Grow Room Electrical

[Kot]

I am not from USA, I live in EU.

I have only the ignitor without the capacitors.

 

[PharmHand]

I am not from USA, I live in EU.

I have only the ignitor without the capacitors.

Bro that's what I'm saying tho is you need it. The coil transforms the voltage from 120 or 240 to about 460volts, the capacitor stores/maintains a steady voltage to the lamp to KEEP it lit, the ignitor only provides the initial voltage spike to ignite the arc tube. Whether us or eu still works the same. I'm in Canada btw. If shipping wasn't so much I would literally send you a few digital ballasts for free I don't use anymore

 

[Kot]

The ballast is incompatible with the bulb. It is 220v and 10.3 amps and the bulb is 250v and 4.7 amps.

 

[Golden Trich]

What's up hiboy?

Can I hook up a titan controls Power expander to my 2, 630w cmh's solely, then use the other outlets in the same room to run another 15 amps? The instructions say it creates 2 circuits but I wanted to confirm this. Thank you for your time.

 

[Golden Trich]

Hello hiboy,

I am looking to add a 20 amp breaker and run it to my grow.
I have solar panels hooked up to my box. Do I power off the solar panels before the breaker box or does the sequence matter?

I was looking at free spots on my breaker box and saw some marked "conv"? What does this mean? Thanks

 

[PassTheJ]

1. Currently I have a 4x8 with FOUR Marshydro1200 lights. From the wall it comes out to roughly 2100 watts and 17 amp.
   
   Now I want to purchase the Fluence SypderPLUS. It says its output is 660 watts..
   If I want to upgrade and convert my 8x8 room. I'd need 4 SpyderPlus.. That comes out to 2620 watts and 22 amp not counting the fans which all in all would be roughly 2900 watts and 24 amps.
   
   I only have a single outlet available at 20 amp. Which currently takes a 90% load.. NOT SMART. I know.
   
   If I want to upgrade I'd need to run an extension to another circuit but does anyone have any experience in upgrading your circuit from a 20 amp to a dedicated 30 or 50 amp just so you can run a room properly?
   
   Like is that something I can do or would need an electrician?
   
   + QuoteReply
   

 

[Dan789]

Electrician needed. You can’t just upgrade a circuit from what it is, to what you may happen to need, another circuit would have to be installed.
Any circuit for continuous use is only permitted to run at 80% of the circuit rating, btw.

 

[PharmHand]

Electrician needed. You can’t just upgrade a circuit from what it is, to what you may happen to need, another circuit would have to be installed.
Any circuit for continuous use is only permitted to run at 80% of the circuit rating, btw.

If he is currently drawing 20amps at 120v ,which would likely be 12gauge wire, he could technically replace his 20a single pole breaker with 20a double pole( provided he has panel space) and double his available amperage using the existing wire? It would be straight 240v though, not sure if those lights will run at that?You’d also have to color your neutral red at every junction box to meet code(might not meet code in your area). It’s doable but gonna want someone confident in their abilities.

 

[Dan789]

If he is currently drawing 20amps at 120v ,which would likely be 12gauge wire, he could technically replace his 20a single pole breaker with 20a double pole( provided he has panel space) and double his available amperage using the existing wire? It would be straight 240v though, not sure if those lights will run at that?You’d also have to color your neutral red at every junction box to meet code(might not meet code in your area). It’s doable but gonna want someone confident in their abilities.

Although possible, the “every junction box” is one of the caveats that would escape most and could cause damage/injury to anything inadvertently plugged into this newly connected voltage, if and anywhere it went circuitously befor ending at its final destination. I certainly wouldn’t recommend for anyone to do this, without the aid of an electrician to the faithful execution of that full conversion.

 

[PharmHand]

Although possible, the “every junction box” is one of the caveats that would escape most and could cause damage/injury to anything inadvertently plugged into this newly connected voltage, if and anywhere it went circuitously befor ending at its final destination. I certainly wouldn’t recommend for anyone to do this, without the aid of an electrician to the faithful execution of that full conversion.

Yea good call forgot that neutral could already be being used for another circuit. You’d have to make certain. Most inspectors wouldn’t accept a phase taped/colored white anyhow, but it would work:eyepiece:

 

[Dan789]

Again, what’s going to be gained over the additional risk taken on would rule this out for the majority of people/growers. If this is inside of this individuals house certainly would be a very bad idea.

 

[Westie]

I too needed another ciruit to distribute my load. Lucky, one of my 15a circuits was only being used for a whimpy yard sprinkler timer! Now, it's dedicated to my grow lighting controller, rated for 15a.
If not for that, I would have needed an electrician for sure.
A nice to have tool...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0014FNWJG/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[GET MO]

Im having issues with my el1 i think its electrical related... i have it set for 900w, but when i looked at it, the output was fluctuating between 896 and 904, throwing out kinda random numbers in that range. Anyone know what the problem and solution is here?

 

[Dan789]

Im having issues with my el1 i think its electrical related... i have it set for 900w, but when i looked at it, the output was fluctuating between 896 and 904, throwing out kinda random numbers in that range. Anyone know what the problem and solution is here?

No experience with the Gravita controllers, but may just be due to fluctuating voltage on your incoming supply (utility, power company). Certainly I’d give them a call regarding it though. Remember power or wattage is the product of voltage multiplied by the amperage multiplied by the power factor. P=E*I*Power factor.

 

[PharmHand]

Im having issues with my el1 i think its electrical related... i have it set for 900w, but when i looked at it, the output was fluctuating between 896 and 904, throwing out kinda random numbers in that range. Anyone know what the problem and solution is here?

My el2 does the same thing. Doesn’t seem to cause a problem, it’s been running a few years. Only issue I’ve had with it is in the winter when we get a lot of power outages and flickers the built in battery backup in the controller fries and it will no longer remember your settings. I’m on my third controller. Gavita knows of the issue and has no problem replacing it, just kinda sucks. I bought a ups backup bar to plug it into to hopefully prevent future problems( warranty’s now up)

 

[GET MO]

Right on thanks yall, appreciate it!

 

[Purp Nugs]

QUESTION HERE:

I have a 1000w 2 way ballast by SunLeaves.com & when I plug it in it hums and all but doesn't turn on my bulb. I took the front plate off thinking it may be the capacitor but then I seen this (photos attached). I have a friend who's a master electrician but he's out of town as my luck would have it.

Should there be something plugged into the empty ends?


THANK YOU FOR ALL IN ADVANCE WHO CAN HELP OR ADVISE

 

[PharmHand]

QUESTION HERE:

I have a 1000w 2 way ballast by SunLeaves.com & when I plug it in it hums and all but doesn't turn on my bulb. I took the front plate off thinking it may be the capacitor but then I seen this (photos attached). I have a friend who's a master electrician but he's out of town as my luck would have it.

Should there be something plugged into the empty ends?


THANK YOU FOR ALL IN ADVANCE WHO CAN HELP OR ADVISE
View attachment 791321 View attachment 791322

Pretty sure that switch just switches on and off the ignitor which is required for HPS and not mh. What kind of bulb were you trying to fire? HPS or mh? Try both an mh and HPS and maybe two of each to ensure it’s not the ignitor or a faulty bulb. Hard to tell from pic but it almost looks like the toggle switch wasn’t switched left or right just kind of in the middle? Lol. Of course you made sure you had the switch going the right way for your bulb right? Capacitors will swell up on the top usually before they go. It swollen at all? How old is ballast? Capacitor going bad is super common. It’s not a bad idea to switch em out regardless every couple years anyhow to ensure maximum brightness. It makes a BIG difference, as much as a new bulb if not more

 

[PharmHand]

If you’re changing capacitor be careful not to touch both connections simultaneously or arc between the two it could potentially shock you. Not sure how long it holds the charge but that’s what it does. I changed out lots and never been shocked so.... Just be careful

 

[MrsMcGreggor]

"Purp Nugs, post: QUESTION HERE:
I have a 1000w 2 way ballast by SunLeaves.com & when I plug it in it hums and all but doesn't turn on my bulb. I took the front plate off thinking it may be the capacitor but then I seen this (photos attached). I have a friend who's a master electrician but he's out of town as my luck would have it.

https://www.sunlightsupply.com/page/technical-information-guide

TROUBLESHOOTING… IF YOUR FIXTURE DOES NOT WORK:

1. CHECK YOUR ELECTRICAL SOURCE: Make sure the unit is plugged in properly and that the breaker is not tripped or fuse blown.
2. CHECK THE LAMP: Make sure the lamp is screwed in all the way.
3. FOR T5 FLUORESCENT FIXTURES: Check to ensure lamps are properly locked into place. This is accomplished by turning the lamps ¼ turn in either direction.
4. Try a different lamp if you have one available. Make sure unit is unplugged when changing lamps.
5. Make sure you have the correct lamp for your ballast, i.e. an HPS lamp will not ignite with a MH ballast.
6. MVP™ (Multi Volt PowerCord): When using a MVP™ plug, only use the one distributed with the unit or purchased at one of our Authorized Retailers. DO NOT make any changes to the Power Cord. This will VOID the warranty.

FAQ’s
Symptom: My ballast is humming but the light isn’t coming on.

Solution: There may be a couple of reasons for this: 1) the lamp is not screwed in tight enough, or 2) the lamp is defective. Please allow 5 - 10 minutes for lamps to initially ignite. If this does not solve the problem, return the unit to the dealer for testing.

Symptom:My ballast makes an excessive amount of noise.

Solution: Keep in mind that the higher the wattage, the louder the humming noise emitted. However, if the noise level is extreme, the transformer may have come loose. In this case, the ballast unit should be returned to Sunlight Supply®, Inc. for repair if it is still under warranty and has been used under normal operating conditions.

Symptom: Every time I turn on the light fixture, the circuit breaker trips.

Solution: You may have too many appliances on this circuit. A normal home’s circuit has only 15 amps available. These H.I.D. lights use up to 10 amps per unit. Please make sure you are not overloading the circuit with too many appliances and/or lights. Note: The sticker on the ballast will state the number of amps required by that particular unit. If you do require more lights/appliances to all be run off the same circuit, you should consult an licensed Electrician.

Symptom: I turned off my HID light and now it won’t come back on.

Solution:Your lamp may take up to 20 minutes to cool down before it can be fired up again. Fluorescent lamps should be almost immediate.

Symptom: My lamp has small pieces of glass inside of it.

Solution:It is common for small pieces of glass to break loose inside the lamps; this will not affect the lamps output. If there is a crack or hole in the outer glass, it should be replaced.

IF NONE OF THE ABOVE PROCEDURES HELP, PLEASE CONTACT THE RETAIL STORE WHERE YOU PURCHASED THE UNIT.
How do I know my lamps are functioning normally?



have you checked to make sure your BULB is good??
sometimes even new bulbs can be a bad batch