Electircal Question: 3x1ks on a 240v 20amp breaker?

[Ne Obliviscaris]

Have any of you guys ever run 3 1000w lights off a 240v 20amp breaker?

I'm moving to a new spot and there's only room in the fusebox for two 240v breakers. I want to run 6 1000's which means three per breaker.

According to my math each light is running at 5amps (actually a little less) at 240v and so I should be able to run 3 at 15amps which is below the 80% capacity you're supposed to cap your draw at.

I realize that ballasts draw more at start up, but as long as I stagger them all by 15 minutes, I should be all good, correct?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Ne Obliviscaris]

oops, wrong forum. Mods please delete, I'll repost over in growroom.

 

[Wicked1]

oops, wrong forum. Mods please delete, I'll repost over in growroom.

hey bro, the best thing to do then is put yourself a 100amp or a 125amp sub panel in right beside/below/near the main panel and pull your circuits out of that one. Then you can have enough room and service to supply everything properly. You just take the open spaces in your MAIN BREAKER PANEL (MBP) and put your 2 pole lets say 100amp breaker there for your service supply to the sub panel. Now you have take a piece of 1/0 SER alum. or (4) sections of #3cu. of which you need (2) feeds...Black and Red.....(1) neutral....white......and (1) ground......green or bare cu.....in the sub panel you must isolate or separate the grounds from the neutrals and make sure there is no bond to the metal can of the housing touching on the neutral bus bar...(Remove the green bond screw if it is present/do not install it on the neutral bar, use it to bond the new ground bar you have to install)..then you can put the supply breakers going out to your grow equipment from there.....ask me if have any questions or that is not clear enough......Licensed Master Electrician since 2002
Hope that helps.
Respects,
W1:hungover:

 

[Djmers]

Have any of you guys ever run 3 1000w lights off a 240v 20amp breaker?

I'm moving to a new spot and there's only room in the fusebox for two 240v breakers. I want to run 6 1000's which means three per breaker.

According to my math each light is running at 5amps (actually a little less) at 240v and so I should be able to run 3 at 15amps which is below the 80% capacity you're supposed to cap your draw at.

I realize that ballasts draw more at start up, but as long as I stagger them all by 15 minutes, I should be all good, correct?

Thanks in advance for your help.

With 3000 Watts you will be pulling a little over 13 amps, Voltage is variable from 220v to 240v so work it out with a voltage of 230v and you cant go wrong ! I would use a 16 amp Mcb's instead.