A Bored Electrician to Answer Your Questions

tightpockt

tightpockt

Well-Known Member
ugh, i didn't know hitting the tab button posted a message...anyway...I have a question.
How efficient would a 50w peltier plate with a cooling block attached to the cold side be in cooling the air flowing through my cool tube. Here's the idea that I have...either a 20 gallon res with a submerged pump or a recirculating pump with anti freeze, pump the liquid through the cooling block attached to the peltier plate and into a old heater core or something similar from a motorcycle etc.. blow the air over the radiator which would be enclosed in a box inline with the venting for my cool tube.
My questions is..how cold would the cold side get and how hot would the hot side get? Would I have to attach a heat sink to the hot side? I mean, would it produce enough room to raise the temp in my room canceling out the effects of the cool air blowing through my tube?
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
imanoob said:
Im moving into a new flat (newish building too...built early 90s)...how do I tell if it has a smart electricity meter? I dont want the power company to see my using 600+watts of power for 12 hours per day....every day. I could mix it up a little by adding in a 250w cfl and change the time patterns of each within the 12hours (250w coming on first at 8am, then the 600w hps and 10am switch off the cfl at 12pm and leave the hps on until 8pm?)

Or...is that overkill?

Also...this whole amps business...whats the deal...how do I check if my lights/fans etc will need more that it allows? Like you said, dont want to cause a fire. Cheers folks :)
Click to expand...
a 600w load wont even get the power company's attention man. i really wouldnt worry about it. high end gaming computers pull at least 400w. 600w is a drop in the bucket....

as far as amps
you sound like your in the UK, and im not familiar with your standard breaker sizes...
and the also use ring circuits and main circuits, which is something im not familiar with enough to give you a good answer, without some more info...
but i can say this, with a great deal of certainty-
multiply the size of the breaker in question by .8 (ex. 20 amp breaker = 20 x .8 = 16) to get the maximum amount of safe amperage that breaker can provide.
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
purplebibble said:
here is a fairly simple question asked in a thread i made recently and I wanted to know if this would work.
I was wondering if I was able to use this 430watt HPS bulb http://www.atlantalightbulbs.com/eca...LIPS317107.htm

with this particular HPS ballast
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-400-watt-HPS...item5d276714c9

...my next question would be even if it put out at only 400w, would it be a stronger lumen spectrum than the original bulb that came with?

just wondering if it would work with no problems.

Thanks for your help in advance!
Click to expand...
no, that lamp is made for a specific Son Agro ballast.
using it on another type of ballast it will not put out the proper amount if light, and the lamp life will be drastically reduced. im sure it would work for a week or 2, but not for a permanent solution
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
tightpockt said:
ugh, i didn't know hitting the tab button posted a message...anyway...I have a question.
How efficient would a 50w peltier plate with a cooling block attached to the cold side be in cooling the air flowing through my cool tube. Here's the idea that I have...either a 20 gallon res with a submerged pump or a recirculating pump with anti freeze, pump the liquid through the cooling block attached to the peltier plate and into a old heater core or something similar from a motorcycle etc.. blow the air over the radiator which would be enclosed in a box inline with the venting for my cool tube.
My questions is..how cold would the cold side get and how hot would the hot side get? Would I have to attach a heat sink to the hot side? I mean, would it produce enough room to raise the temp in my room canceling out the effects of the cool air blowing through my tube?
Click to expand...
peltier devices are nowhere near efficient enough to cool a rez that size... you would need closer to a 1000w to even register a fahrenheit degree in cooling.
remember basic physics... there is no reaction without equal and opposite reaction
it will heat just as much as it cools, therefore negating its purpose.
the radiator/heater core would work much better by itself, than with a peltier device.

for those who dont know what a peltier device is, google thermoelectric cooling.

ps- your avatar cracks me the fuck up... classic
 
seaofgreen420

seaofgreen420

Active Member
I read thru the first 4 pages or so and i couldnt really find an answer to my question. I have an extra bedroom 10x10 that i want to turn into a growroom. I'd like to put 4 1000 watt lights in there along with the neccesary ventilation equip and fans, whats the safest way to wire all this up, im clueless when it comes to electricity. Thanks in advance
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
seaofgreen420 said:
I read thru the first 4 pages or so and i couldnt really find an answer to my question. I have an extra bedroom 10x10 that i want to turn into a growroom. I'd like to put 4 1000 watt lights in there along with the neccesary ventilation equip and fans, whats the safest way to wire all this up, im clueless when it comes to electricity. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
hire a pro... seriously.

your looking @ 4.5kw of power there man, thats alot for an amatuer to fool with.

you would really need a 60 amp subpanel to do it right...
 
tightpockt

tightpockt

Well-Known Member
IAm5toned said:
peltier devices are nowhere near efficient enough to cool a rez that size... you would need closer to a 1000w to even register a fahrenheit degree in cooling.
remember basic physics... there is no reaction without equal and opposite reaction
it will heat just as much as it cools, therefore negating its purpose.
the radiator/heater core would work much better by itself, than with a peltier device.

for those who dont know what a peltier device is, google thermoelectric cooling.

ps- your avatar cracks me the fuck up... classic
Click to expand...
I don't want the plate to cool the whole resevoir...i just want to attach it to a cooling block..like in a liquid cooled computer...i was thinking of attaching the cooling block to the plate, running continuous liquid through the block, up to the radiator and then back to the res..
my intention is to get the radiator cold not the whole resevoir..i was thinking 20 gallons just because that would allow enough volume for the heat in the return liquid to dissipate. Either way I was just curious if you knew how cold/hot each side got...Thanks for the reply...this really is an awesome thread. If I knew how to subscribe I would
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
top of the page... theres a drop down menu titled thread tools... the subscribe link is there ;)
and no, i couldnt tell you how hot/cold it would get, thats dependant on a multitude of factors, applied voltage, thermal reactance of the conductive material, ambient temp, temp of supply water to be cooled, efficiency of the exchange unit, etc etc etc alot of super technical stuff that means 30 mins of math to get an approximate answer
 
CrystalizedHairs

CrystalizedHairs

Member
IAm5toned, I hope you can help me. I recently purchased 2, 250 watt Magnetek 5-Lead S50 ballasts from a private seller. Problem is, they aren't 5-Lead, they're 480VAC. I tried to get ahold of the seller afterwards, but with no response, so I'm stuck with them.

So my questions:
1) Can I replace the capacitor or in some other way rewire these so they can run on 120VAC or if it must be, 240VAC?

2) Could I purchase a single phase transformer that can go from 120(preference) or 240 VAC to 480 VAC, with a minimum of .312 kVA and 2.6 A. Problem is I can't seem to locate one that isn't vastly beyond my needs.
*edit Jard Magnetics makes one, I just can't source it.

BTW, this is actually for a reef aquarium with european MH lamps(designed to be overdriven). These ballasts would be perfect, if I can power them.

Any help is appreciated.
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
CrystalizedHairs said:
IAm5toned, I hope you can help me. I recently purchased 2, 250 watt Magnetek 5-Lead S50 ballasts from a private seller. Problem is, they aren't 5-Lead, they're 480VAC. I tried to get ahold of the seller afterwards, but with no response, so I'm stuck with them.

So my questions:
1) Can I replace the capacitor or in some other way rewire these so they can run on 120VAC or if it must be, 240VAC?

2) Could I purchase a single phase transformer that can go from 120(preference) or 240 VAC to 480 VAC, with a minimum of .312 kVA and 2.6 A. Problem is I can't seem to locate one that isn't vastly beyond my needs.
*edit Jard Magnetics makes one, I just can't source it.

BTW, this is actually for a reef aquarium with european MH lamps(designed to be overdriven). These ballasts would be perfect, if I can power them.

Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
to be honest, your in a bit of a pickle...
im sure if you looked in the right places you could find a 240/480 wye delta step up transformer small enough for your needs....
but thats not all you would need. you would also need whats known as a fused transformer disconnect.
the fuses would need to be 250% the size of the incoming (low side)load... so if you were feeding the transformer with 20 amps @ 240v... you would need 50 amp fuses, for a 20 amp load. this equates to more $$... because you need the fuses @ both the transformer itself, and where the transformer is fed from. (preferably a service distribution panel, instead of a main panel that is found in most houses. a service distribution panel is typically on the outside of a house, and can feed up to 6 circuits. however it is pretty uncommon to have one of these panels on a house, unless it has undergone a major remodel or designed to have one when built.)
by the time you had all the code required equipment to make it legal, your looking at spending in excess of $1k, and thats conservative IMHO.
so it would probably be best to count it as a loss, and just buy new ballasts, with the correct voltage rating, and chalk it up as a 'buyer beware' lesson learned, albeit the hard way.
if it makes you feel any better, i thought a long time on this, and couldnt come up with a cost effective solution for you. theres always a technical solution but in this case, its going to hurt your wallet.
ps-
another alternative to new ballasts is to rebuild the ones you have.... a ballast core and a capacitor should be cheaper than an entire new ballast... but if your ballast cases are custom built, sealed,, or too small to work with, this might not be an option.
 
thatguy858

thatguy858

Active Member
I am stoned, You are the man for answering all these questions.

Heres one. Im a novice, so Ill do the best to explain.

I live in apartments (2 bedroom) , they are about 10 years old. From what I gather from looking at the fusebox, it says 125A maximum.

Currently Im running (1) 600 W HPS
(1) 6'' vortex fan
(1) 18'' ocilating fan
(2) 15L aquarium pumps

This is all off one outlet being split by a powerstrip. I really would like to add another 600w in the flower room (walk in closet) and a 400w to a grow tent in my bedroom, right outside the flower room. Im not sure If I would be able to run the (2) 600w lights as well as a 400w light and 4''fan all off the outlets in my bedroom. Would this put too much strain on my system? Would it help if I put the grow tent in the other bedroom in my aparment? is each outlet 15A or is the whole bedroom 15A? Thanks for helping.

Also in my bedroom is a LCD TV and my computer, so I dont know how much power they use but Im sure they suck juice.
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
thatguy858 said:
I am stoned, You are the man for answering all these questions.

Heres one. Im a novice, so Ill do the best to explain.

I live in apartments (2 bedroom) , they are about 10 years old. From what I gather from looking at the fusebox, it says 125A maximum.

Currently Im running (1) 600 W HPS
(1) 6'' vortex fan
(1) 18'' ocilating fan
(2) 15L aquarium pumps

This is all off one outlet being split by a powerstrip. I really would like to add another 600w in the flower room (walk in closet) and a 400w to a grow tent in my bedroom, right outside the flower room. Im not sure If I would be able to run the (2) 600w lights as well as a 400w light and 4''fan all off the outlets in my bedroom. Would this put too much strain on my system? Would it help if I put the grow tent in the other bedroom in my aparment? is each outlet 15A or is the whole bedroom 15A? Thanks for helping.

Also in my bedroom is a LCD TV and my computer, so I dont know how much power they use but Im sure they suck juice.
Click to expand...
your computer will use more juice than the lcd...
if your panel has a 15 amp breaker feeding your bedrooms, its 15 amps per circuit, not outlet or room. to find out if your room has its own dedicated circuit (which is actually pretty common in newer buildings) shut off the breaker that is feeding the room in question, then test the outlets with a simple device such as a lamp or a cell phone/charger. make sure you test outlets outside the room.......
you need to know the total wattage of all the connected equipment to the circuit you want to use. this means wattage of the lamps in the ceiling light in the room, any tv's, pc's, alarm clocks, fans etc etc. heres why-

for growing, your electrical service must be rated for what is called a continuous duty factor. this means for each circuit you want to plug lights into, you can only use 80% of the available amperage the breaker allows. heres 3 common breaker sizes, and there max power ratings for continuous duty factors @ 120v:
15 amp breaker = 1440w max
20 amp breaker = 1920w max
30 amp breaker = 2880 w max

as you can see, if you only have a 15 amp breaker feeding the room, you dont have much wattage to play around with.
 
thatguy858

thatguy858

Active Member
So what your saying is, I have limited ammount of watts per circuit. So the vedge room would be better off being in the other bedroom, on a different circuit.
 
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