Generator rated output?

rkymtnman said:

digi or magnetic ballasts?

120V or 240V ballasts?

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SUPREME0NE said:

Magnetic @ 240V, boss

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rkymtnman said:

you'll have to figure out what current they draw when they initially fire up. like a well pump or fridge, they'll have a higher start up current vs running current

and you'll have to figure out a way to start them sequentially so they don't all start up at once.

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SUPREME0NE said:

Hey, guys! Ok so I've looked around a bit, on here and the web and so far I haven't found a direct answer. I know this will probably be a stupid question, however I'd rather be safe than sorry bring in forking out quite a bit of money for this. So, my question is:

If I'm running six 1000W HPS bulbs, four 600W HPS/MH bulbs along with an exhaust fan, and six-eight oscillating fans, what would my generator have to be rated at to support all this equipment?

I'm not the smartest when it comes to electricity, however I'm trying to learn.

I figure if my bulbs are a combined total of 8400W plus the fans at a combined total of 780W then my exhaust fan, sitting at 260W, I'd need a generator that could support AT LEAST 11-12K Watts, right? I mean am I thinking about this correctly or am I way off? Is there anything else to consider? If so, what exactly? I apologize if this topic has already been discussed but as I said before I couldn't find anything directly related to my question. Please HELP

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rkymtnman said:

depends on the generator rating. most you don't or can't run at max capacity.

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rkymtnman said:

you are correct. you need more than what you are drawing for sure. i would say you'd want to run around 50% output (maybe as high as 75%) . so you have 10k watts, you'd need about a 17.5k to 20k genset.

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ShirkGoldbrick said:

On any given circuit the most you want to run is 80% of the rated amperage. If you're working backwards and using the current amperage draw you just multiply by 1.25.

Bear in mind most generators will come rated at say, 10,000 watts but they only have one 30 amp plug and several 20 amp plugs. You can't exceed the 1.25 on any plug.

Watts divided by volts = amps

So for 10,000 watts at 120V you're looking at 83.33 amps and would need a 104A breaker which they don't make so you'd just use a 150 amp panel and don't exceed each circuit.

For a full on grow you'd be better off with a propane/NG automatic transfer generator. Generac has some panels that allow you to "prioritize" circuits so you could put your grow as top priority.

Personally I set up my timer box so that one 30amp fuse goes to the timer motor and to a sub panel with 2 15 amp fuses that I can switch on or off. One of the fuses controls the center row of lights, the other controls the outside rows in a xoxoxo pattern with o's being off. Then on the timer I have a 15 amp that controls the o's and also runs to the timer motor. I have to have the 15 and 30 on for the timer to run, but I can turn off the center row and the x's and center row with the sub panel if I lose power for a day still giving me plenty of light but allowing me to use a smaller generator.

Edit to add: I also turn off one or both of the sub panel rows when moving in new clones for a day to harden them off first.

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ShirkGoldbrick said:

On any given circuit the most you want to run is 80% of the rated amperage. If you're working backwards and using the current amperage draw you just multiply by 1.25.

Bear in mind most generators will come rated at say, 10,000 watts but they only have one 30 amp plug and several 20 amp plugs. You can't exceed the 1.25 on any plug.

Watts divided by volts = amps

So for 10,000 watts at 120V you're looking at 83.33 amps and would need a 104A breaker which they don't make so you'd just use a 150 amp panel and don't exceed each circuit.

For a full on grow you'd be better off with a propane/NG automatic transfer generator. Generac has some panels that allow you to "prioritize" circuits so you could put your grow as top priority.

Personally I set up my timer box so that one 30amp fuse goes to the timer motor and to a sub panel with 2 15 amp fuses that I can switch on or off. One of the fuses controls the center row of lights, the other controls the outside rows in a xoxoxo pattern with o's being off. Then on the timer I have a 15 amp that controls the o's and also runs to the timer motor. I have to have the 15 and 30 on for the timer to run, but I can turn off the center row and the x's and center row with the sub panel if I lose power for a day still giving me plenty of light but allowing me to use a smaller generator.

Edit to add: I also turn off one or both of the sub panel rows when moving in new clones for a day to harden them off first.

Click to expand...

ShirkGoldbrick said:

On any given circuit the most you want to run is 80% of the rated amperage. If you're working backwards and using the current amperage draw you just multiply by 1.25.

Bear in mind most generators will come rated at say, 10,000 watts but they only have one 30 amp plug and several 20 amp plugs. You can't exceed the 1.25 on any plug.

Watts divided by volts = amps

So for 10,000 watts at 120V you're looking at 83.33 amps and would need a 104A breaker which they don't make so you'd just use a 150 amp panel and don't exceed each circuit.

For a full on grow you'd be better off with a propane/NG automatic transfer generator. Generac has some panels that allow you to "prioritize" circuits so you could put your grow as top priority.

Personally I set up my timer box so that one 30amp fuse goes to the timer motor and to a sub panel with 2 15 amp fuses that I can switch on or off. One of the fuses controls the center row of lights, the other controls the outside rows in a xoxoxo pattern with o's being off. Then on the timer I have a 15 amp that controls the o's and also runs to the timer motor. I have to have the 15 and 30 on for the timer to run, but I can turn off the center row and the x's and center row with the sub panel if I lose power for a day still giving me plenty of light but allowing me to use a smaller generator.

Edit to add: I also turn off one or both of the sub panel rows when moving in new clones for a day to harden them off first.

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ShirkGoldbrick said:

I'm not big into generators so I've never heard of Champion, but I do know that Generac, while expensive - is quality. One thing to ask a sales associate may be is if the generator can power a flatscreen TV. Some generators produce "dirty" power and it's fine for your microwave or fridge but it will fry more sensitive electronics I've heard.

As for the pics, it wouldn't do any good without breaking down a wiring schematic.

I have triple outlets run down the center of my grow. Left outlet is one circuit, middle another circuit, right another circuit. This is consistent between multiple triple outlets.

I have a main panel > T104 (I think) Intermatic timer. It's a 60 AMP timer.
-One fuse spot is for my dehumidifier and goes to a plug I put in the side of the box.

-One is a 30 amp with one wire going to the timer motor and two wires going to a sub panel - the sub panel just has two breakers that break the hot. One breaker breaks the hot for one row of outlets, the other breaker breaks the row of the other outlets.

- One is a 15 amp breaker in the timer box goes to the timer motor and to the other row of outlets.

Both the 15 and 30 amp breaker must be on for the timer to operate (it's 240V.) and I can keep the 15 on and the 30 on but one or both of the sub panel breakers off to control the lighting.

There's some pics in here: http://rollitup.org/t/about-a-pound-uncharted-hpa-territory.863801/ Hopefully I can get the whole damn thing running right.

It's a bit more complicated (e.g. the circuits actually run through the timer) but that's the gist.

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