A Bored Electrician to Answer Your Questions

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
So I was talking to a caregiver my sister knows who stopped by. He's expanding a lot. He said he had 20 HID lights put in with 70 to 80 more coming. I asked what kind of Amps. he has. As in Panels, he thought 4 or 5 100 Amp panels. I said "all lights to 240v, right?" He said the electrician said the 110v was better and the efficiency was the same. Is that electrician Crazy? The electrician said something about Waves he didn't get. Balance of a 240v I think. I told the guy I was pretty sure it was a 10% saving. Why would you run 70 to 100, 400W to 1000W bulbs what way? Did I miss something here? Glad I try to get this stuff so someday when I get to expand I'll have a clue.
Daniels:blsmoke:
he is referring to what as known as a balanced load condition...
a balanced load works like this-
say you had 100 amps running on a panel with 50 amps on one phase and 50 amps on another, single phase loads.
now you know all the neutrals for those circuits hit the same neutral bar in the panel... you could say the phase 1 and phase 2 are bonded together via the neutral.
and another thing to keep in mind is that EMF seeks the path of least resistance to opposite potential, opposite potential being anything that is at opposite polarity...
and finally, it takes energy for current to travel down the neutral wire from the panel and dissipate into mother earth

so keeping that all in mind. the way it works is this- 50 amps of neutral load on phase one will cancel out 50 amps of neutral load on phase 2... because they are at opposite potential and bonded together @ the neutral bar. if you were to take an ammeter and try to take an amp reading of the service entry neutral conductor, it would show 0.0 amps, no current loss due to ground dissapation. now lets play with it abit... take 20 amps from phase one and move it to phase 2, now you have 40 amps on phase1, and 60 amps on phase 2. your meter will now read 20 amps of current on the neutral, the remaining 80 amps are still being cancled out... this is an unbalanced load condition, and thats how it works in real life.

a balanced load only exists on paper. never forget that... there are too many minute differences between each individual load.. there is 100 amps running, say 6 circuits, 4 15 amps and 2 20 amps, and every one of them are in different places throughout your grow room, different lengths of wire, different ambeint temps, one wire may have more bends than another in it, and that will also affect the balance. a balanced load will only occur if the loads at opposite potential are exactly the same, and that just does not happen anywhere but on paper... even 4 wires (2 120v circuits sharing a neutral)in the same pipe will be unbalanced, because the bends in the pip, the cables all have different radius, and that is just enough to alter the balance. this is also the principle that allows 120v circuits on opposite phases to share a single neutral... since each circuit is only x amount of amps, if both is on, the smaller load will always cancel out the larger, and the remaining current is on the neutral.


whew, long winded explanation :bongsmilie:
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
Okay, going to try to post again and give some good details.

I am trying to build my own multiple socket CFL lighting fixture for my girls. I am planning on using 10 100W equivalent bulbs. I am trying to put them all on one 110 volt plug and have them all wired together on the fixture. Any suggestions on how I would wire these or how I could put the whole fixture together? Here are a couple of drawings of the fixture I'm trying to achieve.

I am using PVC pipe for the housing of the wires and bulb sockets. Please help me. I'd really like to get this fixture going so I can start growing my girls.

Thanks for your advice!
if your using 100w equivalant cfls, then they should be 43w per lamp. 43 x 10 = 430 w
my suiggestion... would be to get a 400w HID lamp, its easier to deal with just one lamp than 10. cfl's, contrary to popular beleif, still kick outa shit ton of heat in an enclosed area, and to be totally honhest, 10 43watters will put off more heat than a single 600w lamp....

but, its pretty easy, you simply connect all the black wires, to the hot, and all the white wires, to the neutral, and all the bare/ground wires together.... you might take a peice of romex or an old extension cord (a good cord, not the shitty 2 wire cords grandma uses to run her xmas lights, an orange one like you would keep in the garage) and run it from one lamp socket to the next.... if you were really slick, you would leave the male end of the cord on so all you had to do was plug it into your timer...
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
my apartment only is one of three units that are connected. i have a separate breaker box with 3 different 20amp breakers. i was trying to figure out what outlets go to what breakers by turning them off one by one. the only problem was when when i turned off the first two nothing happened to any electricity in my house. all the outlets were still functioning. when i finally tried the last breaker everything turned off. does this mean i am running on only one 20amp breaker? or are they all connected? there are only four outlets in the house. View attachment 1133305
i sounds like to me that it is a pretty safe bet you only have the one circuit feeding your 4 outlets
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
Help me people.

I have brought a new fan but i having trouble wireing it up.

I have three connection blocks on the fan, 1 is live, the other is switched live and the other is netural.

I have my live wired to the live on the fan, the same with my neutral but it doesn't work.
I have figured out that of it touch the switched live block with a live wire then it will work.

How do i wire this up to work with my time?
easier than you think.... take the live contact, and the neutral, put a cord on it, and plug it into the same wall outlet as your timer and leave it be. then take the switched live contact, and wire it to your timer outlet... presto!

you ave a shaded pole fan motor. interesting.. thought they quit making those.

ps- plugging everything into the same outlet is a critical step. you mess up and plug the timer into one circuit, and the switched contact on another circuit, you will fry the motor and kick breakers, fyi
:bongsmilie:

 

Danielsgb

Well-Known Member
he is referring to what as known as a balanced load condition...

whew, long winded explanation :bongsmilie:
Thanks for an explanation I understand. I've learned enough from you to really get what you're saying. I can see some real skill on getting as close as possible to a balanced load condition...
Hope that big restoration project is going well.
Daniels:weed:
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
its given me a real headache lol... on the downside now... 60 something days to go

lol, when i was an apprentice, my journeyman once let me stand in front of a panel and try to balance it for 6 hours after i proudly bragged about my knowledge of balanced loads, lol.... yeah its not very easy
 

burna

Member
How would I rearrange the wires so that they are using all three breakers? Or would it be better to just set up a new outlet for my grow? If so how would I do that?


DSC02468.jpg
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
the wires in question are already using all three breakers...........

you need a new breaker, with a new wire, feeding a new outlet ;)
 

Danielsgb

Well-Known Member
What t-5 would you recommend for my FrigiDare project. I'm thinking twin 24" on each side. I want to mount their ballasts underneath. Does that sound feasible? Are the High Output bulbs worth it? Pics showing it are on my build journal. Thanks
Daniels
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
oh yeah the HO lamps are nice. youll love them during veg.....

hint-

a cfl, is a HO lamp twisted into a spirial with a self contained ballast ;)
i dont use them much myself, but i think i am going to have to convert one of my cabs over to a mother cab... and thinking about lining the sides of it with a few t5's myself...my offsite mother storage cab has become compromised by an idiot.... fucktard... sigh lol. live and learn.
 

Danielsgb

Well-Known Member
oh yeah the HO lamps are nice. youll love them during veg.....

hint-

a cfl, is a HO lamp twisted into a spirial with a self contained ballast ;)
i dont use them much myself, but i think i am going to have to convert one of my cabs over to a mother cab... and thinking about lining the sides of it with a few t5's myself...my offsite mother storage cab has become compromised by an idiot.... fucktard... sigh lol. live and learn.
I use them for my Mother area and like them there. Hope ya get that mother storage cab ironed out. Is there a better ballast to order than the Lowes one? It's OK for the ballasts to be 5' away right?

This was the one I found. http://www.lowes.com/pd_252796-1390-GL9824-T5-WHES-I_4294896174_4294937087?zipCode=59105&firstReferURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lowes.com%2Fpd_252796-1390-GL9824-T5-WHES-I_4294896174_4294937087%3FproductId%3D1238967%26amp%3BNs%3Dp_product_price|1&catalogId=10051&catalogId=10051&productId=1238967&findStoreErrorURL=StoreLocatorDisplayView&selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=
 

Danielsgb

Well-Known Member
edit/repost-

that fixture does not appear to be High Output.... look in the under cabinet lighting section...
So is this where I'm suppose to flaming insult you? LMAO Figured it'd be easier for her. Finding one I can remember would be the British guy who wanted to steal power.
 

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
lol she is just self righteous.... just like a noob, cant tell them anything unless its what they wanted to hear in the first place.
i cant save em all man, all i can do is try :lol:

i never did get to tell her itll cost her more in fuel than to just pay the bill but hey....

got your email too, thanks....
will be checking in a few days :)
 
Hey can i wire 2-12v computer fans, 1-120mm 1-80mm, to 1-12v cellphone charger? I know how the wiring would be done but im asking, will it work and not blow out a fan or the charger?
 
can i stick an hid or hps light onto a socket that is connected directly into the wall, the socket says 250v - 660W does that mean i need a 660W bulb or less? because i'm currently using a 23 Watt cfl on this thing
 

Danielsgb

Well-Known Member
can i stick an hid or hps light onto a socket that is connected directly into the wall, the socket says 250v - 660W does that mean i need a 660W bulb or less? because i'm currently using a 23 Watt cfl on this thing
No, it won't work. HID lights require a Ballast and capacitor and starter.
 

BusterBawls

Active Member
Quick question here for the expert. I have a growbright 120v-240v switchable ballast. The ballast has 2 plug ins. One 3 prong for 120v and a separate 3 prong for 220v. My question is, I am going to just cut the male end off the cord and install a 3 prong 220v end. I assume the wiring should be 2hots and a ground. I'm using the uk style plugs that have the horizontal fins. I assume one hot goes on each horizontal fin and the bare copper wire from the box should go to the ground pin on the plug. What do I do with the white common wire coming from the box. I have a 40amp 220v breaker from my box going into a sub box in my flower room. My sub box has a 30a 240v breaker and a 15a 120v breaker the wiring from the main box to the sub box is an 8awg 4 wire wire with the ground hooked up to the neutral bar. Would I be correct if I hooked my ballast up with the two hots on the horizontals and the bare copper to the 3rd pin, while the white wire is taped off?
 

fluffygrrrl

Well-Known Member
Hi you are very much appreciated! We just bought a house with a 24 x 32 pole barn. Want to put in 18 1000w digital ballasts on one side, 24 400w mh lights on the other. Also need a 10 ton a/c, chiller, propane heater, co2 burner. We need to upgrade the lighting supply to the barn. The electrician who gave me an estimate said I needed 200 amps, and have the lights on 240v. Is that good enough? I was thinking about putting the 18 1000watters on a relay switch, so they can run 12 on one side of the room, then flip flop to the other. My electrician doesn't know how to do this. Do you recommend a flip flop box I could purchase? Also we would be wiring up the lighting fixtures ourselves. Any place where we can buy wire, and supplies at a discount? What size wire? Any way to save money would be great, as we are running out of it.
 
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