Grow in loft.....fire hazard? HELP

[Budswiser97]

Hi guys.... been great so far so need more advice... uk grower here got a few of my babies in the loft... 2 x 600w hps and an old tent cut up to make it fit for now lol....

I'm worried about 2 things-
Constant thought of a fire... lights burning loft roll or wires getting too hot.

And

Those pesky pork choppers seeing what im up to lol.

Any advice?

Here's a photo... really temporary set up until these are done.... hence this question.
Thanks!!

 

[Kami Samurai]

Just make sure your breaker can take the 1200 watts and I wouldn’t have anything else on that breaker.
If you have your own breaker and line I wouldn’t worry about it. The chopper, only thing you can die is burry it under 6” of concrete of buy anti detection foil. For the most part cops don’t particularly care for small cannabis ops at least here. But in no way would that make it safe or me recommending you break the law.

 

[TacoMac]

The dead giveaway to anybody with a brain is the bright light pouring out the ridge and gable vents.

All a cop has to do is drive past your place at dusk and he'll see it a mile away.

 

[redi jedi]

Other than insulating your attic/loft theres not much you can do about the heat signature your putting out. Dont know what the laws are in the UK but in Canada it takes more than thermal imaging to get a warrant to search your home. But it could cause enough attention they might watch for traffic coming and going from your home, or maybe have a look at your garbage for more concrete evidence of growing. Thats why basements are a better choice but im guessing you dont have one?

 

[Budswiser97]

Thanks guys.... so in terms of cloaking it i dont have a massive chance? And for it being a firehazard the only thing i should worry about is the breaker?

 

[OldMedUser]

Thanks guys.... so in terms of cloaking it i dont have a massive chance? And for it being a firehazard the only thing i should worry about is the breaker?

Not just the breaker but cords and connections as well. If you have to run a long cord to the lights get something with a heavier gauge than a standard extension cord. Standard here is 14 gauge but with a heavy draw like two 600s I'd measure the distance and if over 10m go buy some 12 gauge wire and put heavy duty plugs on each end.

Also make sure you have a dedicated circuit for the lights. If you plug into one that has other things running off it then maybe just turning on a TV in another room could flip the breaker or worse put too heavy a draw on the circuit and overheat wires that could melt and cause a fire. Plugs can go bad and start arcing where they connect and also cause a fire without tripping the breaker.

Growing in a loft like yours will have problems with heat in the summer and cold in the winter. I can see by the picture that you have no insulation between the roof rafters so you might want to get some and stuff the area where your grow is going to be. Cover that with cheap plastic you can get on a roll from a paint or the hardware store you buy the insulation. Hopefully you will close in your grow area with some kind of wall. That way you'll have much better control of the plant's environment.

You should bend in the reflectors a bit too. Losing a lot of light that's shooting over the tops of the plants.

Winter's coming so git 'er done!

Good luck!