Delay timers

Can anyone explain how to deal with multiple lights firing at the same time? At how many lights do I need to worry about this (or how many amps). what is the easiest way to offset the lights by a couple of minutes.

Are digital/magnetic ballasts better for this? If it matters.


Sent from my HTC One using Rollitup mobile app

Put your light on a power surger and put the power surger on a timer.

How many amps are power strips rated for. I have some 3way strips. Can I run 3kw on a power strip and have the 3 lights come on together?

With 12 1kw lights, I would have to do this 4 times, each on a seperate 15amp circuit.

Sound good? 240v all the way.

Sent from my HTC One using Rollitup mobile app

No, don't do that. The power strips are not designed for that. They will still only have the 15a they are plugged into. A single 1k ballast takes around 10 amps, you would never want to plug more than one into a 15a receptacle. There are some digitals that have delay starting but it still will not help you. It would be better all around to go to 240v and then they pull about 5a each but you would need to make your own multi-outlet receptacle. I run 4000w on a 30a 240v service that ends up around 22a which is just below the 75% cut off point.

Contactor bank with integrated "on delay" timers? They do make digital ballasts that have an on delay function built-in.

If your tripping breakers on startup, depending on your configuration a cheaper solution may be to install HID rated breakers.

If you are tripping breakers or worried about it you need to upgrade your electrical service to meet your needs on delay timers are not the cure for your problem they will only mask it.

basically 2 400's (or 1x 1000) per heavy duty timer is how i'd do it
make sure every 10 amps or 12 gets it's own dedicated breaker, if that means running properly rated extension cords that could help
using as little amounts of extension cords to reduce risk, and be careful using power strips
wall outlets are great , dedicate wall outlets for each piece of equipment (don't use splitters/power strips)

also you could run a sub-panel, or like someone else said change up to 240v (depending on situation)
to allow everything to be properly run
it's good to have timers start a few minutes apart because the ballast uses more "Start " amperage when it first fires off.

to answer your questions in the best way i can, delay timers could be un-necessary , when you have digital programmable timers. Just set them to go off when you want, and figure stuff out manually

i guess the delay timers are fancy, for if you have a properly rated receptical for everything, the delay timers would stagger the On times to prevent overloading the circuit.

Some day I want to install a 90 amp sub panel. The sub panel has 6 15amp 240v dp breakers. I want to put 2 1000w on each 15 amp circuit which leaves plenty of head room. Im just wondering if all 12 lights firing all at once will be a problem.

steelheadguy said:

Some day I want to install a 90 amp sub panel. The sub panel has 6 15amp 240v dp breakers. I want to put 2 1000w on each 15 amp circuit which leaves plenty of head room. Im just wondering if all 12 lights firing all at once will be a problem.

Click to expand...

for all the work and fuss you are talking about just get a light controller. the power box ones ave millisecond delay starts, ammeters, and hot strike prevention. plus built in digital timers. you can also get them with dual triggers and hardwired or plug in. simplest way i can think off.

I already have the sub panel. It has a 120v trigger relay that Im hoping to put a timer on so all 12 lights run 12/12 only using one timer. Should I worry about firing all at once.

steelheadguy said:

Should I worry about firing all at once.

Click to expand...

yes. that is why they have delay timers. igf you have a subpanel and all your lights are hooked to it then just use an offset timer for each bank of lights.

steelheadguy said:

I already have the sub panel. It has a 120v trigger relay that Im hoping to put a timer on so all 12 lights run 12/12 only using one timer. Should I worry about firing all at once.

Click to expand...

What size contact relay switch you got there? Because you would need a bigger than 60a 2pole to be able to handle 12 lights. I never seen one.(not saying they don't make one)

I personally would go with 2 seperate panel/contactor setups. Both trigger cables can plug into ONE timer. We do eight 1000's MAX off one contactor.
Btw....nice handle! Feather river has been sucking for the steelies. Man do we need some rain huh

Mad river is flowing.

Its says 40/200/50 FLA/LRA/RES per pole.

This is all hypothetical, so far all I have is the sub panel. Im saying 12 lights, 2 per 15amp circuit, because that is how the sub panel is wired. It already has 12 240v outlets on it.

Starting out I am only going to run around 4 lights, but I want to install wire capable of using all the outlets now so there is not possibility of having to rewire for an upgrade later on.

steelheadguy said:

Mad river is flowing.

Click to expand...

Nice! 20 yrs ago I used to drive all the way from Santa Cruz mountains to go pick up cuts from our pal that lived about 5/10 minutes from that hatchery. Good times fishing there.

Anyways, that contactor is gonna limit you on lights. It really should only be used for 6 lights, an electrician will tell you not to run 8. The previous owner of that panel you got, might have been runnin 12-600w lights? That would make sense, To hook 12-1000w lights up safely, you would need an upgrade. Panels are cheap, so is the contactor, breakers, so on. So, let us know what you gonna do, and then we go from there.
Btw..,if you hook it up rite, you won't have to worry about delayed starts.

If you bar the 15 amp breakers and run six receptacles at 240vac, two 1kw HID could be junctioned into each receptacle. Use six digital timers on relays rated at 20 amps or more. Plug the grid into two 50 amp receptacles coming out of the main entrance. I'm really buzzed

I know from personal experience that six 1kw HID's coming on all at once will fry a 60 amp panel bar at 240 vac. Those time delayed digital ballasts would be great in the event of a power outage.

bird mcbride said:

I know from personal experience that six 1kw HID's coming on all at once will fry a 60 amp panel bar at 240 vac. Those time delayed digital ballasts would be great in the event of a power outage.

Click to expand...

6 1k ballasts at 240v should only pull around 30a, no way it should fry a 60a panel.

bird mcbride said:

If you bar the 15 amp breakers and run six receptacles at 240vac, two 1kw HID could be junctioned into each receptacle. Use six digital timers on relays rated at 20 amps or more. Plug the grid into two 50 amp receptacles coming out of the main entrance. I'm really buzzed

Click to expand...

Dude, i would never think to use 6 digital timers. If I am not using contactors to git-r-done, I would go back to using hard timers. And, 50a won't handle 12 1000w's. But then again, i really don't fully understand what your recomending in this post.

What it says is, You'll need 100 amps at the junction box for 12kw's of HID. This allows a fourty amp surge if all 12kw's come on all at once. You can run the 60 if you back to back the lighting 50/50 and do a controled start-up, in any way so chosen. Think 240vac.

superstoner1 said:

6 1k ballasts at 240v should only pull around 30a, no way it should fry a 60a panel.

Click to expand...

I know it should't, but it did. I had to butcher the box to get everything up again using a coleman gas lantern. The panel was hot and there wasn't anyway to defuse it. I seen that i could twist the wire and plug(being sure the breaker is in the off position) the main into the other side of the bar but the panel didn't have a slot to accomodate this, so I cut one out and shoved it all back to gether. Amazingly the box worked again