FebreezeIt
Well-Known Member
All other factors in growing aside, electrical safety is perhaps the most important. It sucks if some plants die, it will obviously suck WAY more if there's a fire. I have a good working knowledge of basic wiring, but I am still nervous.. So for any of you out there with a strong electrical background, I would love to hear if this setup would be considered safe.
All circuits will be wired in parallel, "daisy chaining" seems like it would be an accident waiting to happen. This whole setup will use only CFL's, due to less power consumption, heat, and greater safety. There will be an upper veg and a lower flower chamber. I will have activated carbon at two stages, from flower to veg chambers, and the veg chamber to the exhaust. This way I can get double filtration. In some small grows, power surge strips seem to be the norm, yet not always recommended. I know the obvious "no-no's" such as having my electrical plugs right next to the hydro system. My main concern is with having the right gauge main power cord (with voltage drop and drawing current). The CFL's I got said 200W (Equivalent) but only use 43W, so with 4 lights running, I'll be using 172 watts.
So here's the potential wiring setup.
I have a 12' Indoor Extension cord with three outlets. I am strongly considering returning this in favor of a 6' heavy duty appliance cord. Where this cord ends inside my cab, I will have a junction box (grounded metal or plastic?) This box will then split to power the veg and flower chambers. Each chamber will have a junction box (grounded metal?) carefully mounted on the upper corner. In these junction boxes I plan to have 4 outlets each, for fans, hydro, lights, etc. For additional safety, I am strongly considering making every outlet a GFCI outlet. In a lot of things people cut corners, this is absolutely something I REFUSE to do when it comes to wiring.
So in summary
-Are there any concerns with using too heavy a gauge of a wire?
-Should all the junction boxes be a grounded metal box?
-Would it be a good idea to use GFCI for all the outlets in each chamber?
Thanks in advance, I just want to know if I should have anything to worry about with my potential setup
Oh and by the way, I was a student at the redundant school for redundant, redundancy. I'm a huge fan of overkill when it comes to safety, I want this to be excessively safe!
All circuits will be wired in parallel, "daisy chaining" seems like it would be an accident waiting to happen. This whole setup will use only CFL's, due to less power consumption, heat, and greater safety. There will be an upper veg and a lower flower chamber. I will have activated carbon at two stages, from flower to veg chambers, and the veg chamber to the exhaust. This way I can get double filtration. In some small grows, power surge strips seem to be the norm, yet not always recommended. I know the obvious "no-no's" such as having my electrical plugs right next to the hydro system. My main concern is with having the right gauge main power cord (with voltage drop and drawing current). The CFL's I got said 200W (Equivalent) but only use 43W, so with 4 lights running, I'll be using 172 watts.
So here's the potential wiring setup.
I have a 12' Indoor Extension cord with three outlets. I am strongly considering returning this in favor of a 6' heavy duty appliance cord. Where this cord ends inside my cab, I will have a junction box (grounded metal or plastic?) This box will then split to power the veg and flower chambers. Each chamber will have a junction box (grounded metal?) carefully mounted on the upper corner. In these junction boxes I plan to have 4 outlets each, for fans, hydro, lights, etc. For additional safety, I am strongly considering making every outlet a GFCI outlet. In a lot of things people cut corners, this is absolutely something I REFUSE to do when it comes to wiring.
So in summary
-Are there any concerns with using too heavy a gauge of a wire?
-Should all the junction boxes be a grounded metal box?
-Would it be a good idea to use GFCI for all the outlets in each chamber?
Thanks in advance, I just want to know if I should have anything to worry about with my potential setup
Oh and by the way, I was a student at the redundant school for redundant, redundancy. I'm a huge fan of overkill when it comes to safety, I want this to be excessively safe!