Serious questions for canadians

[dj_destroyer]

(PLEASE, if you don't know for sure, don't speculate! I've read enough 'typical' answers with no bearing or legitimacy to them. If you live in another country, DON'T answer as it may be very different than where you're from.)

- What are the risks in running a high-wattage setup (5000-8000 watts)?

- Do hydro companies tell law enforcement of ALL instances of over power use? Or just ones they find super suspicious? Or do they wait until law enforcement comes to them and then give the information up?

- Do cops need reasonable grounds to ask your power company for information?

- Will a hydro company give your utility information to law enforcement if you are simply using more power than your neighbours? If so, can police obtain a warrant simply from this information?

- How else can police obtain a warrant?

- Do 'smart' meters raise more of a concern than standard meters? I know smart meters tell the hydro company when you are using it, but can it tell where in the house you are using it? Would switching the power source from room to room every once in awhile help?

- Do you PERSONALLY know of anyone getting busted simply from power consumption?

- Do any of you have similar size setups? If so, how do you ensure you are not caught through power consumption related reasons?

- Is it true that if you don't steal power/tamper with the meters, the company won't care?

- Do you guys have any other tips (other than switching to fluros, turning off AC, turning off electronic equipment when not in use, etc.) for saving power?

Any other information regarding power usage would be greatly appreciated! THANK YOU.

 

[TylerDurden119]

I'll tell ya what i know

1. without bypassing a meter the risk is HIGH

2.hydro company does work with police

3.?

4.Hydro will pass on 'suspicious' cases for review and the second part,?

5.?

6.everyones waiting to find out!

7.YES

8.no

9.?

10.I'd recommend running like 4 1k's or 6 600's you should b able to pull a good amount without having to worry about your hydro concern, the crazy heat you have to deal with with that many lamps. Maybe try running one less than what a buddy is running for peace of mind. If they ok then u KNOW ur ok. When theres a sudden high usage at a residence it gets reviewed, I know cause i had a friend who got pinched like that. I think he was running 4 or 5 1k's with all the accesories AND had like 3 or 4 space heaters goin. Hope this helps.

 

[Spuzzum]

Here in BC, BC Hydro's got these smart meters that they're replacing ALL the old ones with by the end of 2012.

http://communities.canada.com/vanco...allation-will-curtail-marijuana-grow-ops.aspx

 

[dj_destroyer]

Spuzzum, Ontario is already 99% smart meters... but that link you provided mentioned nothing about grow ops. The questions were asked but the answers avoided anything concerning grow ops and strictly mentioned theft as the reason for the Smart meters.

I just don't see how law enforcement can obtain a warrant from energy consumption alone; the cops/hydro companies don't know whether I'm growing weed or lettuce, or growing anything for that matter. I could just be using high energy aquariums, printing presses, etc. Therefore I highly doubt that excessive energy consumption alone is reasonable grounds to obtain a warrant and believe this would be a valid argument in court to make any evidence obtained inadmissible.

TylerDurden, you say you know someone who got busted through power consumption? How were they busted? How did cops gain entry to the premises? What was the result, did it go to court?

I was busted a long time ago when I was young but the law couldn't press charges as they entered the premises under false pretenses. They entered the premises because there was a missing persons report and the last location the person was seen was at my residence. They did confiscate all my plants/equipment but none of it could be used in evidence and therefore, they had no case.

I have a feeling power consumption alone isn't enough evidence to enter a property. Can anyone else confirm?

 

[Green Supreme]

Happened to me. They sent a "Safety Inspection" team. Said hydro had turned me in for excessive use. Peace GS

 

[leaf604]

It really depends on which municipality you are in. Different by-laws in different cities. The new "smart" meters will be stopping people from by passing the meters and stealing power. From what i have been told from numerous people, and personal experiences, is that when your power consumption is at or over 90kw/hour, a red flag is thrown up. Bc hydro will then pass this info onto the police department. If your name comes back clean, and your house/property does not look like a shady drug house, they usually give you a 24 hour inspection notice. Again, from what I have been told, for the police to obtain a warrant for a suspected grow op, they need reasonable ground, which usually means surveillance, talking to the neighbors etc., it can be a lengthy process for them. I have personally been through one of these, and it was not that bad at all. I was running 35 X 1000w, and 8x600w with a 5ton ac, in/out fans etc.etc. on a 5 acre property. My power consumption was HUGE and it took 22 months before i was served with my 24 hour notice. all i did was take out all of my plants, disconnect all of my boards and ballasts and made sure there was no trace of any plant matter. My rooms were still fully intact, when the inspectors came by. All that happened to me was i got a 5,000$ fine(which was a bylaw for the city i was in) and had to have certified cleaners come in and do what they do. It came up to being around $15,000 all said in done to have this whole situation cleared up. I wasn't charged with anything, and didn't have to deal with police or anything. It is really a gamble, but keeping odor, strange activity, and power consumption below 90kw/hour will help you fly under the radar. Oh btw im from vancouver b.c. and have been a gardner for about 5 years now. Ive grown in 6 different houses, 4 different cities and was able to make it through without ever getting raided.

hope this helps answer some of your questions

--leaf

It is not true that if you don't steal power, the companies wont care. But having said that, paying your bills in full and on time will make you look less shady imho.

just remembered. When you get a 24 hour notice, you have to call the inspection office and confirm that you have gotten the notice. They give you a specific time for their arrival. If you do no call they CAN and WILL obtain a search warrant, and then your screwed :p

 

[TylerDurden119]

not a 100% but

i can't remember a 100% what went down and i don't talk to this guy no more so i can't find out but I remember him sayin one of the cops said they had been watching the place and when he lit up they had probable. So im thinkin it was a previous grow and thats why it was on radar AND/OR high power consumption.

Great link spuzzum! thats exactly why i thougt they were bringin the smart meters in, to help trackdown electricity theft. I can't see them tracking everyones usage just seems logisitically improbable.

 

[dj_destroyer]

Wow, thanks so much leaf! My sincere gratitude!

As for Green Supreme, is your situation similar to leafs? What did this safety inspection team do? They obviously couldn't enter your property, but were you served with anything? What was the result? How much kw per hour were you running?

Thanks for the follow up, tylerdurden. We won't be doing ANYTHING illegal other than growing (not even smoking weed, being loud, etc.).

Thanks in advance to anyone else that would like to contribute.

 

[Green Supreme]

I have a thread on that site folks speak bad of. It is in the Security forums and is called Diary of a Hydro Raid. It lays it all out till I got banned. Feels free to scope it. Hope this doesn't cause some sort of uproar. Peace GS

 

[BayAreasFinest]

I have a thread on that site folks speak bad of. It is in the Security forums and is called Diary of a Hydro Raid. It lays it all out till I got banned. Feels free to scope it. Hope this doesn't cause some sort of uproar. Peace GS

sorry to get off topic. but when did u get banned from FMB, Green Supreme? or are you talking about icmag?

That thread Diary of a Hydro Raid has tons of good information in it. I enjoyed reading it, despite the reason for the thread being created being horrible.

 

[Green Supreme]

Banned from IC, the thread is actually on both sites. I wanted people to know what you have to go through and all the steps that must be taken to get back to work. No one ever talks about that shit and it is a reality for many. Thanks for your kind words. Peace GS

 

[BayAreasFinest]

Banned from IC, the thread is actually on both sites. I wanted people to know what you have to go through and all the steps that must be taken to get back to work. No one ever talks about that shit and it is a reality for many. Thanks for your kind words. Peace GS

I thot i saw u posting on FMB the other day. the farm was my first Marijuana related website. with all the crap that gets talked about them here and the wealth of knowledge this site has ive never ventured over the icmag.

while im not in canada i referenced that site quite a few times when i had my run in with the law. mainly what to say and not to say regarding law enforcement. luckily i was moving 2 weeks after they came and there was nothing more then trim stems and a shit ton of dirt they found. so they left and i have set up something new and my new place.

thanks again.

 

[Spuzzum]

I have a feeling power consumption alone isn't enough evidence to enter a property. Can anyone else confirm?

It's also a record of the usage schedule. 12 hours a night, turning on and off at the exact same times, day in and day out. Is all that a reason for a warrant? No. But it gives them more reason to investigate further to see if a warrant is justified. Just as an unkept yard, with steamy, mildewy windows that the curtains never open, and seems nobody ever lives there.. doesn't mean it's a grow house.

 

[dj_destroyer]

Thanks everyone for the info, keep it coming! I'm sure I'm not the only who needs to know this shit.

 

[cheech]

i figured any and all farmers who believe they got busted ONLY because the hydro company narked them out would be on the boards talking about it. before this thread, and i will read the hydro raid thread later, i had only read of paranoid posters asking if the hydro company will let the 5-0 know of their large power consumption.

wtf.. bye bye biggest customer? i worked for a subsidiary of a billion dollar corporation right.. at my region/district, all the little managers cared about was slowly bringing up profit by small percentiles at a time to please the bigger guys, but more importantly the board and share holders. they didn't give a fuck what you used the final product for. that is your problem - they weren't going to get in trouble for selling you something legally.

surprised the power companies would want to notify the cops over a residence drawing lots of power.

 

[cheech]

i was thinking about this at the gym right, heh. i've heard crazy statistics of 1 in 3 houses is growing pot in bc, so maybe there have been so many electrical related accidents, that a law was passed that any residence drawing a certain amount of power needs to be inspected, which would explain the inspection letter. i'm CERTAIN the utility company was not going to contact the police in an attempt to get a warrant issue to come into your residence to check on how you are using your electricity or if it is wired safely. if they did, you must still have the letter. PLEASE SCAN THE DOCUMENT SO WE CAN SEE THE NEED TO BE CONCERNED!

if the utility company was doing this we would all know, because they would be open about letting their customers know that individuals drawing a certain amount of power would need to have their electrical work inspected.

picture it. the utility companies general manager calling the police department, 'commissioner, i have a lead for you! yes, yes, unusually high consumption. i agree, pot grow, the judge is sure to issue the warrant! we don't need that dopers dirty money.'

off topic:
i got a letter that the utility company wanted to check my gas line and that i should call them asap to set up a time a contractor could come mover..... that letter went straight into the recycling bin, and i assume the utility company just sends them out as a safety net in case someones gas line leaks at the meter and their house blows up killing them and their children. the at least the gas company can say hey we sent out a letter telling them we would inspect it free of charge

you know what, i'm not even going to read that hydro raid thread, this is stupid. pay your bills

 

[cheech]

It's also a record of the usage schedule. 12 hours a night, turning on and off at the exact same times, day in and day out. Is all that a reason for a warrant? No. But it gives them more reason to investigate further to see if a warrant is justified. Just as an unkept yard, with steamy, mildewy windows that the curtains never open, and seems nobody ever lives there.. doesn't mean it's a grow house.

it gives who reason to investigate further. not the popo. they couldn't have even gotten your electrical consumption info without the warrant to begin with.

now a house that is infrequently visited at night with shit being brought in and out is a WHOLE different story. that the police will investigate from the street and will try to gain enough evidence to get a warrant issued!

 

[cheech]

i take it all back. anyone running over 15 1000 watt bulbs should go to a commercial property.. that size grow is going to bring crime into the neighborhoods, and innocent people could inadvertently get heart trying to still your stuff.

i just read of a 30k grow house in bc, and am thinking are you kidding me.. maybe they would rather be in residential because they there are more frequent city inspections in commercial/industrial properties, and they are left alone in a house?

 

[convex]

(PLEASE, if you don't know for sure, don't speculate! I've read enough 'typical' answers with no bearing or legitimacy to them. If you live in another country, DON'T answer as it may be very different than where you're from.)

- What are the risks in running a high-wattage setup (5000-8000 watts)?

- Do hydro companies tell law enforcement of ALL instances of over power use? Or just ones they find super suspicious? Or do they wait until law enforcement comes to them and then give the information up?

- Do cops need reasonable grounds to ask your power company for information?

- Will a hydro company give your utility information to law enforcement if you are simply using more power than your neighbours? If so, can police obtain a warrant simply from this information?

- How else can police obtain a warrant?

- Do 'smart' meters raise more of a concern than standard meters? I know smart meters tell the hydro company when you are using it, but can it tell where in the house you are using it? Would switching the power source from room to room every once in awhile help?

- Do you PERSONALLY know of anyone getting busted simply from power consumption?

- Do any of you have similar size setups? If so, how do you ensure you are not caught through power consumption related reasons?

- Is it true that if you don't steal power/tamper with the meters, the company won't care?

- Do you guys have any other tips (other than switching to fluros, turning off AC, turning off electronic equipment when not in use, etc.) for saving power?

Any other information regarding power usage would be greatly appreciated! THANK YOU.

You really have little to worry about with these numbers, especially on the lower end of your range - 5k.

You could use that amount with just a couple of small portable heaters (hell it is winter) ...

Cheers

 

[cheech]

at the upper end of his range he has nothing to worry about.