Help please elctric problem

SilentSmoker420

SilentSmoker420

Active Member
I am growing in my shed.
I am using 2 HPS lights, 1 250 and 1 1000.
There is also 2 fans and a air conditioning unit plunged in.
Twice now, including atm the power has shut off to my shed, the first time was a wired outlet from the previous owner, and now i had an extension cord running a power strip from an outdoor outlet.
I just pluged my 1000w in for the first time, everything was running fine so I went to pick up my friend.
I got back and all the power out there is shut off, and the breakers arnt tripped.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!
^^^ Fixed it but still need a little help.
 
im not an electrician so idk whats going on but unless your gonna get an electrician to come out and upgrade your wireing i would try running the 1000 watt light on a large like 12 or 14 guage extension cord from an outlet in the house that is on a different breaker and try running the a/c and 250 watt light on the outlet in the shed. my shed had no power so i ran 2 12 guage extension cords through plastic conduit and burried it. my light and small fan run on one cord and my a/c, exhaust fan, intake fan, and regular fan run on a seperate cord and seperate breaker.
 
First and foremost, kill the breaker, turn it off.

What ampere rating is that breaker? I'll bet it is a 15a for lights and a couple outlets. If it is a 15a service, the most you should run is 1380w on a 115 v leg.

We need more information. Is there a sub panel between the outlet and your main panel? Have you pulled an inspected outlets for arcing or burning?

I just reread your complaint. Please tell me you aren't running 1500+ watts on a long extension cord...... Especially a homeowner cord.

I probably shouldn't even give you ANY advice, but check the outlet from outside. By code, it should be a GFI interrupt. See the reset button on it? If not, check all the outdoor outlets. Also check the breaker box for a GFI breaker. Something is tripped. You are running too much juice. The 1kw light alone almost begs for it's own circuit. If you have to use an extension cord, get a 12 gauge one. They are expensive, but they can handle the load for a 15a or 20a service.
 
Running 1000 watters on extension cords voids the warrenty, and is beggin for a fire. When they fire up, they draw way more amps than a cord can provide, and they can catch on fire.

I'm sure an electrican will provide you with options, but I had my room specially wired with a dedicated 30 am, and a jumper box with a low voltage tripper to turn them on line, just for my lights, a dedicated 20 am for my ac, than 2 other 20 amp's for the other stuff.

You're breaker is probably fried. Big HID's never get plugged in with extension cords. These are the unexpected expenses that can be a bit of a shock so to speak.
 
bowlfullofbliss said:
Running 1000 watters on extension cords voids the warrenty, and is beggin for a fire. When they fire up, they draw way more amps than a cord can provide, and they can catch on fire.

I'm sure an electrican will provide you with options, but I had my room specially wired with a dedicated 30 am, and a jumper box with a low voltage tripper to turn them on line, just for my lights, a dedicated 20 am for my ac, than 2 other 20 amp's for the other stuff.

You're breaker is probably fried. Big HID's never get plugged in with extension cords. These are the unexpected expenses that can be a bit of a shock so to speak.
Click to expand...
Thanks alot man! Really helped.
Here's my new setup, so please give me your input.
I now have my 250w HPS, a wall air unit, and a fan on a power strip plugged into an extension cord.
I now have the 1000w plugged into a timer plugged directly into a outdoor outlet box that originally ran all the power to the shed.
Is this safe and will it work out?(In your opinion of course...)
Once again, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE HELP!
 
That sounds MUCH better. As far as it is safe, no one here can guarantee that. Just keep an eye on your stuff, do maintenance daily, checking cords, outlets, timers etc and look for anything out of the ordinary. The 1kw should be ok on it's own circuit as long as that circuit wasn't tapped from a circuit in the house.
 
extenion cords shouldnt be used for more than a few days. u need an outlet wire one. if ur gonna have an extenion cord running ur 1k watter i would have to suggest a 10-2 or 12-2 AWG extenion cord. look in ur local hardware store for um. its gonna be a tad expensive for the cord but its better than a fire. goodtimez
 
Stoneshield said:
extenion cords shouldnt be used for more than a few days. u need an outlet wire one. if ur gonna have an extenion cord running ur 1k watter i would have to suggest a 10-2 or 12-2 AWG extenion cord. look in ur local hardware store for um. its gonna be a tad expensive for the cord but its better than a fire. goodtimez
Click to expand...

LOL, exact same advice given in response #4
 
Better be a good timer as Ive seen a few of them melt, just about ready to catch fire. 1000w + plastic timer = beggin for meltdown, or worse, fire !!!
 
get yourself a cheep consumer unit run a peice of 6 or 10 mm from your main bord to a sub bord then seprate fuses for seprate bits mate or you will catch a fire doesnt sound very healthy that one

and you want a contact breaker ( relay basicly) or like he says melt down turn on n off by hand if poss
 
Serapis said:
First and foremost, kill the breaker, turn it off.

What ampere rating is that breaker? I'll bet it is a 15a for lights and a couple outlets. If it is a 15a service, the most you should run is 1380w on a 115 v leg.

We need more information. Is there a sub panel between the outlet and your main panel? Have you pulled an inspected outlets for arcing or burning?

I just reread your complaint. Please tell me you aren't running 1500+ watts on a long extension cord...... Especially a homeowner cord.

I probably shouldn't even give you ANY advice, but check the outlet from outside. By code, it should be a GFI interrupt. See the reset button on it? If not, check all the outdoor outlets. Also check the breaker box for a GFI breaker. Something is tripped. You are running too much juice. The 1kw light alone almost begs for it's own circuit. If you have to use an extension cord, get a 12 gauge one. They are expensive, but they can handle the load for a 15a or 20a service.
Click to expand...
this guy is right. basically, theres no damn way in hell you are going to run ANY 1000w anything + an air conditioner and anything else on 15a line, and maybe not a 20a depending on the A/C.
 
farmboss said:
this guy is right. basically, theres no damn way in hell you are going to run ANY 1000w anything + an air conditioner and anything else on 15a line, and maybe not a 20a depending on the A/C.
Click to expand...

This electrical make it up as I go along makes me so nervous. It is such a wise investment to have an electrican come in and do it right. My buddy that wired me up said he gets 5 calls a week to wire new grow rooms, since Michigan went legal for med patients. The scarriest part is giving out amps and breaker amounts to someone who doesn't understand how it all works, can send someone to home depot and just throw in a bigger breaker than the wiring allows. Yikes!

I tried for shits and giggles just turning on 2 of my thousand watters on one of the 20 am circuts. It started them both up, but shut tripped the breaker in 2 minutes. An ac has to use close to what a big HID uses amp wise.


Please please please don't use extension cords to run your lights on...bad idea. Hell, even my portable AC says it voids the warrenty. I ran that dedicated line to it, and it has a GFI just in case. The jumper my lights all run on by CAP products has it's own fuse built right in, but it wasn't cheap. Better safe and broke than sorry is IMHO.
 
Yeah, I felt funny offering any advice to him as it was, because you never know what they are going to do. I was trying to educate more than give advice. I believe he found a good solution. Once he understood how it worked and the limitations, he used his own brain to solve the issue, which is good.
 
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