timers/light controllers

[Drizzle]

So my electrician wants to install his own "contractors and timers" instead of the controllers I bought. He wants $1500 for these timers. And probably even more to instead just hardwire in the controllers that I bought.

My question is... how important are pro timers vs $14 pin timers? I am already WAY to invested into this. I mean, we can make sure everything turns off and on at the same time....Or at least within the minute. Cameras on the grow and everything so we can see to make sure.

whatcha think.

 

[Drizzle]

we can make sure within the minute everything turns with the $14 pin timers. Is that sufficient?

What's the main advantages of expensive controllers? Their going to cost me more for the installation then the units.

 

[Drizzle]

man....usually I get some great opinions. whats up?

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

it depends on how many lights you have and your service panel setup... run on 120v a 1000w pulls roughly 8.5 amps so you can only run one or two lights per 15/20 amp breaker . A nice 4-8 lamp timer is hardwired 240v on a one huge breaker much more efficent... how many lights you dealing with bro?

 

[SAMCRO]

I'm a big believer in the POWERBOX system and having a electrician install a 240 4 prong outlet with some nice thick gauge wire to your breaker box with 60 AMP breaker and say good fucking bye to the electrician. The less he or she knows the better. The POWERBOX with the built in timer is the thing to have and gives a great piece of mind knowing it was not jimmy rigged to some questionable electricians "TEST" systems with fucked up timers or whatever.

 

[Drizzle]

20 lights running on 240v. the electrician already knows. I'm just concerned about the $ i have to pay him.

whats so bad about running 20 x $14 pin timers? the pin timers don't mess up. just need to make sure all the tabs (pins) are pushed down

as far as the power box controller, i have one. just getting the electrician to install the big fist sized pulg it has will probably cost a good amount

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

I dont think i would take that approach...You would need 20x the amount of wire, outlets, boxes and space in your service panel. You need to run One or two high amperage wires to one or two huge light controllers. Wire is expensive as fuck, so if it's a ways from your service panel it can really add up. Honestly dude, 1500 doesn't sound that bad to have a clean efficient running elec. system.

 

[Drizzle]

the outlets are already run. i already have 20x outlets ran and hooked up. ya.....i paid a lot. thats why i don't want to spend a lot on controlling lights. so, should i just plug them thru some $14 pin tab timers?

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Haha! Sounds like a mess man, sorry I wasnt more help...

 

[Drizzle]

thanks though. I'm thinking I'm just gonna go with 20 $14 tab timers

 

[deep buddy]

man 20k really needs high amperage relays... not tryin to knock on ya just def next time fwiw. im sure as long as all your timers dont fail at the same time youll be fine so i wouldnt worry too much just make sure they arent getting too hot, and youll be golden.

 

[Drizzle]

man 20k really needs high amperage relays... not tryin to knock on ya just def next time fwiw. im sure as long as all your timers dont fail at the same time youll be fine so i wouldnt worry too much just make sure they arent getting too hot, and youll be golden.

what exactly are high amp relays? I mean the electrician installed the 240 plugs. each outlet is 240 and their is about 20 of them. so its not like I'm using a$14 pin timer on 1 bug 20k wire. I'm talking about 20 x different outlets with 20x tab timers

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Okay and how many breakers are installed at what amperage? 4 outlets per 30 amp breaker on 10-3 wire? 5 seperate breakers. He set you up a sub panel for this?

 

[Drizzle]

Its a 200 amp panel. I'm not sure about the rest. Thinking i might go with the $14 tabs. Do they get hot often? I've never had any of them fail

 

[deep buddy]

high amp relay aka light controller.
just used to control any high amp device ac, dehuey's, chillers's, and hid lights. they simply allow your turn power on and off these types of devices with a low voltage trigger cord using one timer or a low amp controller

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Seems like a terrible idea to me only to save a couple hundred bucks... You can get a 20 light controller for like $750. But if your plugs are wired "correctly" your plan shouldn't fail, it's just an ineffeicint and silly way to do it.

 

[Drizzle]

not $750. cause the electrician wants more than $750 to wire the controllers in.

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Sounds like you need a new electrician, and a book about electricity...

 

[Drizzle]

thanks man, yeah...I probably do

 

[Caress of Steel]

Interesting stuff here,