almost burnt down

so I have bad wiring in my room. ( not from growing, but a fish tank a couple years back) Theres a burnt out area that my pops fixed. ( ghetto ly) so this are is behind the grow tent ( not my first choice but do to space.)

I'm running a 250w hps , 2 cfls on side, and two fans. Its not that much power.

So I come home from a buddy house and Im in my room for like five min when a hear a pop and power goes out. I smelt electric burn so I checked behind the tent and saw an orange glow. It was fire. I put that shit out but dam what If I came home 30 min later. Probably be completly screwed.
But I hooked up the tent in the den for now until I get a electrican.
does any one know how much it cost to rewire one room and Get a new curcuit breaker. ?
I live in a Cali If that helps.
Thanks in advance

it shouldn't cost that much. maybe a couple hundred bucks. small price to pay for safety though. glad to hear you caught it in time.

Wow...you are lucky. I wish I lived in Cali I would help you out. It will depend on how far the room is from the box. The breaker will cost about 20 bucks. If the room is close and the wire pull is easy it shouldn't be that much....maybe 150...if the box is in the basement and this is a second story room....could be as much as 500.

thanks yeah I'm still a little weary of it all. what good timing I'm so dam luck. Every make sure your wired properly, it will let u sleep better at night

If you really want to take precaution you should try to get an arc-fault breaker installed. They are required to be used in new bedrooms and soon will be required through out new home construction. Your electrical problem would probably have tripped an arc-fault breaker long before it got bad enough to start a fire. Anyone on this forum should really look into getting an arc-fault breaker for their important electrical circuits. Talk to your electrician. http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/afcifac8.pdf

thanks duck imma check it out arc- fault breaker

damn man...glad everything & you are okay man...i know you are happy you came home when you did!!!


get that shit check out and fixed bro!!!

I have seen a lot of pepz upgrade the breaker from a 15 to a 20 or 25 and not think about the wire used in the older homes that arent rated for it.
The above mentioned breaker is a must. Always hate to hear of the burn outs that dont trip the breaker until everythings glowing. Good luck on the repairs
oh and be sure and put in gfc outlets its cheaper than electricution and burial

good ya caught it.....glad to hear alls ok....yea like the other said....safety needs to be priority....good luck!

man thats crazy. yea my house was on fire about a month ago. (i left the pilot light on next to a cloth) but im glad to see ur ok. hows your plants?

I am just going to let you know you screwed up in the first place. You obviously did not do your homework or you just tried to cut corners with the money.

Although there are many others here that do it, but growing inside an apartment is not smart. I am a landlord, and I do inspect my units. Needless to say, I have seen it all and if the shit is a safety hazard, they are gone, I call the cops. If they are smart in their setups I leave it alone. Call it what you will but indoor growing in an apartment is not smart. You really never know when your landlord will walk into your place....you really dont know what happens when you are at work. Trust me.

damn you werent even running that much power...... makes me wonder about my home constructed in the 70s...... im running about 1000 watts on 1 circuit breaker......

and come to think of it, when i plugged in a iron to the same outlet it blew a fuse and i had to go click the thing back........ is that what prevents a fire?

the amount of power you were running is equivelant to a large tv, and surround sound unit with a couple of lamps plugged in........ thats pretty scary it started a fire!!

mobby420 said:

........ is that what prevents a fire?

Click to expand...

Yes, as long as your wire isnt rated lower than the breaker you "should" be OK. Their are always exceptions though and those are the ones that get you.

It sounded more like a bad connection rather than a wire that is too small that started your fire.

glad to hear you caught it in time.... better luck with wiring next time round.

E.F.

rkm said:

I am just going to let you know you screwed up in the first place. You obviously did not do your homework or you just tried to cut corners with the money.

Although there are many others here that do it, but growing inside an apartment is not smart. I am a landlord, and I do inspect my units. Needless to say, I have seen it all and if the shit is a safety hazard, they are gone, I call the cops. If they are smart in their setups I leave it alone. Call it what you will but indoor growing in an apartment is not smart. You really never know when your landlord will walk into your place....you really dont know what happens when you are at work. Trust me.

Click to expand...

never said i was in a app. I live in house. It did not over load my tent was in front of wires that came loose and started the fire. We fixed the problem by using better wire nuts ( plastic caps) to connect. Its kool for now i just dont like the tent in front just in case. The plants are now in the den and will be finishing nexts month. Still cant wait till i rewire so i could run at least a 600w.

You're not lucky dude, it sounds like god touched you on the shoulder, not only did you put out the fire, but you also recognize the problem now and can fix it. Seriously it is good to hear that a brother's house didn't burn down.

Smoke to that.

You are required by law to inform a tenant before you enter the premises.

50 amp gonna get put in, in the next month or two.