Tutorial, Adding extra power lines to the grow room.

All the best to you & your family Panhead.

Adding a 20 amp breaker is good to know. I hope people can learn from your post. I wonder if you may be able to show how to add 50+ amps. I'm particularly interested in a "distro" box that would be capable of providing power to 10,000 watts. What guage of wire? what types of materials? etc.

I know this isn't the thrust of your initial post...but I'm hoping for some info.

LuckyLou said:

Adding a 20 amp breaker is good to know. I hope people can learn from your post. I wonder if you may be able to show how to add 50+ amps. I'm particularly interested in a "distro" box that would be capable of providing power to 10,000 watts. What guage of wire? what types of materials? etc.

I know this isn't the thrust of your initial post...but I'm hoping for some info.

Click to expand...

The cost of adding a 50 amp panel will be equal if not more expensive to running a series of circuits,running a series of circuits has added benifits.

I can show you how to achieve the 50 amp service if you wish but wait until i post the tutorial using 15 amp lines to make your mind up,keep in mind part of my goal is to have a room that can be torn down quickly with no signs of an over powered grow op.

It will be finished this week,im picking away at it slowly but surely.

For anyone who was waiting so paitenly for this DIY but cannot wait...

I highly reccomend getting Black and Deckers Advanced Home wiring book...

I got it today, made a Sub Circut Breaker box outside the grow room with a 50 di pole coming off the main circuit breakers.....

Working great so far, biggest thing is to make sure you have the right gauge wire...

you can just go from the 50 amp in, to a bunch of 15a's

Then you could space the sockets each having a dedicated 15 amp 120v, plus a main 50 240v protecting everything..

Much like they do with the power that comes in to the house the spilt into like 2-3 dipole 240v 200amps, then break it down into what they need...

The black and decker book made it really easy... BIG PICTURES . LOL

Hey panhead do you by any chance now how to make a device similar to the

CAP MLC-4at where you can plug in 120v appliances but they run on 240 current.

since 240v current saves money over running 120v...?

CAP MLC-4a 120V 4-Light Lighting Relay - Plantlighting Hydroponics

240v doesn't save any money, its the same cost. although what you are asking for (a timer being wired to feed 120v circuits from a 240v lead) can be done, it wont save you any money, as you will basically be using the seperate legs of 2 120v circuits in an unsafe manner. (unless you run all new 4 conductor feeds to the timer box, or are lucky enough to have them close by)

Ok so from what I can gather running things on 240v draws less amps from the main breaker.

for example, a device that draws 120volts will draw 2 amp, to the same device that could draw 240v @ 1 amp...

YES it is the exact same amount of electricity in the short run, but this means

basically you can run more 1000 watt lights from one breaker...

heres where the saving come into play...

240volt will run your equipment "cooler" prolonging the life of it because it is drawing less amps, and in ballasts this means less Electricity draw over the life of the ballast.

ESPECIALLY in electronic digital ballasts which compensate with drawing more electricity as the bulb life goes on...

So in essencse it does save electricty for people who are running 5000+ watts...

amortized across the life of the equipment, yeah, you may save a few cents a week running 240v equipment.

ganjagoddess said:

basically you can run more 1000 watt lights from one breaker...

Click to expand...

you dont understand how 240v works, because it actually is 2 breakers, so you lose 2 spaces in your breaker box, and the device draws half of its power from each of the 2 hot leads.

really, it may save a few cents a week to run 10K watts of 240v ballast vs 120v ballasts.

not saying it isnt a good idea to use them, or to have a tutorial on them, just that you really don't save much of anything one you consider the costs or running some 6 or 8 awg and a sub panel than you will running multiple 14 or 12 awg 120v lines.

the only reason to run 240 is if you are running a sub panel anyways either due to distance from the meter ( you are setting up a 3000+ watt grow far from the main box), or insufficient breaker slots to run the 120v's you need in your main panel. or you know what you are doing electrically and decided that that is the way you want to do it... not because its "cheaper"

and yes, I do use 240v ballasts, and installed a 50 amp sub panel in my location, not because its cheaper, but because its 85' from the main, which had only 2 open slots.

Definetly interested. Thankyou for your contribution.

User24 said:

amortized across the life of the equipment, yeah, you may save a few cents a week running 240v equipment.
you dont understand how 240v works, because it actually is 2 breakers, so you lose 2 spaces in your breaker box, and the device draws half of its power from each of the 2 hot leads.

Click to expand...

You are correct,there are other factors such as wire loss that will effect or negate any savings from running 220 over 110.

My wife is home now & were still getting her health in order,now that she's home & i can sleep again it wont be long before i can set aside the time to accomplish the pic tutorial.

Within 1 week,promise.

Whenever panhead. Take it easy. I've been (am) in the same boat. Take care of yourself and your wife, we can wait but appreciate your dedication.

interested

Not yet an indoor grower (if I do things right, I'll never "have" to), but I'd like to subscribe anyway.

Bring It Back To The Front Of The List

if panhead is still delayed till sunday I will post up some pics with basic instructions for running a 240v subpanel, 240v outlets, and 120v outlets from the main or sub panels (its basically the same thing.)

not trying to steal the thunder or anything, its still his idea to do this thread and I would be happy to take mine down once his goes up.

User24 said:

if panhead is still delayed till sunday I will post up some pics with basic instructions for running a 240v subpanel, 240v outlets, and 120v outlets from the main or sub panels (its basically the same thing.)

not trying to steal the thunder or anything, its still his idea to do this thread and I would be happy to take mine down once his goes up.

Click to expand...

Please do,the home front situation isnt allowing me much free time lately,as long as the info is out there it wont matter who posts it.

That Would Be Very Helpful.

just so you all know, I am working on it, I dont plan to release it tonight, it will probably be at least tomorrow if not tuesday after work. I decided to do it 100% right from the start, as you can kill yourself.

kushmonster said:

well just subsribed to this thread, I've been an Electrician for the past 10 yrs. so if there is anything I can do to help, I will

Click to expand...

question...

are there such things as power converters? something that takes in a lot of watts (or amps I'm not sure which) and sends out a little? what are some of the best energy conservation techniques?