600W lumatek digital ballast wiring?

[alusash]

Hey guys...
just got my 600W (240V) lumatek and it says that you must not connect a neutral wire to the ballast.
it says connect two "hot" wires and an earth...
does this mean i connect both the 'black' and 'red' wires to the live connection!?
if anyone has experienced this issue and can help me, advice will be much appretiated.
shot guys....

 

[Firechicken]

Howdy, well I guess it's time to start posting somewhere so here we go. *Disclamer time: I am not an electrition, so anything said here should be checked out as I am not liable for any problems that might come up, take care working with electronics they will kill you. ** End Disclamer**

OK So like in any or should I say very commonly in light switches or Plug wiring in houses receptacle boxes you have 3 wires for the grounded ones. You Usually have a Black wire, A white wire, and a green wire sometimes the green wire may be just bare copper with a light clear coating on it to protect it from corrosion.

The Black and White wires are your 2 HOT wires + and - Power signals the - or negative IS NOT THE EARTH! The green wire or bare copper wire is the earth wire which shields and grounds the receptacle so you dont get your balls blown off if there was a short somewhere.

In your case I would take a very educated guess and say that yes the BLACK and RED wires will be your "HOT" wires IE Positive and negative power and they connect to the live connections. You should have usually commonly a green wire sometimes different color for blalsts and light shields left over that wire will be your "EARTH" the one that would connnect to the chassis of the ballast or the lights hood on the other end, or somthing labled "EARTH CONNECTION" This is what the round pole pin in the grounded cords or appliances dose.

Well I hope that was clear enough to get you on your way but if not Just give me a shout and will try my best to clear it up a little more for you.

Cheers,

FC.

 

[abudsmoker]

2 hots and a ground .... thats all 220 is. (120 = 1 hot 2 grounds) all netural wires 120 really lug to the ground lug in the pannel

 

[alusash]

Shot man.....
you guys rock!that puts my mind at ease!now i know i aint gonna blow the damn thing.
and thanx for the electrical descrition.very insightful!
happy growing

 

[BigBudBalls]

Where you at in the world?

In the US the neutral wire is tied to ground in the main box.

But since its a 240V, 2 hots and a ground sounds about right.
Got a 240/220 outlet in your room? If not, install a 220 breaker and run the wires.

 

[WWgrower]

When I started reading this thread I thought this guy needs to ask BigBudBalls this question. Low and behold there you are! I read your replies but you talk rings around me about stuff I know little about. Glad we have you on our side keep up the good work.

 

[alusash]

i live in south africa man!!
3rd world growing man....
all outlets in houses in SA are 240V sockets.....
we have our advantages tho man...Thanx again guys for the help.
the ballast is rewired and working like a dream...we'll see in time if it pays itself off!!!thanx again everyone for the hastey responses..
keep it green..

 

[BigBudBalls]

i live in south africa man!!
3rd world growing man....
all outlets in houses in SA are 240V sockets.....
we have our advantages tho man...Thanx again guys for the help.
the ballast is rewired and working like a dream...we'll see in time if it pays itself off!!!thanx again everyone for the hastey responses..
keep it green..

Ah! You will LOVE the light. 600W is a *great* light.
Congrats and grow fat budz!

 

[Rameez123]

i live in south africa man!!
3rd world growing man....
all outlets in houses in SA are 240V sockets.....
we have our advantages tho man...Thanx again guys for the help.
the ballast is rewired and working like a dream...we'll see in time if it pays itself off!!!thanx again everyone for the hastey responses..
keep it green..

Whats up bra! Im also from south africa, cpt! We not that bad, got a few grow shops. Where in south africa you from?

 

[NoDrama]

Howdy, well I guess it's time to start posting somewhere so here we go. *Disclamer time: I am not an electrition, so anything said here should be checked out as I am not liable for any problems that might come up, take care working with electronics they will kill you. ** End Disclamer**

OK So like in any or should I say very commonly in light switches or Plug wiring in houses receptacle boxes you have 3 wires for the grounded ones. You Usually have a Black wire, A white wire, and a green wire sometimes the green wire may be just bare copper with a light clear coating on it to protect it from corrosion.

The Black and White wires are your 2 HOT wires + and - Power signals the - or negative IS NOT THE EARTH! The green wire or bare copper wire is the earth wire which shields and grounds the receptacle so you dont get your balls blown off if there was a short somewhere.

In your case I would take a very educated guess and say that yes the BLACK and RED wires will be your "HOT" wires IE Positive and negative power and they connect to the live connections. You should have usually commonly a green wire sometimes different color for blalsts and light shields left over that wire will be your "EARTH" the one that would connnect to the chassis of the ballast or the lights hood on the other end, or somthing labled "EARTH CONNECTION" This is what the round pole pin in the grounded cords or appliances dose.

Well I hope that was clear enough to get you on your way but if not Just give me a shout and will try my best to clear it up a little more for you.

Cheers,

FC.

Just so there is less confusion... You are using AC(Alternating Current) power so that means there is no - (negative) or +(positive) wires. there is only "Hot", "Neutral" and "Ground".

If you were using DC power (Direct Current) then there is + and - but those terms cannot be used in conjunction with AC.


AC current has no + or - because it is actually both, at the same time. It alternates between +120v and -120v in a sine wave pattern at 60 Khz ( this is in the States ).

Just an FYI, I thought your post was informative and sounds correct, just wrong terminology used and I just want to eliminate any confusion!! +rep

 

[anonymouscoward]

So I'm new (hi guys) and about to order the same Lumatek this week, well tonight if I can figure this out.

I'd like to run a 240v circuit to my spot and have it ready when the equipment arrives, but I can't figure out what receptacle to put on the end of the line - or if I'm even supposed to put one at all. It sounds like the wires might connect directly to the ballast, but I just can't tell from what I've read. Does the 240v model plug into a socket of some sort, or does it wire directly to a circuit?

Also looking for suggestions on what size breaker I should install for a single ballast so I can get the right guaged wire and have everything setup on time.. Thanks for the help!

 

[BigBudBalls]

Run everything. Once it shows up, go grab the right outlet.

So I'm new (hi guys) and about to order the same Lumatek this week, well tonight if I can figure this out.

I'd like to run a 240v circuit to my spot and have it ready when the equipment arrives, but I can't figure out what receptacle to put on the end of the line - or if I'm even supposed to put one at all. It sounds like the wires might connect directly to the ballast, but I just can't tell from what I've read. Does the 240v model plug into a socket of some sort, or does it wire directly to a circuit?

Also looking for suggestions on what size breaker I should install for a single ballast so I can get the right guaged wire and have everything setup on time.. Thanks for the help!

 

[anonymouscoward]

Run everything. Once it shows up, go grab the right outlet.

That's what we decided. I'm going to start shop in my basement, just next to the breaker box with a 15A/240 breaker and appropriately sized wire. It's frigid down there in the winter time, so the excess heat will be very nice for growing clones and vegging. While that's going on, we have some time to build things proper up in the attic. To there, we'll run a (30/50/60?) amp breaker + line to a sub panel, then we can have 240v circuits for ballasts but still have 120v available for accessories and whatever else on another circuit. Once the climate warms up, everything will go to the attic where I'll have better security, electricity and ventilation - but I need to insulate it to help with temperature and sound. I'm going to post another thread in the Design & Setup forum with a few questions, if you have the time please stop by and answer a few!

 

[curioushiker]

BigBud, plesae help me!
I have a question that I hope you can help with. I have 8 240v lumitek 1000w digi's. The intructions say to wire them with Two hots and a ground. I am going to wire these to a sub panel that I am installing in my room. Problem is that my main panel on the house has all the grounds and nuetrals mounted to the same bus bar.
So, when wiring my sub panel I know that I have to mount the grounds to the ground bar ( I added a second bus bar for grounds) and the neutrals to the neutral bars. So the grounds and the neutrals will be isolated from each other at the sub panel but when they get wired into the main panel they all go to the same ground bar. Is this safe or do I need to dedicate the ground in the sub panel to a ground rod?
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Firechicken]

Just so there is less confusion... You are using AC(Alternating Current) power so that means there is no - (negative) or +(positive) wires. there is only "Hot", "Neutral" and "Ground".

If you were using DC power (Direct Current) then there is + and - but those terms cannot be used in conjunction with AC.


AC current has no + or - because it is actually both, at the same time. It alternates between +120v and -120v in a sine wave pattern at 60 Khz ( this is in the States ).

Just an FYI, I thought your post was informative and sounds correct, just wrong terminology used and I just want to eliminate any confusion!! +rep

I know this is little old, and i've been away, but before i try and answer the latest question, I just wanted to say thanks for clearing that up, I did know that, I guess I just don't know this stuff enough to explain it right, but yea dffo understand you got 120 one direction and then the other way alternating current. Thanks for clearing up my post, and thanks for not ripping me up on that. Appreciate it man!

 

[Firechicken]

BigBud, plesae help me!
I have a question that I hope you can help with. I have 8 240v lumitek 1000w digi's. The intructions say to wire them with Two hots and a ground. I am going to wire these to a sub panel that I am installing in my room. Problem is that my main panel on the house has all the grounds and nuetrals mounted to the same bus bar.
So, when wiring my sub panel I know that I have to mount the grounds to the ground bar ( I added a second bus bar for grounds) and the neutrals to the neutral bars. So the grounds and the neutrals will be isolated from each other at the sub panel but when they get wired into the main panel they all go to the same ground bar. Is this safe or do I need to dedicate the ground in the sub panel to a ground rod?
Thanks in advance for any help!

Hey mate, I first wanted to ask where you live, and again a diclamer ** i'm not an electrician, and you should check anything I say out by someone that knows thier stuff, as this stuff will kill you dead and blow your bawlz off, stay safe**

So yeah do you live where there's 220 or 240v like say in europe? or are you in the US or canada such as me?

For me being in canada we use 120 primary, and use 220 for the dryers, ovens ect ect. I am thinking your are also on 120v and are getting your lines for 220/240 V.S 120 lines in the breaker box mixed up no?

If you are on 120 then you would see inside your box that you will have 3 connections for the 120. 1 for all your bare copper Earth's to connect to for short curcuits in devices, shielding double duty ect ect, the 120v white wires all connected to a common rail inside the box, and your black wires running into the various breakers.

Now I can tell you how OUR 220/240 power is run inside our boxes here in canada. It's all in the same box as the 120 section, but it is wired much differently. We have out copper comming from our 220 tied into the same bare wire Copper earth point as the 120v, so nothing new there.

Then we have The white wire comming from the 220 line going to the same rail where all the 120v white wires are tied to.

Next we then have the red and black wires going into thier own seperate breakers, in my case each wire getting a 15 amp unit.

So if you think about this, there's your 2 hot's (black and red) each being fed from thier own breaker You then have your neg or common white tied into the bus where all the white's go including the 120v whites, and the earth going to all the other bare wire earth points at thier own bus, which IMHO is the most important connection to make sure you make.

Now again, i'm only assuming your on 120 primary, and am only giving you an example of how our 220/240 is handled inside our boxes.

I'd also like to be clear on which color your calling your "common" and ground, because i've seen alot of people get those mixed up.

So yeah, I'm only giving you info on how were setup, hopeing maby it may give you some insight to the different wiring schemes, and that someone will catch this thread bump, and be able to really help you out.

All the best man, hope someone can help you on your way safely. I just don't know enough to comfortably talk about this stuff when it's not my own life in my hands. Take care man. Cheers, FC.

 

[curioushiker]

Hey mate, I first wanted to ask where you live, and again a diclamer ** i'm not an electrician, and you should check anything I say out by someone that knows thier stuff, as this stuff will kill you dead and blow your bawlz off, stay safe**

So yeah do you live where there's 220 or 240v like say in europe? or are you in the US or canada such as me?

For me being in canada we use 120 primary, and use 220 for the dryers, ovens ect ect. I am thinking your are also on 120v and are getting your lines for 220/240 V.S 120 lines in the breaker box mixed up no?

If you are on 120 then you would see inside your box that you will have 3 connections for the 120. 1 for all your bare copper Earth's to connect to for short curcuits in devices, shielding double duty ect ect, the 120v white wires all connected to a common rail inside the box, and your black wires running into the various breakers.

Now I can tell you how OUR 220/240 power is run inside our boxes here in canada. It's all in the same box as the 120 section, but it is wired much differently. We have out copper comming from our 220 tied into the same bare wire Copper earth point as the 120v, so nothing new there.

Then we have The white wire comming from the 220 line going to the same rail where all the 120v white wires are tied to.

Next we then have the red and black wires going into thier own seperate breakers, in my case each wire getting a 15 amp unit.

So if you think about this, there's your 2 hot's (black and red) each being fed from thier own breaker You then have your neg or common white tied into the bus where all the white's go including the 120v whites, and the earth going to all the other bare wire earth points at thier own bus, which IMHO is the most important connection to make sure you make.

Now again, i'm only assuming your on 120 primary, and am only giving you an example of how our 220/240 is handled inside our boxes.

I'd also like to be clear on which color your calling your "common" and ground, because i've seen alot of people get those mixed up.

So yeah, I'm only giving you info on how were setup, hopeing maby it may give you some insight to the different wiring schemes, and that someone will catch this thread bump, and be able to really help you out.

All the best man, hope someone can help you on your way safely. I just don't know enough to comfortably talk about this stuff when it's not my own life in my hands. Take care man. Cheers, FC.

I am in the states. Unless I mis-read your reply in Canada the White (common/nuetral) wire is grounded to one bar and the ground (green wire or bare copper) is grounded to a seperate bar. Here in the states for household applications there are Three wires coming in from the pole.
Two hots and a neutral.
The ground and common are terminated at the same bar.
240v and 120v are all pulled from the same bus bars. 120v grabbing only One bar and 240V grabbing Two bars. ie.Two 120v equal Two 240v.
I think I have much of it figured out now.
I will run a total of Four wires to my sub-panel, Two 120v hots One white (neutral) and One ground (green).
The Two hots will excite the Two seperate bus bars in the sub panel. The White will be bonded to the Isolated "ground" bar and the Greens or bare copper will be bonded to the ground bar which will be staked to at least Six feet of rod hammered into the ground below the sub panel.
Sound right?

 

[Firechicken]

I am in the states. Unless I mis-read your reply in Canada the White (common/nuetral) wire is grounded to one bar and the ground (green wire or bare copper) is grounded to a seperate bar. Here in the states for household applications there are Three wires coming in from the pole.
Two hots and a neutral.
The ground and common are terminated at the same bar.
240v and 120v are all pulled from the same bus bars. 120v grabbing only One bar and 240V grabbing Two bars. ie.Two 120v equal Two 240v.
I think I have much of it figured out now.
I will run a total of Four wires to my sub-panel, Two 120v hots One white (neutral) and One ground (green).
The Two hots will excite the Two seperate bus bars in the sub panel. The White will be bonded to the Isolated "ground" bar and the Greens or bare copper will be bonded to the ground bar which will be staked to at least Six feet of rod hammered into the ground below the sub panel.
Sound right?

Yep sounds right to me anyways, But yeah now that you mention it, i've seen these boxes trminated with earth via the common rails all tied together like your box is. Theres deffinatly a couple ways one could theoretically make the connections in the box for various things forsure, Which is why I thouhgt I'd throw up how my box is wired up, thought it may give you some ideas. In my setup really all my twin red and black 240 wires at thier seperate breaker feeds are doing is just "exciting" the device on that line waiting for a closed connection to the white, just as your new sub pannel is proposed to be setup, how you describe it. SO After I think about my setup more now that i've just had a coffee and a bowl LOL, your Sub box is in reality setup just the same way pretty much, minus the twin breaker rigging.

But your Sub pannel sounds like it should be just fine, long as you got yourself a good earth via that stake, then everything should be just fine if somthing goes terribly wrong real fast. Or at least maby a few less amps through your balls anyways lmao.

(You know it's no bloody wonder electrical engineers, are bald, miserable, bitchy, and shaking violently with coffee overdoses, after looking at Circut schematics for some of my guitar pedals, and other gear i've built, taken appart and tried to remotly attempt to figure out 1 of the 5 billion ways the electricity could be interacting with the given circuit LMFAO) Hell i'm siting here racking my brain over a couple effin wires lols.

Hope you get your rig up soon man, with those lights and gear you should be growing some killer dank man. All the best, Cheers, Chicken.

 

[curioushiker]

Yep sounds right to me anyways, But yeah now that you mention it, i've seen these boxes trminated with earth via the common rails all tied together like your box is. Theres deffinatly a couple ways one could theoretically make the connections in the box for various things forsure, Which is why I thouhgt I'd throw up how my box is wired up, thought it may give you some ideas. In my setup really all my twin red and black 240 wires at thier seperate breaker feeds are doing is just "exciting" the device on that line waiting for a closed connection to the white, just as your new sub pannel is proposed to be setup, how you describe it. SO After I think about my setup more now that i've just had a coffee and a bowl LOL, your Sub box is in reality setup just the same way pretty much, minus the twin breaker rigging.

But your Sub pannel sounds like it should be just fine, long as you got yourself a good earth via that stake, then everything should be just fine if somthing goes terribly wrong real fast. Or at least maby a few less amps through your balls anyways lmao.

(You know it's no bloody wonder electrical engineers, are bald, miserable, bitchy, and shaking violently with coffee overdoses, after looking at Circut schematics for some of my guitar pedals, and other gear i've built, taken appart and tried to remotly attempt to figure out 1 of the 5 billion ways the electricity could be interacting with the given circuit LMFAO) Hell i'm siting here racking my brain over a couple effin wires lols.

Hope you get your rig up soon man, with those lights and gear you should be growing some killer dank man. All the best, Cheers, Chicken.

Technically I dont need a seperate ground stake because the sub is only 27ft from the main, housed in the same building. I am adding it just in case, you know, for extra measure.
Im with ya on the journeymen electricians. Funny thing is most of them can wire houses with their eyes shut.