay some romex down and throw carpets over if....

what you want is proper TOOL cord... basically extra heavy durable insulation, with fully annealed copper strands... and a shit load of strands per conductor to permit flexability.

what harvest moon mentions is correct. if you use solid gauge copper, its possible that-through repeated disturbances of the cable-you could weaken the copper to the point where the copper conductor thins down or fatigues. this could cause localized heating that the overcurrent protection device could not detect.
if your panel is not equipped with arc fault breakers it is also possible that-when a conductor breaks and separates-the resulting heat from a small short or arc could also go detected by a normal circuit breaker.

i suggest you research what the UL requirements are for tool cord and get one that conforms to the appropriate requirement... same with the recepticals and plugs.

again though, if its not your shit...

 

[FireIn.TheSky]

What you need is a 6/3 for straight 240v or a 6/4 SJO cable for 240v with a neutral.

SJO cord and assorted variants are highly stranded, extemely flexible rubberized cords, it's similar to an extension cord and can be rolled up and reused. Do not use individal wires or romex if u want to roll up and reuse, those wire types should not be reused in that way.

Use some sort of strain relief where the wire leaves the panel.

Hang the wire up high, never run wire where it can be walked on.

Remember if you do the work yourself and you burn the house down you own it. Insurance will never pay for homeowner fuck ups.

The most important thing is to always strip the wire to a proper length and properly torque all connections. Loose connections cause fires.


50 amps 240v is enough to kill you work safely preferably not high.

Electrical work should always be done by a licensed professional.

 

[_tessarecting]

No chance of asking them for permission?

 

[troutman]

Sounds like something Ricky would do and this is what happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea7IxbtQrNk

 

[EastCoast710]

nah I got an electrician I can have do this no problem. just not sure if id want him to know. migh thave a friends dad do the work who also grows.. just asking a simple question..

and they told me to treat the home as it was my own.. so I'm growing my medicine in it.

and I cant ask them because if I do ask.. n they say no. I'm looking at walk throughs way more often then every year or 2.. right now I'm using 4000w.. on a spare dryer plug and if I do this. it would be done right not a fire hazard lol.

acting like I would just start a project without knowing exactly what I'm in for is the problem with most people.. '

would u change a breaker yourself? because if u say yes than that's all I'm pretty much going to be doing lol premade 50amp temp breaker box already wired up.. all I gotta do is put 1 side into the box and put it on a 50amp breaker instead of a 60.. and no I cant just add another breaker as the box is literally full.. that's why I figured id use the basement heat area I can take that 60amp out.. n put a new 50 amp in and run my 8000w controller. and be running 12000w of fun.

 

[FireIn.TheSky]

If it's a push in pull out breaker you'll be fine, if it's a bolt in breaker you have to becarefull as they bolt directly onto the live busbar of the panel, you could always shut the main breaker off if you are scared to work in a live panel.

 

[queequeg152]

lol @ only letting liscenced electricians do shit...

idk if its different where you live... but around here probably 33% of liscenced electricians are still hack electricians.

you should see my attic wiring before i vacced out all the insulation for air sealing and attic ventilation rehabbing. like 4 splices w/o jboxes, 1 reversed polarity ( thanks gfi receptical), romex through soffits and down brick veneers... random lengths of MC cable spliced to romex, and broken off ground wires at the bottoms of like 3 different boxes.
oh and ALL the cables run through a single BIG ass opening in a 2x4 stud wall top plate... including the 60 amp emergency heat strip circuit.

what is MORE important than just getting a liscenced dude. .. is getting a real electrical inspector to look over every inch of your shit. its only like 300 bucks.

obiviously my shit was never inspected... but i DID check, and this part of town was incorporated into the city jurisdiction back then, hence you did have to pull permits... and yes you need a state license to pull a permit for electrical and plumbing etc.

imho... a decently skilled homeowner with a dozen hours or so of research + one of those illustrated code books can do like 90% of what a journeyman electrician can do... just at a MUCH slower pace.

when it comes to calculating conduit fill and down rating shit for hot attics or long runs... or wierd shit like bonding a pool shell and pump equipment? yea hire a guy... but wiring a fucking RV outlet or some stupid shit like this extension cord receptical? any moderatly intellegient and dilligent person could do it.

 

[Floridian]

12000 watts to grow your meds?You must be a sick fella

 

[EastCoast710]

12000 watts to grow your meds?You must be a sick fella

10 herniated discs now.. found another one last week..

2 in neck.. 3 in mid back.. and from my L1-s1 all herniated.. sciatica.. and neuropathy in my hands ..

I also take care of 3 other peoples cancer.. and almost my entire families smoking and edible habits

 

[sheik_yerbouti]

If the your only going to be removing this cable once a year then don't worry about people talking about the dangers of re using romex cables. It's going to sit it place. I've been in situations like yours in rental suites so I understand. I'd do exactly what you're doing.

Just hit the main breaker to the house before pulling the 60a breaker out and putting the 50a in. Run the cable so it is out of the way from mechanical damage and put the receptacle where it needs to go. In Canada you code states you can run unprotected wire over 6ft anyway so you'll be fine. Aluminum wire is cheaper but copper is a lot safer so I'd recommend going with copper in your situation. You could use 8/3 copper for 50a.

 

[EastCoast710]

If it's a push in pull out breaker you'll be fine, if it's a bolt in breaker you have to becarefull as they bolt directly onto the live busbar of the panel, you could always shut the main breaker off if you are scared to work in a live panel.

ya its a push pull..

I have 3 diff electricians to choose from.. and a contractor.. but only 1 of them is someone who id trust knowing where I live and grow.

 

[EastCoast710]

here is my only issue.. is.. no main breaker.. its a split bus electrical panel? supposed to be legal if it only takes 6 throws to turn the house off..

house built in the 70s .. and it shows.. that's why I figured it would be safer to run a new outlet just not in the walls. for easy removal..

 

[HarvestMoon303]

here is my only issue.. is.. no main breaker.. its a split bus electrical panel? supposed to be legal if it only takes 6 throws to turn the house off..

house built in the 70s .. and it shows.. that's why I figured it would be safer to run a new outlet just not in the walls. for easy removal..

Well, no main breaker would certainly suck. You can call the power company and ask that they pull your meter for a few hours while you work. In CO, they have no problem doing this for you, and they usually won't charge a dime.

If you're going to put in a new box/circuit, is it possible to just install it into the house like "normal"? Can you just run it and make it look all nice and professional, and install it permanently? If you're paying for the electric, and rent for a year or two, I don't really see a problem with putting in a legit circuit and leaving it there permanently. It might be LESS conspicuous, and less work to "tidy up" before they roll over.

I can just about promise that someone/company that is renting a house for 2 years won't really notice that there is a new 220v circuit in a bedroom or whatever, as long as it was done nicely.

 

[FireIn.TheSky]

If the panel has push in breakers it is no big deal but some panels have bolt in breakers, which is fine and safe enough to work on if you know what you are doing.


If you are not comfortable don't do it yourself.

You could always have them put in some kind of tool or appliance outlet the size you need in a non suspicious location, then make and extension cord of sorts to run to your grow area after they leave.

You could say it's for a kiln, shop tool etc..

 

[sheik_yerbouti]

here is my only issue.. is.. no main breaker.. its a split bus electrical panel? supposed to be legal if it only takes 6 throws to turn the house off..

house built in the 70s .. and it shows.. that's why I figured it would be safer to run a new outlet just not in the walls. for easy removal..

No main breaker on the panel?

Is this the only panel in the house or maybe is it fed from another panel?

It's not that bad pulling breakers out of a live panel, I do it all the time. Just make sure the breaker is off, I don't recommend it to someone who's not experienced though. It also depends on the panel, some breakers go in and out a lot easier than others.