Sand4x105
Well-Known Member
Hey all... I have noticed that there are many misunderstandings of how you run your electrical in your grow room, house for grow, or even in your warehouse grow.
My background is many years of electrical and wiring, my dad started me 'pulling' wire when I was twelve, ha... a long time ago. I was a EC in that big golden state, for 25+ years. I don't know it all, however, my code book is always near by, The NEC, is my bible... I specialized in custom house wiring, and Hotels...
I have done many load calc's for many dwellings. Please like another poster said: "hire a electrician, if you 'F' up your nutes, your plant dies, you 'F' up your electric, you die...."
If you are on a budget [like me] you can do some things yourself, to save you money.
Simple terms, you need to do a calculation of all your added load [load = lighting, fans, heaters, bubblers, etc, if it takes juice, power, add all the items up]
Then you must get a dedicated circuit into your grow room. Maybe easier than you think....
Here is an over simple example anyone can and should do this:
Say, for instance you want to 'use' a spare bedroom for your grow room. That bed room, may 'share' through the walls, it's power. [Power= lighting/outlets/motors]
Plug something into the outlet in that bedroom, like a light, and turn it on.
Now go to your breaker panel, and turn off one at a time, your breakers, "off, then on", until your grow room test light goes off.
Turn all other breakers off [just for 5 minutes, wont be a problem], MARK this breaker, Mark it "Grow"...
Now, the test light is on, for your room, that is the only breaker on, [double check], and leave it on, and walk around house with another light, plugging the light you are holding in your hand, into every other outlet. Every outlet/light that is still on, mark it with a magic marker/masking tape. All outlets that stay on with your new grow room, take note, and mark them [mark them, we want to rid grow room of all other load]...
Try and find other places for any stuff you have plugged into your grow room circuit.
Turn breakers back on.
Say, the three outlets in new grow room, along with the light switch, and center light, plus 5 or 6 outlets in other rooms, are all on the same breaker.
You have isolated this circuit. Look at breaker size, should be 15 or 20 amp. ALL lighting branch circuits in your house are either on 120vac/15 amp, or 20 amp breakers. All 15 amp breakers should have 14 AWG wire attached, and all 20 amp breakers should have 12 AWG wire attached.
You now have a dedicated breaker for your grow. 15, or 20 amps direct to your room, a non shared circuit. Having a dedicated circuit will eliminate or ease your fear of blowing breakers. Blow a breaker, loose a crop... lets not go there...
Ohm's law is your friend, don't be afraid--> Watts [find you loads] divided by Volts [120] = amps [your breaker is rated in amps 15 or 20]
Now, add up [sorry, you need to do some math] all your new load:
Your new 1000 watt HPS/Metal Halide ballast may not be exactly 1000 watts, look for it's name plate rating to be exact. [Every electric item has a name plate, go pick up your GF's hair dryer -1200 watts!!! Yikes-blow your hair when you are plugged into your grow room and you will blow breaker...]
1000 watts divided by 120 volts = this light pulls over 8 amps so always round up, 9 amps. This one light uses almost half your breaker power.
YOU CAN NOT JUST PUT IN A BIGGER BREAKER IN IT'S PLACE. If you up size your breaker and do not change your wire from breaker, this is where FIRE starts. Your wire will be breaker, if you over load.
So with new light installed, you still have 1000 watts or so, for your other needs of room. You can, share the load, if you have rid the rest of the house of load on this circuit.
Heaters, and Lighting should not be on same circuit, unless you install heater to only come on when lights are off. A small electric heater might take upwards of 1200-1500 watts, and should be on 'another' dedicated circuit.
Ever wonder why....Look at your kitchen circuit- Microwave [1200 watts]/Toaster [650 watts]/Coffee maker [600 watts], if they are all on at same time, and you only have one breaker for kitchen, you will blow it, because 1200 + 650 + 600 watts =2450 watts which is over the rating of your breaker...
We do not want to blow fuse or breaker in your grow room ever....
Right ? Be careful, check your existing loads....do the math.... Electricity is just one big math problem, and not that hard.
I hope this helps, if it doesn't drop me a note... Just remember 'Free Advice' is worth what you pay for it....
My background is many years of electrical and wiring, my dad started me 'pulling' wire when I was twelve, ha... a long time ago. I was a EC in that big golden state, for 25+ years. I don't know it all, however, my code book is always near by, The NEC, is my bible... I specialized in custom house wiring, and Hotels...
I have done many load calc's for many dwellings. Please like another poster said: "hire a electrician, if you 'F' up your nutes, your plant dies, you 'F' up your electric, you die...."
If you are on a budget [like me] you can do some things yourself, to save you money.
Simple terms, you need to do a calculation of all your added load [load = lighting, fans, heaters, bubblers, etc, if it takes juice, power, add all the items up]
Then you must get a dedicated circuit into your grow room. Maybe easier than you think....
Here is an over simple example anyone can and should do this:
Say, for instance you want to 'use' a spare bedroom for your grow room. That bed room, may 'share' through the walls, it's power. [Power= lighting/outlets/motors]
Plug something into the outlet in that bedroom, like a light, and turn it on.
Now go to your breaker panel, and turn off one at a time, your breakers, "off, then on", until your grow room test light goes off.
Turn all other breakers off [just for 5 minutes, wont be a problem], MARK this breaker, Mark it "Grow"...
Now, the test light is on, for your room, that is the only breaker on, [double check], and leave it on, and walk around house with another light, plugging the light you are holding in your hand, into every other outlet. Every outlet/light that is still on, mark it with a magic marker/masking tape. All outlets that stay on with your new grow room, take note, and mark them [mark them, we want to rid grow room of all other load]...
Try and find other places for any stuff you have plugged into your grow room circuit.
Turn breakers back on.
Say, the three outlets in new grow room, along with the light switch, and center light, plus 5 or 6 outlets in other rooms, are all on the same breaker.
You have isolated this circuit. Look at breaker size, should be 15 or 20 amp. ALL lighting branch circuits in your house are either on 120vac/15 amp, or 20 amp breakers. All 15 amp breakers should have 14 AWG wire attached, and all 20 amp breakers should have 12 AWG wire attached.
You now have a dedicated breaker for your grow. 15, or 20 amps direct to your room, a non shared circuit. Having a dedicated circuit will eliminate or ease your fear of blowing breakers. Blow a breaker, loose a crop... lets not go there...
Ohm's law is your friend, don't be afraid--> Watts [find you loads] divided by Volts [120] = amps [your breaker is rated in amps 15 or 20]
Now, add up [sorry, you need to do some math] all your new load:
Your new 1000 watt HPS/Metal Halide ballast may not be exactly 1000 watts, look for it's name plate rating to be exact. [Every electric item has a name plate, go pick up your GF's hair dryer -1200 watts!!! Yikes-blow your hair when you are plugged into your grow room and you will blow breaker...]
1000 watts divided by 120 volts = this light pulls over 8 amps so always round up, 9 amps. This one light uses almost half your breaker power.
YOU CAN NOT JUST PUT IN A BIGGER BREAKER IN IT'S PLACE. If you up size your breaker and do not change your wire from breaker, this is where FIRE starts. Your wire will be breaker, if you over load.
So with new light installed, you still have 1000 watts or so, for your other needs of room. You can, share the load, if you have rid the rest of the house of load on this circuit.
Heaters, and Lighting should not be on same circuit, unless you install heater to only come on when lights are off. A small electric heater might take upwards of 1200-1500 watts, and should be on 'another' dedicated circuit.
Ever wonder why....Look at your kitchen circuit- Microwave [1200 watts]/Toaster [650 watts]/Coffee maker [600 watts], if they are all on at same time, and you only have one breaker for kitchen, you will blow it, because 1200 + 650 + 600 watts =2450 watts which is over the rating of your breaker...
We do not want to blow fuse or breaker in your grow room ever....
Right ? Be careful, check your existing loads....do the math.... Electricity is just one big math problem, and not that hard.
I hope this helps, if it doesn't drop me a note... Just remember 'Free Advice' is worth what you pay for it....
