Experienced Electrician! Here to Answer Any and All Growroom Electrical Questions

whats up iamstoned im curious as if this will be practical for me to do to save some cash using what i have layin around? im happen to have a few miles of 12-2 wire and all the circuitry to go with it 20amp outlets and 20 amp breakers. 1900 boxes and connectors. everything i need to run 20amp circuits. i plan on runnin 2k maybe addin an extra 600 or 1k later on and want to know if it is beneficial for me to run 4 or 5 20amp homeruns or just go pick up some 10-3 and a 30amp breaker and tap off of it? will it be worth it i know i can run a bunch or seperate circuits but am unsure if this even makes sense since i have all the material to make multiple circuits and i would have spares to turn use as i add to the room. that will have nothin on them.
peace stone

Ok, I got a question, at what wattage does con ed or anyone else start wondering whats going on at that particular residence? What about using a propane tank to manage lights? is it possible?

BlazedMonkey said:

Hey all quick simple fan question

I have a power adapter (old cell phone i think?) where i stripped the wires and wired it to my fans.

It says "OUTPUT: 12V AC 600mA"
Now to my understanding this is 12 volts AC power at 600 milliamps ?
Which i thought it would be dc?

Fans are "DC12V .23A"
Which i understand is 12V DC power at 230 milliamps?

Anyway the fans are working but are not spinning very fast/strong.
I guess any suggestions at making them faster/better (if possible) and possible explanation of the whole DC/AC thing (i thought it wouldnt work if its AC and needs to be DC)

Thanks!

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The power adapter is AC if it says its AC. You can make it an *unregulated* DC source with a simple bridge rectifier from radio shack. Adding in a cap to shoothout the *nasty* ripple it will have would be a good idea too.

Its probably working because of the fan's circuitry. If its a PC style fan, its brushless, so it will do some of the rectifying, though poorly.

Bosejammin said:

Ok, I got a question, at what wattage does con ed or anyone else start wondering whats going on at that particular residence? What about using a propane tank to manage lights? is it possible?

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well, you just gave your location sorta

But its not a set wattage that would trip them off, its the percentage of a sustained jump in the billing. And its *very* unlikely you will get popped just from the elec bill. Someone usually opens their mouth (the grower!) Or just flat out stupidity.

I have one flower room "A" with 3 600w HPS on from 7pm to 7am. I want to add flower room "B" with the lights on 7am to 7pm. I want the lights in both rooms to be controlled by one ballast. How do I accomplish this? I know there are devices out there but they are expensive. What are they called? Can build my own?

Thanks

Fight4urRight said:

I have one flower room "A" with 3 600w HPS on from 7pm to 7am. I want to add flower room "B" with the lights on 7am to 7pm. I want the lights in both rooms to be controlled by one ballast. How do I accomplish this? I know there are devices out there but they are expensive. What are they called? Can build my own?

Thanks

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Subscribing to see the answer to that one.

found something called a flip flop relay

http://www.progressive-growth.com/proddetail.php?prod=43015

http://www.horticontrol.com/store.html

how do I build these?

They just posted about this.

Fight4urRight said:

I have one flower room "A" with 3 600w HPS on from 7pm to 7am. I want to add flower room "B" with the lights on 7am to 7pm. I want the lights in both rooms to be controlled by one ballast. How do I accomplish this? I know there are devices out there but they are expensive. What are they called? Can build my own?

Thanks

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Hope that helps. Daniels

IAm5toned said:

you guys dont want to fuck with running two lamps off of one ballst. daniels is correct in saying that is is cheaper and easier to run 2 ballastsa on opposite schedules of 12/12, then use t5's on 24/7 in a seperate veg chamber.

not saying that it cant be done, but to do it RIGHT, your going to spend closer to 1200, instead of 120...

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BigBudBalls said:

Yeppers. The part that scares me a bit about it, is the HV starting spike on the HPS.
MH shouldn't be a prob, but don't see a reason to do it with MH (unless they start making a 36 hour day )

But if I were to do it via relays. I'd have the system, turn off the ballast, flip the relay then restart the ballast. That _should_ help keep the contacts happier longer. I would even add a 15 min cool down between cycles.

(oh thanks for the HCAR breaker tip. That probably explains why I used to trip breakers on start up with my compressor in the last house)

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Quick question. i have 125 amp main panel, does that mean that my circuit breakers can only add up to 125? if they total up at 140 is that bad?

Hi guys. I'm pretty new to these forums, though I've been browsing them a while.

Anyways, so here's my problem - I bought the 4' RVK fan and discovered it came without the power cable, when I hooked it up it blew at the terminal box. I think the wires must've touch or something. So i fixed it and it's working but the terminal block where I wire in the power cord is a bit black now. Will this be ok to use or should I replace it?

i got a 300w hood and i was going to use a y split then another y split in the other to get 3 cfls going at once is that a fire hazard?

I have some questions. How often do I need to turn the inline fans with filters on to refresh the air in a 4x4 area?
I heard it was every three minutes. If that's true, what would turn the fans on every three minutes for one minute
then off again for a twelve hour cycle?

stoney917 said:

whats up iamstoned im curious as if this will be practical for me to do to save some cash using what i have layin around? im happen to have a few miles of 12-2 wire and all the circuitry to go with it 20amp outlets and 20 amp breakers. 1900 boxes and connectors. everything i need to run 20amp circuits. i plan on runnin 2k maybe addin an extra 600 or 1k later on and want to know if it is beneficial for me to run 4 or 5 20amp homeruns or just go pick up some 10-3 and a 30amp breaker and tap off of it? will it be worth it i know i can run a bunch or seperate circuits but am unsure if this even makes sense since i have all the material to make multiple circuits and i would have spares to turn use as i add to the room. that will have nothin on them.
peace stone

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1900's.. WOW i havent heard that term in at least a decade lol... they call em 4squares in this part of the country.

man, its ALWAYS better to have multiple runs vs One Big Run when dealing with HID lighting

since you have all that stuff lying around, i also suggest this- get a 100 amp lighting contactor, and switch the whole subpanel.... instead of trying to make a dozen timers work with each other

just L said:

Quick question. i have 125 amp main panel, does that mean that my circuit breakers can only add up to 125? if they total up at 140 is that bad?

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actually they can total out to about 270 amps, legally..... has to do with duty cycles. the only time the breakers in a panel will add up to the main breaker/panel rating is when your running nothing but definite purpose equipment... the only 2 peices of definite purpose equipment in your house is the water heater and the heating/ac. kitchen equipment also. but your fine man... you exceed 150 amps, your main breaker will kick, which is a pain in the ass, but all you do is reset it and punt

researchkitty said:

You misunderstood the post or read it too fast. "Boding the generators" as you call it isnt hard nor requires a professional. there's two plugs on each gen, you plug the kit into there and then it has a RV outlet with a built in 50 amp circuit. Its so easy it takes 1 paragraph of the owners manual to explain it. These generators were designed to be run in parallel by Honda. I guess that's why I posted the link to their specs? :< :<

My question isnt how to connect two generators, Honda makes that simple. I also know how to count amps, so it isnt a question of it if will work. Its ONLy this question: How to get the 50 amps of power thats sitting at the outlet in the pic above TO the flower room, and then to 120v AC outlet plugs that a standard ballast can plug into. The outlet in that picture is said to be RV 120v/ac.

Thanks

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ok smart ass... if you can tell me how easy and safe it is to bond 2 generators, then why do you need to know something as basic as running a distribution circuit 50 feet to a growroom?




ps- bonding the generators is the easy part... running the power from a seperatly derived power system into a structure with utility power, is very illegal unless its done a certain way... seperatly derived systems run @ opposite potential to line voltage... in other words, the ground on generator will be LIVE...

easy, huh... didnt tell you that in the specs i think not )

BlazedMonkey said:

Hey all quick simple fan question

I have a power adapter (old cell phone i think?) where i stripped the wires and wired it to my fans.

It says "OUTPUT: 12V AC 600mA"
Now to my understanding this is 12 volts AC power at 600 milliamps ?
Which i thought it would be dc?

Fans are "DC12V .23A"
Which i understand is 12V DC power at 230 milliamps?

Anyway the fans are working but are not spinning very fast/strong.
I guess any suggestions at making them faster/better (if possible) and possible explanation of the whole DC/AC thing (i thought it wouldnt work if its AC and needs to be DC)

Thanks!

Click to expand...

if there still spinning im surprised... a/c and d/c dont mix very well unless its the band

curseddice said:

Quick question. I was planning on running 4 600W Lights in a 8x8 room. I read in this thread that most house breakers max at 1800 Watts. So I need to get power into that room from a different breaker.

The room NEXT to the grow room is on a different breaker. Would it be a matter of drilling a small hole through the wall and putting and extension cord through the wall? How many Watts can an extension cord handle? How many feet can an extension cord run to get power into a room from a different breaker?

Thanks!

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cords, are a temporary fix to a permanent problem

read this post.. step by step how to tap into a plug on one side of the wall to the other

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/240481-bored-electrician-answer-your-questions.html#post3067225

^^^^^^^^^^click me^^^^^^^^^^^

Bosejammin said:

Ok, I got a question, at what wattage does con ed or anyone else start wondering whats going on at that particular residence? What about using a propane tank to manage lights? is it possible?

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its not the wattage, its more like pay your bill on time and dont try to run hot taps.....

i have no idea what your talking about using a propane tank to manage lights means. sounds like an explosion in the making to me

Hey dickless (Yea, a girl just called you dickless)

Please stop replying to my posts. All you do is read the first sentence then write out a STUPID answer.

1.) How easy is it to link generators -- FUCKIN EASY. IF you followed the LINK I posted, you'd see the generators are DESIGNED to run in pairs and its as simple as connecting them together with a plug that Honda makes FOR DOING THIS. Instead, you didnt read it (TWICE) and just chose to call me a smart ass and laugh at me.

Then, you go on a rant about hooking up a generator to household lines at the same time, which isnt words you got from me.

2.) "running the power from a seperatly derived power system into a structure with utility power, is very illegal unless its done a certain way" -- No shit. However, that wasnt my question (you fucking fruitcake). My question was how to get that goofy looking receptacle into a room where its useable by a household 120v ac plug instead. I didnt ask to combine power of a generator with a home. I asked what type of cable it was that I would need and what type of box would be best to plugin the lights once they are tehre.

SO IAm5toned -- Learn to read before calling people smart asses

F
U
C
K

Y
O
U

THIS THREAD is for helping people with electrical issues. DONT BOTHER POSTING IN IT IF YOU ARE JUST GOING TO FLAME PEOPLE.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/181708-experienced-electrician-here-answer-any-59.html#post4582541

^^^^^^^^ That's the post if anyone who actually READS is interested in helping. =P

Thank you to everyone else in this thread, iAmstoned, you clearly see how I feel about you and your asswipe replies.

IAm5toned said:

ok smart ass... if you can tell me how easy and safe it is to bond 2 generators, then why do you need to know something as basic as running a distribution circuit 50 feet to a growroom?




ps- bonding the generators is the easy part... running the power from a seperatly derived power system into a structure with utility power, is very illegal unless its done a certain way... seperatly derived systems run @ opposite potential to line voltage... in other words, the ground on generator will be LIVE...

easy, huh... didnt tell you that in the specs i think not )

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oh go get some dick........

your the reason i take my valuable time to answer posts like this. you read a few pages of info and now your an engineer.
good luck with your project.
things you should consider-
#1 you can be banned for making personal attacks.
#2 im above that tho so i will even go as far as to say this-

make sure the frame of one generator is physically connected to the ground rod at the service disconnect. that is pretty critical.

and for the future, take a peice of plywood, get an rv receptacle, bolt it to it, then wire off of the rv receptacle to either a loadcenter or directly to outlets then. if it was me i would have a 60 amp load center so incase a fault condition occurred it trips the breakers in the house instead of taxing the generator. you can make your own generator cable pretty simple with range cable. you get it @ home depot or lowes... 6/6/6 with ground is what you need..... so fuck you to.