PipeCarver
Supporter
- 5,643
- 313
I'm relatively new to the tent growing and I've a bit of a concern about the way wires for equipment have only fabric ports to go through. As an ex electrician, one of the things we don't do is run extension cords through or under fabric or anything easily flammable.
I've witnessed running electrical fires, starting at equipment and running along the wire burning through the insulation along the way then exploding in an electrical junction box, then branching out onto all the circuits and extensions off that junction box. creating an instant disaster Disconnecting the main power source was the only way to shut that down......Long story short I don't like running my wires through the fabric ports.
To help a bit I run where I can wires through a 2" pvc duct through the port and wires through the duct specially for the larger loads, as in a heater cord or hps power supply if you're using one in a tent. or off a power bar cord that everything is loaded onto.
What's your thoughts? anyone have a horror story...Halloween and all.......I have a pic of one port I'm running through now on another computer, I'll post when I can.
That's not always practical but I get your drift. Ever been to a construction site?...Cords everywhere, in through and around water. More of a tripping hazard than anything. It doesn't conduct through regular water as much as you may think it does. Add salt and we've got a problem. if we've cords suspended and they catch fire from a short its a worse situation than running along the floors.This may seem like a no-brainer, but just as a reminder make sure all electrical cords/appliances are securely suspended above the floor to help insure that in the event of water spilling, leaking, etc., there will be no risk of electrical shorts/fires
Agreed. Right now 99% of my cords are off the ground, but are they're just sitting on an upside down laundry basket. The only exception is the hygrometer metered outlet, and that's because the humidifier is on the opposite side of the tent (where no other outlet is), and the only way it would reach is by having that device on the floor. Of course, I didn't know I'd need half of this when I started putting everything together, so it's just a mishmash of "it works" for now, but I want to set up some panels to mount everything to.That's not always practical but I get your drift. Ever been to a construction site?...Cords everywhere, in through and around water. More of a tripping hazard than anything. It doesn't conduct through regular water as much as you may think it does. Add salt and we've got a problem. if we've cords suspended and they catch fire from a short its a worse situation than running along the floors.
You can use a reducer at the end so it’s more of a tight fit at the endAgreed. Right now 99% of my cords are off the ground, but are they're just sitting on an upside down laundry basket. The only exception is the hygrometer metered outlet, and that's because the humidifier is on the opposite side of the tent (where no other outlet is), and the only way it would reach is by having that device on the floor. Of course, I didn't know I'd need half of this when I started putting everything together, so it's just a mishmash of "it works" for now, but I want to set up some panels to mount everything to.
I like the PVC pipe setup - I think I may do that after this grow. My question on that is how do you prevent light leaks from the pipe? How many 90 degree bends is sufficient to ensure no light gets in (or even bugs)?
You can use a reducer at the end so it’s more of a tight fit at the end
A cap would work too. Drill a hole in the center the size of the wire your usingI was thinking of one of the thin black pipe caps and fashioning it in a way to cover the end + copious amounts of duct tape, but a reducer might be better
running wire thru a few inches of conduit/pipe/abs/pvc is not the same as using full run conduit.I’m just a carpenter but we really should be stating that the wire or cable running through the conduit shouldn’t exceed 40% of the ID of the conduit. I’m sure there is a sparky on here somewhere that can explain sizing conduit properly to prevent overheating the wire/cable better than I can.
Then why use conduit at all?running wire thru a few inches of conduit/pipe/abs/pvc is not the same as using full run conduit.
unless your running 100's of amps your fine.
nothing that is in a tent is going to draw anywhere near that amount to create any amount of heat and if so your wire is way to small.
just my 2 cents though, so take it as what it is
i thought the original question was about just going thru the opening in the tent. and i said a few inches wouldn't make any issues.Then why use conduit at all?
Wrapping any wire/cord with Insulation that has a constant load will definitely build up heat doesn’t matter the length and you have to consider how many bends there are. The longer the length the bigger you have to go with conduit of course but still
I didn't have time to respond yesterday, Not many have you're expertise in wiring and few would do or have done what you're doing. The point here is wire running through these fabric ports is a bad practice and I'm thinking the companies making the tents should do something. I'd like top see a power board on the inside that we plug into with a proper connection, like an RV hook up / ship to shore. Plug it in and then hook up equipment on the inside.Old sparky here. I don't worry about it because I do things right. Each tent has it's own 20 amp breaker on 12 ga. wire with it's own ground rod and bonded neutral/ground with a Hubbell 4-Plex hospital grade surge/load protected receptacle. Both tents are on there own small panel independent of the rest of the house. Same with my computers. Make sure all cords, cord caps, power strips and devices are rated correctly and in good working order and inspected regularly.
Not really, PVC can burn too if in close proximity to the flame. Electrical conduit would be better but my 2" pvc is better than nothing. If you put end caps on it the pvc its self could catch fire as well. I don't have to worry about light leaks and have left it open.You can use a reducer at the end so it’s more of a tight fit at the end
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?