Grow Room Electrical

[Billyboat]

I also ran 1/0 for a 300 foot run 4 wire and it was more then enough for the 150 amps I needed from it.

1/0 is plenty,i ran it 225' for 125 amps so 160 is cake,I used to have 2 4k rooms flipping back and forth and a veg room all with minis with no issues,now i only run one flower and veg.I did not run a neutral but instead i established a new ground near the sub panel by driving a new 10' ground rod.I know power companies use aluminum but id stick to copper,get ready for a shock when you buy it.
I just pulled my receipt $1590.25 for 2 240' cuts of 1/0,Also get it a little longer than you think you need too,Its a bitch pulling that stuff and you lose a little in the twists and turns of the conduit.
PM me if you have questions or i can help.

Agreed!

I ran 1/0 300' 4 wire, for a 125 amp sub panel and it worked great. I ran the same size for both legs, neutral, and ground, I figured it was the safest bet since it was such a long run.

 

[fishwhistle]

I mis-spoke above i did run 3-1/0 wires,2 hots and a neutral but no ground,established a new one at the sub.

 

[Tylrr420]

Hey guys. Wanted to get some of your opinions on how to do things the safest way possible and also wanted to make sure the way my electrician wired up my room years ago was the safest/most efficient way possible. Because as of lately I have been floating around this particular thread and some things have caught my eye. I have been considering boosting my flower room from 6.6k to 8k and I want to make sure I have enough juice to do so safely as I have a 200 amp maim breaker. When he originally wired up my room I told him I was most likely going to run 7 1ks. He wired me up 4 20 amp breakers each with two 110 outlets and A 30 amp breaker with 3 220 outlets with 12-3 wiring. This is what I'm confused about and here are my questions.

1. I'm sure he didn't know about the Titan controllers but couldn't he have just ran a thicker gauge wire on my 220 line so I could handle more lights on my 220 line? If my math is correct, a 220 ballast draws 4.5 amps approx. so three 1ks drawing 4.5 amps each would only put me at 13.5 amps out of 30?

2. This is kind of a dumb question but say u have 20 lights and your maxed out on power cause your running them at 110 drawing 9 amps ea. if u switched them all to 220 could u now run 40 lights?

Currently I have my 3 1 ks plugged into my 220 line and 5 other 1ks plugged throughout multiple 110 outlets. I had a dryer 30 amp that I wasn't using so recently I wired in a couple 220 outlets to that just so I could get some of my 1ks off 110. ( I haven't got to plug more than one 1k into the new 220 line yet cause I'm waiting to harvest as I don't wanna work above the plants ATM.)

This gets me to my main question. Should I just run two 30 amp breakers with how many 1k lights on each line? Or should I just say fuck that and rip out both 30 amp breakers and put in a 50 amp with a Titan Helios?

Also my electrician told me that the 220 line he installed was good for 3600 watts. Does this seem right? Remember it only has 12 3 wiring

 

[Olyver]

OK, got a couple of questions for you experienced sparky types.

I'm about to trench some power to my workshop. 125 amps on a 160' run.

According to this page. I need 1/0 copper, or 2/0 aluminum.
http://www.paigewire.com/pumpWireCalc.aspx

My question is this. I will be running a FLIP, so there will be a constant draw on the line. Should I go one size above what is recommended?

Also, can I get away with a smaller neutral?

Thanks in advance for any input.

If you're running a flip you need to power off/on the ballast for each 12 hour flip cycle, instead of leaving the ballasts on a flipping hot.

 

[CelticEBE]

If you're running a flip you need to power off/on the ballast for each 12 hour flip cycle, instead of leaving the ballasts on a flipping hot.

I realize that. I have run flips before. What I meant by the constant draw, was that it won't be like a traditional set up where the draw is minimal during lights out.

 

[Burned Haze]

Howdy, I just upgraded my grow to a 320amp unlimited tap rule and added a 200 amp service for the lab area ! just stuck on this last question before I add my controller .

* Purchased ( 2) Helios 7 , one for each side of room so lights wire can reach the controller easier & be outside the room and safe!( bigger titan controllers were ripe offs anyways )

* (10 De's total, 5 De's per controller) 1000w nanolux de setup. Going to divide them by 2 but that does not mean anything, Might upgrade to 12 lights someday but probably not.

The ? : What Size Wire should I use from the controller to the 200 amp panel (25-35 ft ,depending on which one ) . It's sad Titan did not state the obvious shit on the back of their manual cause they are not hiding nor helping anyone but stalling the project cause this is my 3th controller from them ( none damaged & non bitchin lol)

room specs : 20.5 wide x 35 long x 12 tall

 

[shemshemet]

If one were to have a stand alone garage with no electric to it, say about 50 from a house, would it be difficult to get it some power?

Also, what would it take if it were feasible?

Got a few more follow up questions as well.

Edit: By power I mean I want to run up to (2 ea) 1000 watt lights, and a veg area to match (~600 watt lights). This is a soil grow, so really only need fans and misc equip

 

[Billyboat]

If one were to have a stand alone garage with no electric to it, say about 50 from a house, would it be difficult to get it some power?

Also, what would it take if it were feasible?

Got a few more follow up questions as well.

Edit: By power I mean I want to run up to (2 ea) 1000 watt lights, and a veg area to match (~600 watt lights). This is a soil grow, so really only need fans and misc equip

Depends on your definition of difficult. Dig a trench, and run the wires...

 

[shemshemet]

What would I connect the wires to at the house and at the garage?

Would I need to modify whats happening at the source?

 

[fishwhistle]

What would I connect the wires to at the house and at the garage?

Would I need to modify whats happening at the source?

The wires would connect to a new breaker in the main panel and a new subpanel in the shop.
You need to make sure you have the available power at your main panel before doing anything.You also need to have room in the main panel to add a new breaker.If thats good then you would need to trench and bury the wire in conduit.You would need the proper size wire for the amount of amps you want to use in the shop PLUS take into account the distance of the run for voltage drop and a subpanel in the garage.If you do all that you could probably just hire an electrician to do the final hookup at the panels,good luck!

 

[Michal]

Hire a sparky either way (you don't sound very confident or experienced), they're an invaluable resource. Many do small jobs for beer if they can explain the labour (digging, wire pulling, etc).

 

[hightide99]

Hey guys I would really appreciate your input THC FARMER here goes...

I have a 30 x 70 garage converted into living room fully insulated etc. It has central air from the Home A/C unit. The converted garage room has its own Electrical Circuit Box ,separate from the main house box, with (1) 30 am breaker and (2) 20 amp breakers. The circuit box says 100 AMP MAX. By the box I also have a 240 connection not being used. The room is no longer in use so I have a tent with (1) 400 watt MH and (1) 600 watt HPS inside a 8 X 8 tent. I also have four inline 6" fans, 4-5 oscillating fans various sizes, along with a 14,000 BTU Portable A/C. I also have a TV, and CPU in the room aswell. I have not had any issues with this set up as far as blowing breakers goes. My question is if I plan on adding 1-2 more 600 watt HPS ballasts will I run into any problems with the breaker box popping the breakers? Also will I need to get a light controller like the
Helios 1 - 120 Volt 4 Light Timer? The room is not in use during summer hours , so mostly from Oct-March
any advice would be awesome.
I am just not sure IF i will run into any issues if I add 1 or 2 more 600 watt hps lights to my setup. THANKS ALL INFO WELCOMED THANKS

PS The rooms wiring is fairly new and up to date THANKS

 

[BluBryChez]

Here is my new project. I'll start a log and keep you guys posted on everything. Roughly 4000 sqr. Feet. Existing 10 ton ac unit. 4-13x14 office rooms w/ 12 foot ceilings. EAch room has an AC drop and intake. I'll take more pics today when I crack open that big service panel

 

[BluBryChez]

10-1000watt magnetic ballast all on 240 volts, 2-460 cfm duct fans 110v, 3 oscillating wall mount fans 110v. (a/c is on separate sub panel so its out of the equation) what awg wire do i need to use for this sub panel?

^^^this was me in 2012.. Don't know what happen to this account. Lost my e-mail account for this screen name or something.. Anyways. This is me now! Lol. Been an interesting 3 years I gotta say.. Been killing it. And had some major mistakes. Defiantly a learning curve. Upgraded to a new location with a new set of issues. Mostly electrical. I'll be posting under my new identity. Stay tuned for cool pics!

 

[BluBryChez]

Here is my new project. I'll start a log and keep you guys posted on everything. Roughly 4000 sqr. Feet. Existing 10 ton ac unit. 4-13x14 office rooms w/ 12 foot ceilings. EAch room has an AC drop and intake. I'll take more pics today when I crack open that big service panel View attachment 534482 View attachment 534483

 

[BluBryChez]

Hey guys I would really appreciate your input THC FARMER here goes...

I have a 30 x 70 garage converted into living room fully insulated etc. It has central air from the Home A/C unit. The converted garage room has its own Electrical Circuit Box ,separate from the main house box, with (1) 30 am breaker and (2) 20 amp breakers. The circuit box says 100 AMP MAX. By the box I also have a 240 connection not being used. The room is no longer in use so I have a tent with (1) 400 watt MH and (1) 600 watt HPS inside a 8 X 8 tent. I also have four inline 6" fans, 4-5 oscillating fans various sizes, along with a 14,000 BTU Portable A/C. I also have a TV, and CPU in the room aswell. I have not had any issues with this set up as far as blowing breakers goes. My question is if I plan on adding 1-2 more 600 watt HPS ballasts will I run into any problems with the breaker box popping the breakers? Also will I need to get a light controller like the
Helios 1 - 120 Volt 4 Light Timer? The room is not in use during summer hours , so mostly from Oct-March
any advice would be awesome.
I am just not sure IF i will run into any issues if I add 1 or 2 more 600 watt hps lights to my setup. THANKS ALL INFO WELCOMED THANKS

PS The rooms wiring is fairly new and up to date THANKS

Got any room in that sub panel for more breakers? It is a sub and not a servic? Does the main house (if you are branched off of its power) have a 200 amp service panel? Let's assume that you have 100 amps available for now. But you might want to check so that you don't over load..
Ok. On my 100 amp service panel. I am running 2-9 light (1000's) rooms 12 & 12. One goes off the other comes on. On each room I have a 24,000 btu ac unit. Each room has its own 60 amp sub. On a

 

[BluBryChez]

Hey guys I would really appreciate your input THC FARMER here goes...

I have a 30 x 70 garage converted into living room fully insulated etc. It has central air from the Home A/C unit. The converted garage room has its own Electrical Circuit Box ,separate from the main house box, with (1) 30 am breaker and (2) 20 amp breakers. The circuit box says 100 AMP MAX. By the box I also have a 240 connection not being used. The room is no longer in use so I have a tent with (1) 400 watt MH and (1) 600 watt HPS inside a 8 X 8 tent. I also have four inline 6" fans, 4-5 oscillating fans various sizes, along with a 14,000 BTU Portable A/C. I also have a TV, and CPU in the room aswell. I have not had any issues with this set up as far as blowing breakers goes. My question is if I plan on adding 1-2 more 600 watt HPS ballasts will I run into any problems with the breaker box popping the breakers? Also will I need to get a light controller like the
Helios 1 - 120 Volt 4 Light Timer? The room is not in use during summer hours , so mostly from Oct-March
any advice would be awesome.
I am just not sure IF i will run into any issues if I add 1 or 2 more 600 watt hps lights to my setup. THANKS ALL INFO WELCOMED THANKS

PS The rooms wiring is fairly new and up to date THANKS

Got any room in that sub panel for more breakers? It is a sub and not a servic? Does the main house (if you are branched off of its power) have a 200 amp service panel? Let's assume that you have 100 amps available for now. But you might want to check so that you don't over load..
Ok. On my 100 amp service panel. I am running 2-9 light (1000's) rooms 12 & 12. One goes off the other comes on. On each room I have a 24,000 btu ac unit. Each room has its own 60 amp sub branched off of the main 100 amp.. All the lights and AC are running on 240. The only time I had an issue running like this is when I hired an "electrician" to wire in a small t-5 veg room for me.. He flipped everything on at once and the ac units both kicked at the same time.. Fried the wire right off the weather head! F@ckn @ss hole. I fired him! Now I wire all my everything myself. The pg&e guy chuckled as he ran a new line for me. Real Ninja right here eh?!
So... take a pic of those panels so we can tell you if its a service panel or a sub. Also I'm curious to know if that 30 amp breaker is connected to that 240 you spoke of. So pics please??

 

[hiboy]

Well I'm back on here for a little bit the kids are for now and I have a hair more free time I'll try to keep up on my post and questions if needed thanks guys

 

[fishwhistle]

Whats up trouble?

 

[mrgrowbigbud]

IS it safe to hookup a dual 15 amp timer to a 1000w and the other end a 600w and a couple of fans?
I know it is close to the max amps but not sure exactly how close. I currenly have it set up that way using 2 600's, but I aquired a 1000w ballast and wanted to see how it worked. Dont 6oow use about 5 amps and 1000W about 8.5?
Thanks

It depends if you are on 220 or 110 .110 almost dubbles your amps.and if you have magnettic or digital ballast.you should be fine if you are running on 220 if not you are probably a little high on amps and should put the fans on seprate breaker.