400w hps blew my outlet..anybody have this happen?

mrmadcow

Well-Known Member
...only other shit on that circuit was my garage light, hallway light, kitchen light, refrigerator, oven and mircowave. ......runs on a 20amp fuse, electric did not return when we unplugged it, just threw a new 20amp fuse in the fuse box and the electric is back on...what the hell is going on?? is my ballast fried now?
I am surprised the microwave and fridge work on the same fuse- both draw alot of power when on.if you are using fuses, that tells me it is an OLD house w/ old wiring. most of the old houses I have worked on have 14 gauge wiring so the fuse should be 15 amp. when the circuit gets over loaded & people get tired of replacing the fuse,they just pop a larger one in.I have even seen 30 amp fuses on 14 gauge wires & a penny placed behind a blown fuse.DONT TRY THIS!! it will lead to a fire.
even w/out the grow, you should call an electrician.most homeowners insurance companies charge extra because of outdated electric services.when upgrading to a breaker box,your electrician can break the existing circuits up and advise where you need new wiring.
hate to bring bad news but to be safe,you probably need to spend a few grand. it will be worth it to avoid a fire.
Fires suck!! I just spent last night helping a buddy clean out his house- his attached garage burned to the ground yesterday morning.no fire damage to house but due to smoke damage,its unlivable.
 

DJ GreenThumb

Active Member
It is really not that hard to run an additional circuit, depends on how many amp service you have though. How far is your panel from your grow room? Do you have attic access? It really comes down to your level of comfort working with electricity. When wiring up an outlet rule of thumb is Black on brass to save your ass.......hot wire, usually black, sometimes red always goes on the brass screw and your neutral, the white wire goes on the silver screw, ground, green goes on the green screw. In the panel the black goes to the breaker, the white goes to the neutral bus and green goes to the ground bus, a lot of panels share the same bus bar for ground and neutral but not always.
 
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