Experienced Electrician! Here to Answer Any and All Growroom Electrical Questions
- Thread starter bricktown73
- Start date
I am putting up a shed and need to run power out to it. Say i want to have 20 amps out there, can i add http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/productdetails.aspx?sku=31481&source=GoogleBase to an empty slot on the main panel in my garage, and run my wire out to receptacles in the shed?
thisismynewxbox
Member
I was just wondering, does the electric company have "smart meters" and if im just running lets say 60 watts on a 12/12 schedule will i get someone knocking on my door? Im thinking of just running an empty box and putting the lights on a 12/12 just to see if it draws attention...
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
60 watts? You mean 600? Either way its not enough to show anything. Add another person to the place and the elec usage would go up more then that.
As for the smart meter, go look at it. If its digital then probably yes. Also does anyone come out once a month or two to read it? then no. I do believe that the smart meters do need a 'walk up' once or twice a year to verify it. (could be wrong on that)
this may be a stupid question but i was wondering if anyone could help me out. In my room there is a plug for the dryer which is bigger than a standard outlet so im assuming its for 240volts instead of a 120volt like a normal outlet. I have 1600 watts of light i need to run and also 2 fans that pull about 640 cfm a piece. There are multiple outlets in the room a long with the larger one but i dont know if the normal sized ones will be able to support all of my equipment without blowing the circuit. If i plug my lights, ballast, fans, into a power strip, how can i convert this to plug into the big 240volt dryer outlet. Ive heard that if i could plugg all my equipment into the dryer outlet when im not using the dryer that it could successfully support all my equipment. To make a long story short ( sorry for rambling ) can anyone help me on how to plug all this stuff in or convert it to work with this dryer outlet. Is the some chord or something i can buy to convert from a 120volt to 240volt? I would like to be safe and not take the chance of plugging things into the 2 other outlets in the room and them not being able to support everything. thanks
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
The 240 is just two 120 lines 180 degrees out of phase. So one of them to neutral will give 120 and the other 120 to neutral will give 120 also. I've never memorized which 'slots' on a plug are which (and seen TOO MANY wired wrong anyways, that I always check with a meter to verify which is which)
You can convert the 240 to two 120 outlets to run your stuff, but its going to need the neutral. Does this outlet have 3 or 4 slots in it? If 3 then most likely its just the two 120's and a ground. (technically you *can* use the ground as the neutral, but I doubt the NEC codes allows for that)
Now if your lights can use the 240 your all set. Run the lights on the 240 outlet and the ancillary equipment on the regular 120 outlets.
You can convert the 240 to two 120 outlets to run your stuff, but its going to need the neutral. Does this outlet have 3 or 4 slots in it? If 3 then most likely its just the two 120's and a ground. (technically you *can* use the ground as the neutral, but I doubt the NEC codes allows for that)
Now if your lights can use the 240 your all set. Run the lights on the 240 outlet and the ancillary equipment on the regular 120 outlets.
$piceM£rchant
Active Member
Hi, i just bought a 1000w ballast, i need to wire it to my cooltube, the ballast just comes with a 16 amp eic cable coming out with a blug like this attatched, the cable coming out of the cooltube is eic but not 16 amp so the cable connectors dont match. would i be fine buying a 16 amp eic cable such as this one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110412642306&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
then cutting the wire just before the male part on it and attatching it to the bulb holder in the cooltube?
thanks
then cutting the wire just before the male part on it and attatching it to the bulb holder in the cooltube?
thanks
pmp13drc13
Active Member
is it possible to straight wire a 150w hps light? I have a small ballast that I build for fluro's would it be possible to use that. I would rather straight wire it though,.
wonderblunder
Well-Known Member
Well first, you would want to check the brand of the panel and breakers in the garage. Then buy the desired size breaker, and appropriate size of wire (length and gauge), then run your wire, attach to the hot to the breaker, ground to the ground bus, and common to the neutral bus. Then snap your breaker into place in the panel(assuming you have the receptacles on the other end wired) 20amps aint much at 110, I wouldn't put 2kw of HPS on that, I generally run everything at a 50-75% of load capacity to be safe, and maintain room for expansion
wonderblunder
Well-Known Member
I disagree, if you hook onto 480, it may all be over, and if someone tries to pull you off, its probably over for them too..............
whiteflour
Well-Known Member
Correct, and there's certainly a lot of variables. But to hook onto it you have to assume you've come into contact in some manner as to allow muscle contraction ie grabbing it, wrapping your arm around it, etc. The same can and does occur at low voltages.
Most electrocutions don't happen in this manner. They result from accidental contact or brushing. In which case you'd most often be knocked away at higher voltages, leading to severe burns and secondary injury from falls. Considering this scenario (which is the most common by the way), low voltage contact to the chest or back has a higher chance of being fatal than a high voltage source.
Electric fences don't operate at high voltages for no reason. The only difference is their designed to stop providing the current upon contact. If they operated at lower voltages we'd have substantially higher priced hamburgers.
Most electrocutions don't happen in this manner. They result from accidental contact or brushing. In which case you'd most often be knocked away at higher voltages, leading to severe burns and secondary injury from falls. Considering this scenario (which is the most common by the way), low voltage contact to the chest or back has a higher chance of being fatal than a high voltage source.
Electric fences don't operate at high voltages for no reason. The only difference is their designed to stop providing the current upon contact. If they operated at lower voltages we'd have substantially higher priced hamburgers.
whiteflour
Well-Known Member
No it's a double pole 15A breaker, meaning it can be pinned together for 15A 220v circuit, or used for two independent 15A 110v circuits. You have to disconnect both legs at the same time on 220v.
EDIT
Your breaker should say 20A. But .... if your load is 20 running amps (not rated for 20A) you should be running it on a 30A circuit. You're only supposed to use 85% of a circuits capacity. Either way you need a beefier circuit.
EDIT
Your breaker should say 20A. But .... if your load is 20 running amps (not rated for 20A) you should be running it on a 30A circuit. You're only supposed to use 85% of a circuits capacity. Either way you need a beefier circuit.
this is a picture of a 240volt dryer outlet like i have. My 1000 watt hps ballast and light comes with a standard 3 prong chord for a regular 120volt outlet, but my 1000 watt ballast has a switch that i can flip to adjust it to run on 240volts like you said. But how can I fit my regular 3 prong chord that comes with my light in an outlet that looks like this. i cant picture how this is supposed to work. Thanks again. 
Polecat
Active Member
The plug on your light has to be replaced with a 3 wire dryer plug. Or better yet replace both the plug and rec. to a standard 240 volt, 20 amp, 3 wire plug. Or get a 4" square box and cover cut off the plug and rec. and hard wire (wirenut) it in the box. or put a 20 amp 240volt switch in the box with a raised cover switch plate
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
No. You need a 150watt HPS ballast, cap and igniter.
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
I've heard its the volts that kill ya, and that its the amps. Well there's 3 main aspects and all have to be right.
Take a car battery. has the potential for about 600+ amps, but I can grab the terminals and nothing.
Then there is a static electricity shock. A nice good one is about 50,000 volts.
Still alive.
Your body's resistance comes into play.
To say its just one aspect is just silly.
(This is not at you, but at this sub thread)
I realize that you have probably answered this ? b4 but i skimmed through and caught nothing. My 1000 watt ballast is only running at about half strength i dont know what happened but ne ways I bought 6 400 watt multi tap shop ballasts that are wired for 277 how do i get them to 120's please and thanks guys