What to do with 30 amp breaker

WrinkleySphinx

WrinkleySphinx

Member
What up Everyone?!
I have an extra 30 amp breaker not being used, and i am interested in adding just one more light to make 2 x 600 watt hps room. I have no idea how to utilize this breaker. Any info or suggestions are greatly appreciated
 
Rezin

Rezin

Well-Known Member
Ithe only way you can use that breaker is to make sure you run wire rated for 30amps.
If you put too much load on the wire you could start a fire potentially.
I would put in a 20amp breaker and use proper wire rated for 20 amps and a 20 amp plug.( that's my set up) that way I know I'm safe. You will need 12 gauge wire for a 20 amp circuit.
For a 30amp circuit you will need to run 10 gauge wire unless it is really far from the panel then you up your wire size.
Don't ever cheap out on power.
 
WrinkleySphinx

WrinkleySphinx

Member
Rezin said:
Ithe only way you can use that breaker is to make sure you run wire rated for 30amps.
If you put too much load on the wire you could start a fire potentially.
I would put in a 20amp breaker and use proper wire rated for 20 amps and a 20 amp plug.( that's my set up) that way I know I'm safe. You will need 12 gauge wire for a 20 amp circuit.
For a 30amp circuit you will need to run 10 gauge wire unless it is really far from the panel then you up your wire size.
Don't ever cheap out on power.
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Rezin,
thanks for the reply. i am now looking at a Hydrofarm MLC 4x 4 light controller. can i hook this directly up to my 30 amp breaker and then run 240v cables from my ballasts to the controller?
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
Get some 12/2 NM and a 20 Amp 2 pole breaker at Home Depot. 10 gauge wire is expensive and a pain in the ass to work with. Also you have to get 30 amp rated outlets, which wont work for standard light fixtures. Scrap the 30 amp breaker, you will be happier, and you will save a lot of money and time. (former electrician)
 
WrinkleySphinx

WrinkleySphinx

Member
Jimdamick said:
Get some 12/2 NM and a 20 Amp 2 pole breaker at Home Depot. 10 gauge wire is expensive and a pain in the ass to work with. Also you have to get 30 amp rated outlets, which wont work for standard light fixtures. Scrap the 30 amp breaker, you will be happier, and you will save a lot of money and time. (former electrician)
Click to expand...
Even if the ballasts are rated for 240?
 
WrinkleySphinx

WrinkleySphinx

Member
My 30 amp breaker is also separate from my main breaker, with knob and tube wiring. probably not the best but its all that i have to work with at the moment.
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
WrinkleySphinx said:
My 30 amp breaker is also separate from my main breaker, with knob and tube wiring. probably not the best but its all that i have to work with at the moment.
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No problem, as you will be running a new wire from your panel to your grow room. Don't worry about the old wiring, sort of, because wherever those wires go to, that means you don't have a ground, which isn't very good, especially for outlets. Good luck.
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
WrinkleySphinx said:
What up Everyone?!
I have an extra 30 amp breaker not being used, and i am interested in adding just one more light to make 2 x 600 watt hps room. I have no idea how to utilize this breaker. Any info or suggestions are greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Actually, screw the 2 pole 20 amp circuit breaker, if you are running 120 volt fixtures. Get 2 single pole 20 amp CB's, that way you can use 2 separate circuits to your room, which will give you all the power that you will need
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
get a 2-pole 20A breaker, and run a 12/2, that way you can use 12/2 instead of 10/2 and still get 240V power...#12 is good to 20A, which a ballast producing 600W will never approach. You will need to change your receptacle(s) and possibly power cords but, A) if you have to run wire anyways why not, and B) your power bill will be worth it.
 
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Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
In my room I have three 120V circuits (work table/flower room auxiliary/mother room aux) all on single pole 20A breakers w #12 wire...then I have a two pole 20A breaker, hooked up to a 12/2 for my 240V circuit, and on that one 240V circuit I run:

-(1) 347W equiv LED (347W/240V=about 1.5A)
-(2) 216W T5s (432W/240V=about 1.8A)
-(1) 1000W baseboard heater (1000W/240V=about 4A)

So running my lights in flower room, mother room and heater on 240V power uses less than 8 amps.
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
Jimdamick said:
Get some 12/2 NM and a 20 Amp 2 pole breaker at Home Depot. 10 gauge wire is expensive and a pain in the ass to work with. Also you have to get 30 amp rated outlets, which wont work for standard light fixtures. Scrap the 30 amp breaker, you will be happier, and you will save a lot of money and time. (former electrician)
Click to expand...
Prob should've read everyone's responses before I basically just repeated everyone
 
Houstini

Houstini

Well-Known Member
if it is a 30A 240v breaker, likely from a water heater or stove that was converted to gas? run it to a 4000w controller. as far as possibilities go, that is where you stand ;)
 
WrinkleySphinx

WrinkleySphinx

Member
right on thanks for the replies.
Its from an A/C receptacle that was never used. Im just going to run a new 10-2 wire from the 30 amp right to the controller. This is what the installation instructions call for from what i can tell.
 
Cpappa27

Cpappa27

Well-Known Member
I would get an electrician, if your not experienced. I was thinking of doing the same thing but I got an electrician to do it properly and to code and charged me an extra 200 for labor after the price of parts and now i have a 40 amp subpanel with plenty of room to upgrade. total 500. Im glad I did it correctly what a piece of mind and if your house burns down because of a wiring fault that was incorrectly installed insurance wont cover it! None of it! Good luck.
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
WrinkleySphinx said:
right on thanks for the replies.
Its from an A/C receptacle that was never used. Im just going to run a new 10-2 wire from the 30 amp right to the controller. This is what the installation instructions call for from what i can tell.
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That would be the right move. Those of us telling you to use #12 and downsize to a 20A breaker were still going on the premise that you were merely adding one more 600W light, like it stated in your OP...obviously if you are maxing that controller out at 4kW, 30A breaker and 10/2 is the way to go.

4000W/240V=about 17A, although that would still technically be inside the 20A range, you want to never plan on using more than 80% of your circuit's capability (16A)
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
Cpappa27 said:
I would get an electrician, if your not experienced. I was thinking of doing the same thing but I got an electrician to do it properly and to code and charged me an extra 200 for labor after the price of parts and now i have a 40 amp subpanel with plenty of room to upgrade. total 500. Im glad I did it correctly what a piece of mind and if your house burns down because of a wiring fault that was incorrectly installed insurance wont cover it! None of it! Good luck.
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Yeah what he said...I am an electrician and one of our contractors is a fire clean-up specialist...usually our jobs are from car fires in garages or kitchen fires or whatever, but every once in awhile you get the 'extremely suspicious, obviously home wired' situations lol...

Using electrical companies can become expensive, so if you have any electrician friends, give them some pizza and some smokage and you should be in business!
 
r.i.kid

r.i.kid

Well-Known Member
DUDE GET A ELECTRICIAN IN THERE .... electric is no joke! you can die or burn down your house easily ....LIKE REALLY EASY... you're messing with your panel that has high voltage coming in.. I was an electrician and this is some coviluded info ppl are throwing at you here..
 
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