Electrical help. My horns are green!

Newb question incoming...

I currently am running 1 (soon to be 3) 1000w magnetic ballasts (120v) with PlantMax MH 1000w lamps. The single lamp that I have currently if run by a single digital timer just plugged into a wall socket. I don't currently have a 240v wired into my breaker currently in my garage, but have space for it to be added. Any one have any recommendations on a timer that would work for this? I have seen it where there was 4 electrical boxes on a piece of plywood, 3 of which were 120v receptacles running into another box where the 240 would then run to the breaker.

Has anyone ever made anything like this? Or recommend a timed light controller that wont cost limbs would be great.

This is my first time building a grow "room" and am trying to avoid the whole electrical fire thing.

Also could I beef up my breakers easily? If I even try to plug 2 lights in on the same circuit, I blow the breaker. Or use any one of my tools i'll pop them. This is also in my garage, not in my house. There's a breaker at both and I have yet to have to come inside to reset anything in the garage (detached).

I can't seem to find what I'm looking for on google. If anyone has a link so I could educate myself more I'd be forever grateful haha.

Also I live in Ontario, Canada. If that makes a difference?

cheers,
HE4VY

Titan Controls

I looked into them and it looks like the route I'm going to go!

For now I put 2 15 amp breakers in and wired them with 14 gauge wire to female 120v receptacles. Then plugged my ballast cords into them. Each light has its own breaker now. There was only 1 pole running into my breaker box in my garage. So 240 is out for me.

Honestly who builds a new garage and doesn't run a 240v to it..... (previous owner)

I appreciate the help!

HE4VY said:

I looked into them and it looks like the route I'm going to go!

For now I put 2 15 amp breakers in and wired them with 14 gauge wire to female 120v receptacles. Then plugged my ballast cords into them. Each light has its own breaker now. There was only 1 pole running into my breaker box in my garage. So 240 is out for me.

Honestly who builds a new garage and doesn't run a 240v to it..... (previous owner)

I appreciate the help!

Click to expand...

how many amps run to the garage panel? if you have room to add breakers, than it would seem there's more than a single pole, since you added two more...

in your panel, hot line is on the left, neutral on the right. you can replace your two single pole 15A with a single 30A double pole and use 240, which will run all three lights simultaneously. use an intermatic timer in series and simply run a 12/2 or 10/2 (preferred) from your recep to the panel, wire black to top pole and white to bottom pole. there is no neutral.

Here's a couple pictures of my breaker before and after. From what I understood, white was neutral and black was hot in my breaker. But that's opposite of what is in there I think?

I think I'm getting ya. 30 amp with 10/2 wire to intermatic timer, then 3 120v receptacles wired to the timer? I think I saw a set up like this built in a hydro shop a couple weeks ago. I was trying to find it online but didn't know what it was called haha.