Is This A Fire Hazard ?

[Sm0k3Y]

I recently moved in with my gf and was thinking I could convert the apartment I've been renting for 3 years into a grow op.

Here's the setup :
2x Dark Room 240 II (8x8x6,6)
2x Vortex 6", 1.2 amp, 449 CFM
2x Mercury 2 speed controller,
4x Lumatek 1000w ballast 120v, 8.92 amp
4x Apollo 4 120v timer,

The place has 5x 120v outlets in the kitchen each on a separate 15amp breaker.
If we take into consideration the 80% rule, I have about 60amp to work with here.

What I was thinking of doing is this :

Connect the four Lumatek ballasts to four Appolo 4 timers.
Plug each timer/ballast into a different outlet like so :

Outlet A : 8.92 amp
Outlet B : 8.92 amp
Outlet C : 8.92 amp
Outlet D : 8.92 amp
Outlet E : 0 amp

Then, I'd connect the two Vortex to a Mercury 2 controller each.
Plug one into E and the other somewhere else :

Outlet A : 8.92 amp
Outlet B : 8.92 amp
Outlet C : 8.92 amp
Outlet D : 10.1 amp
Outlet E : 1.2 amp

Finally, I'd plug a power strip into E and put my humidifier and oscillating fans on there resulting in this :

Outlet A : 8.92 amp
Outlet B : 8.92 amp
Outlet C : 8.92 amp
Outlet D : 10.1 amp
Outlet E : 6.8 amp

Do you guys see a fire hazard somewhere or am I good to go ?
Thanks

 

[Natural]

why not use your dryer plug for a 30 amp controller?
I imagine you plan on using extension cords.. if so, that would be your weakest link.

 

[Sm0k3Y]

why not use your dryer plug for a 30 amp controller?
I imagine you plan on using extension cords.. if so, that would be your weakest link.

My dryer is nowhere near the kitchen.
Also, you're right, the 10$ power strip where all the inline fans and my humidifier are gonna be connected definitely is the weakest link.
I'm not exactly sure what I could replace it with though.

Beside the power strip, I won't be needing any extension cords.

 

[Natural]

I'm more concerned about how you wanna power the lights. You're gonna be much better off running those on 220v vs 120v, as it will cut your amp useage in half. Plus it uses one 15 amp timer, instead of 4..by way of a trigger cord solenoid switch and is much safer than running all those amps through cheap timers. You can hardwire a controller and connect a matching pigtail for the dryer outlet, using 10/2 grounded. Just keep the run from the service panel to the dryer to the controller under 100 ft.
As for the power strips..get a quality device..keep them off the ground and if you use any extension cords..I wouldn't use anything less than 10 guage and keep the runs as short as possible.

It would be possible to use your 60 amp oven receptacle(if not gas)..but for a novice, the wiring is a bit advanced and would include a sub-panel.

 

[DANKSY]

i dont know where your panels are but these can be easily wired into them eliminating your houses electrical and keeping you sane..

whoops for got to add this:

 

[Natural]

i dont know where your panels are but these can be easily wired into them eliminating your houses electrical and keeping you sane..

he's in an apt..and it's just a guess but I'm not sure if he could handle panel work..especially without a main shut off upstream of the panel itself. Might be in his best interest to use a pigtail. That's of course if I'm guessing right. Hate to talk someone into that shock of a lifetime if they have no clue..lol. Best to learn though if you're gonna be in the biz.
Of course I do it all the time..but I love electrical work.

 

[Sm0k3Y]

You can hardwire a controller and connect a matching pigtail for the dryer outlet, using 10/2 grounded. Just keep the run from the service panel to the dryer to the controller under 100 ft.
As for the power strips..get a quality device..keep them off the ground and if you use any extension cords..I wouldn't use anything less than 10 guage and keep the runs as short as possible.

It would be possible to use your 60 amp oven receptacle(if not gas)..but for a novice, the wiring is a bit advanced and would include a sub-panel.

I'm gonna need to have a talk with my electrician friend about that cause I'm completely clueless when it comes to electrical work.
Normally, I'd pick up a book and do it myself but this time, I doubt the risk is worth the reward.

 

[DANKSY]

he's in an apt..and it's just a guess but I'm not sure if he could handle panel work..especially without a main shut off upstream of the panel itself. Might be in his best interest to use a pigtail. That's of course if I'm guessing right. Hate to talk someone into that shock of a lifetime if they have no clue..lol. Best to learn though if you're gonna be in the biz.
Of course I do it all the time..but I love electrical work.

i forgot to add the link i was talking about... stoner move.

 

[Natural]

I'm gonna need to have a talk with my electrician friend about that cause I'm completely clueless when it comes to electrical work.
Normally, I'd pick up a book and do it myself but this time, I doubt the risk is worth the reward.

If ya got a sparky that you can trust you'll be in excellent shape. But 220v is def the way to go. a caveat might be that alot of controllers can be cheaply made. I think Titan is a good company..or at least that's my take on peer reviews. I've had a CAP controller still working for me after 6 years. Just have to be gentle wiring them as much of the guts are plastic parts, as are most electrical parts.

 

[Sm0k3Y]

My friend says he can do the job but, there's a catch.
You can't use more than 50k watts of power daily in a house or apartment here otherwise, the electricity company starts charging you 145 times the normal rate per kw/h.

This means I'd be limited to 4k watts per hour in 12/12 and I would have to downgrade to a 3k setup if I wanted a small veg room and drying room which I do.
So, it looks like I'm gonna have to rethink everything carefully.

 

[DANKSY]

you should look into a flip flop if you want to achieve 8k.. and find out how much it would be just run normally... most of the time the electric is worth it no matter what the kw/h

 

[Sm0k3Y]

you should look into a flip flop if you want to achieve 8k.. and find out how much it would be just run normally... most of the time the electric is worth it no matter what the kw/h

Not in my case, if you exceed 50kw a day, you start paying 7$ per additional kw.
I'm probably gonna have to rent a bunch of places if I wanna make this work.

 

[DANKSY]

start with the four... you will be amazed at what you can produce

fwiw ... i stretched it but i could almost fill 8k flower with 2k of veg...

 

[Natural]

Not in my case, if you exceed 50kw a day, you start paying 7$ per additional kw.
I'm probably gonna have to rent a bunch of places if I wanna make this work.

I'm pretty sure you meant $.07 per KWH over the baseline tier..correct?..not $7 per KWH
Correct me if I'm wrong on that, but @ButtaFlave is right..it would be well worth it. If I add a light to a perpetual flower room..that's like adding a .5 oz per day to my harvests.
You might have forgotten a few things..check it..
Say you do a perpetual one light every 3 weeks. 3K in the flower room running for 11 hrs per day. A 4oow MH on a mover in the veg room to cover your (say 9 plants in 5 gallons) for the next light and a few moms..with a 2 bulb T-5 for clones.
That would be about 42 KWH's.
Then you have 2 vortex fans at 136 watts each..272 watts total running 24/7.
That would add approx 2.5 KWH's to the 42..making it 44.4 KWH's
Gonna need a cheap Lasko type oscillating pole fan..about 50 watts on high for 11 hrs. Maybe one for veg on medium for 18 hrs.
About 1.5 KWH's per day..add that to 44.4..making it close to 46 total KWH's.
The worst part is that you'll need a dehumidifier. 70 pints run around 750-850 watts on high..the good news is that it will probably run on high 60% or less most of the time.
Hard to guess..but maybe 10 KWH's per day. Putting you at 56 KWH's.
Of course that doesn't include AC which you will need in the summer months for sure, right?

 

[Sm0k3Y]

I'm pretty sure you meant $.07 per KWH over the baseline tier..correct?..not $7 per KWH
Correct me if I'm wrong on that

The structure of Rate D is as follows:

40.64¢ fixed charge for each day in the consumption period, plus
5.57¢ per kilowatthour for energy consumed, up to the product of 30 kilowatthours and the number of days in the consumption period, and 8.26¢ per kilowatthour for the remaining consumption, plus a monthly charge of $2.52 per kilowatt of billing demand in excess of 50 kilowatts during the summer period, or $6.21 per kilowatt of billing demand in excess of 50 kilowatts during the winter period.

You might have forgotten a few things..check it..
Say you do a perpetual one light every 3 weeks. 3K in the flower room running for 11 hrs per day. A 4oow MH on a mover in the veg room to cover your (say 9 plants in 5 gallons) for the next light and a few moms..with a 2 bulb T-5 for clones.
That would be about 42 KWH's.
Then you have 2 vortex fans at 136 watts each..272 watts total running 24/7.
That would add approx 2.5 KWH's to the 42..making it 44.4 KWH's
Gonna need a cheap Lasko type oscillating pole fan..about 50 watts on high for 11 hrs. Maybe one for veg on medium for 18 hrs.
About 1.5 KWH's per day..add that to 44.4..making it close to 46 total KWH's.
The worst part is that you'll need a dehumidifier. 70 pints run around 750-850 watts on high..the good news is that it will probably run on high 60% or less most of the time.
Hard to guess..but maybe 10 KWH's per day. Putting you at 56 KWH's.
Of course that doesn't include AC which you will need in the summer months for sure, right?

I've been calculating all of this and I'd have about 708 watts per hour available for the 50% dimmed inline fans, the t5 in the veg room and the oscillating fans which is more than enough.

My plan is to go for a 3k mixed spectrum perpetual grow in a 12x12x6,6 tent with 100-120 plants in 2 gal pots of coco.
The great thing about this is I'd only have 30 rooted clones in veg at all time so, I wouldn't need that much light in there.

As for the AC and dehumidifier, I don't need a dehumidifier, the area I live in is dry and cold as hell, what I'd need is a humidifier.
I don't know about the AC, I'll most likely remove a 1000w from the grow during summer and plug an AC somewhere.

It's not ideal but it still beats not growing at all in summer.

 

[Natural]

The structure of Rate D is as follows:

40.64¢ fixed charge for each day in the consumption period, plus
5.57¢ per kilowatthour for energy consumed, up to the product of 30 kilowatthours and the number of days in the consumption period, and 8.26¢ per kilowatthour for the remaining consumption, plus a monthly charge of $2.52 per kilowatt of billing demand in excess of 50 kilowatts during the summer period, or $6.21 per kilowatt of billing demand in excess of 50 kilowatts during the winter period.

that's insane! I can run 4k in flower..2K in veg..an 8 bulb T5, fans, 2 dehumidifiers plus live in it normally for under 300 a mo..it's dirt cheap where I live

I'm digging the perpetual idea for sure..the only shaky part of the idea..is that your moms would need to be large and healthy to be cranking out that many clones.

 

[Sm0k3Y]

I'm digging the perpetual idea for sure..the only shaky part of the idea..is that your moms would need to be large and healthy to be cranking out that many clones.

Right.. There's no way I'm gonna have enough power for a veg room, mom room and a drying room.

What I can do however is, grow trees.

I could keep a mom under a 150w HID, take 15 clones and keep them in the mom room until they're rooted.
Then, I'd turn off the mom room, move the mom and the clones into the "flower" room for a month and a half under 2k of light at 18/6.
Finally, I'd turn the mom room on, move the mom back into it's tent and flower everyone else for 2 months under 3k of light at 11/13.

Like I said before, it's not ideal but it's a solution.

 

[Natural]

Right.. There's no way I'm gonna have enough power for a veg room, mom room and a drying room.

What I can do however is, grow trees.

I could keep a mom under a 150w HID, take 15 clones and keep them in the mom room until they're rooted.
Then, I'd turn off the mom room, move the mom and the clones into the "flower" room for a month and a half under 2k of light at 18/6.
Finally, I'd turn the mom room on, move the mom back into it's tent and flower everyone else for 2 months under 3k of light at 11/13.

Like I said before, it's not ideal but it's a solution.

have you looked into off-peak savings plan?

 

[Sm0k3Y]

have you looked into off-peak savings plan?

I don't think there are any but, it's fine.
I recalculated everything and realized I had made a mistake before.
Correcting it made me save quite a bit of energy, enough for a mom and clone room :-)

 

[Fla Toker]

Well happy new year hope everything works out buddy