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

wyteboi

Well-Known Member
wass up bricktown73 nice thread mate what would i have to do and get to install a CAP 8 Light Master Lighting Controller w/Timer MLC 8XT i got a 120v would like to switch to 240v what materials would i need for all thies btw im just getting the stuff ima have my uncle install everything thanx mate +rep
are you gonna be using 8 lights ?
you can use it at 120v or 240v.



soil
 

Marlboro47

Well-Known Member
Can anyone explain to me what sort of electrical system I need to get if I don't want a fuse box? I heard there are more advance ones out there, can someone give me more info?
 

dnoob

Member
I grow in a backyard shed and the amperage available there is limited to about 30 amps which i am already using. The next closest spot i can tap is about 35 feet away. Would it be safe (or not) to run an extension cord ? and if it was safe what size/type would the cord have to be ? also would i need a special surge protector or something else ?
This would get me an extra 15 amps.
Thank you for your help :)
 

Bucket head

Well-Known Member
I have a question... i have a 220v 600w future bright ballast and no place to plug in. I have found these converter things online that claim you can plug up to a 120v outlet thus powering a 240v device. Is this real and possible/safe??? I ask cause i have this ballast and cant plug up cause im limited in my space to 120v outlets only. Actually, i have one 240v in the room for an ac unit, however it does not work. Im not sure if its the wiring or what? I really am trying to avoid buy another ballast and i would like to 240v at least for this light if possible. any help here would be appreciated. :leaf:
 

wyteboi

Well-Known Member
Can anyone explain to me what sort of electrical system I need to get if I don't want a fuse box? I heard there are more advance ones out there, can someone give me more info?
i think you want a breaker box (or electrical panel) ?

are you replacing an old fuse box?




soil
 

wyteboi

Well-Known Member
I grow in a backyard shed and the amperage available there is limited to about 30 amps which i am already using. The next closest spot i can tap is about 35 feet away. Would it be safe (or not) to run an extension cord ? and if it was safe what size/type would the cord have to be ? also would i need a special surge protector or something else ?
This would get me an extra 15 amps.
Thank you for your help :)

an extension cord is fine just make sure it is at least 14 gauge wire.




soil
 

wyteboi

Well-Known Member
I have found these converter things online that claim you can plug up to a 120v outlet thus powering a 240v device. Is this real and possible/safe???
i would like to see one ..... never heard of such thang.

I ask cause i have this ballast and cant plug up cause im limited in my space to 120v outlets only.
you should be able to convert the ballast over to 120 , that would be the easiest route to take....





soil
 

Wolfhound

Active Member
Look at the wiring diagram of your ballast & tap the 120 line instead of 220 side, eh ? Fairly straight forward. Just make sure you know what you are doing or do not do it, don't short yourself to ground . . .
 

Bucket head

Well-Known Member
dont listen to these people because i Highly doubt any of them took even 1/2 a second to google your ballast....

http://commerce.idmi.net/ecommerce/catalog_detail.asp?CID=156&CI=1844&PI=17052

if that is your ballast, you don't have to do anything except plug it into the 120v plug, DONT OPEN IT !

unfortunately, this is not my ballast! apparently, this is a newer design. Mine is from a few years back, but i do know that its of high quality. It only accepts a 220/240 cord and that's it! Im trying to find either a converter box for the plug, which i will post a link for that if i can find one. Or maybe I will search for an extension cord for it, but all the cords i see are pretty short... :(
 

oakley1984

Well-Known Member
unfortunately, this is not my ballast! apparently, this is a newer design. Mine is from a few years back, but i do know that its of high quality. It only accepts a 220/240 cord and that's it! Im trying to find either a converter box for the plug, which i will post a link for that if i can find one. Or maybe I will search for an extension cord for it, but all the cords i see are pretty short... :(

okay so the next logical step would be take a picture of your ballast for the rest of us to see, the previous answers of opening the ballast and using the 120v tap inside the ballast is a plausible answer at this point if its a magnetic ballast, what needs to be determined if its a multitap ballast or a single tap!
 

Wolfhound

Active Member
oakley, I love a good laugh once in a while too . . .
marlboro, BE very careful taking electrical advice from anyone if you don't know what you are doing . . .
 

oakley1984

Well-Known Member
oakley, I love a good laugh once in a while too . . .
marlboro, BE very careful taking electrical advice from anyone if you don't know what you are doing . . .
hehe gotta love how people just instantly jump to, oh just open it up and rewire it! for someone whos unsure of what they are doing, Bad advice hehe

at least with a posted picture can analyze more closely what hes dealing with, and if possible proceed with rewiring it Safely.
 

chasmtz

Active Member
pretty simple question here. I want to add a sub panel for my room. I am wanting to have 4, 20amp circuits. I also want room to add another 20 if not a 30amp in the future, all on this sub panel. My service is 100 amps. Can I run a 50 amp sup panel to power 4 x 20amp and 1 x 30amp breakers? If so, What gauge wire would I use to run for the 50 amp sub panel if I want to put the sub right next to the main. The run of large wire wire be less than 10 feet, around 5. Happy to give more info if needed. thanks in advance :)
 

dickkhead

Active Member
I have natural gas at my house could i use this to run my grow set up 3 tents 4x4x6.5 with a total of 3000 watts of leds and aero pumps and fans within them.
 

smokebros

Well-Known Member
General Question. How many watts can I run in my house before I blow something? Lets say in a room... I'm sure I will need to provide you details just lemme know.
 
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