Can I plug a 12k BTU Air Conditioner into a light controller (Helios 8)?

^^ What the title says! Just trying to avoid extra wiring. AC runs at around 1000 watts also.

Yeah as long as you have the space on the boxs limit.
I use a 50a "controller box" more like a subpanel to power my whole grow room. Only a few small things actually plugged into the basement circuit.

Just get a contactor and trigger it from lights timer feed. Be about £10 and won't burn anything out.

fragileassassin said:

Yeah as long as you have the space on the boxs limit.
I use a 50a "controller box" more like a subpanel to power my whole grow room. Only a few small things actually plugged into the basement circuit.

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Thanks for the quick reply brotha! This is great news! I'm going to be building a 6k room and I have 2 more spots for 2 window bangers that runs at 1000 watts also.

Turbogrow said:

Just get a contactor and trigger it from lights timer feed. Be about £10 and won't burn anything out.

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Honestly I have no idea what you mean by this.. Would you explain this for me? I'd appreciate it thanks!

Yes sure, so a contactor switches a circuit on and off using a trigger from another circuit or controller. You need a basic 10 amp NO (normally open connections inside) contactor. You will need to wire this into the power feed wire to the ac unit, just the live and neutral and reconnect the earth wires past the contactor. You then have to make up a trigger lead. So this would be a standard plug top that fits your timer and out of that you need a live and neutral wire which run to the contactor to trigger it. Once timer comes on it sends power to the contactor and closes the connections inside (basically a high current relay) and turns on the AC. The power required to close a contactor is absolutely minimal. They do normally closed NC contactors too which open when triggered so you can turn things off when lights come on too. Such a as heating. Pretty cool really

Or just buy one of these and plug it in.


I build my own contactor boxes but for this application he could use one of those. Plug it in between the AC and it's outlet, then use the trigger cord to the timer for the lights. Exactly what @Turbogrow is recommending but pre built.

I have my minisplits on a flip with my flowering room lights using 40 amp DPST contactors. The AC's flip with the lights as I only have a 150 amp main.