A Bored Electrician to Answer Your Questions

IAm5toned said:

wire what? lol.. you showed me a picture of a light bulb... wires dont connect to light bulbs...
the light bulb connects to a socket, which, if the lamp in question is an HID lamp, connects to a ballast that consists of a transformer, a capacitor, and possibly an ignitor. the ballast should in turn be connected to a timer relay, which in turn is connected to your line voltage. also any cooling fans should also be running on the same timer cycle as the lamp.

your not giving me enough information to help you out man, im not trying to be a smart ass.

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Ok mate, we're on the same page now.

Basically, I'm going to grow it in a speaker box. Don't worry about how viable that will be etc.

I plan to place a singular, small Light in there, such as a lightbulb (HPS preferably)

If it gets too hot, i'll use another.

I also plan to place a PC fan in there.

All I'd like to know is:

Is it possible to wire a light bulb and fan so they both plug into a wall socket. (seperate sockets each)

If this were to be done, I realise some modifications will have to be made, perhaps adding a series of resistors, a ballast etc

Perhaps I Could buy a light that's usually installed in a roof, and rewire it from there - avoiding having to worry about excess voltage / current etc.

PLan so far :

shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to keep everything where I want it with wires attached to it

Hmm just thinking about it, the light that will come out of the back of it due to the mesh will be easy to spot at night. Speakers dont glow. Perhaps I could position the fan so it's back is facing the actual clothy, mesh type stuff that covers the front of a speaker on the outside, in hope that it can draw air through that.

Okay - to start it off (and yes I answered a guys question on page 1 on my last post - oops!) with my first question: What is a good/economic timer setup to run my fans/150 watt hps/400mh/ and a couple of low voltage doo-dads? I'm looking for multiple on/off times daily and multiple outlets (example: fans seperate time from lights etc.) I pulled off my timer as i put my ladies in a little 48 hour beauty nap before my first harvest and it was a ball of melted plastic and a couple of misshapen prongs - how it had worked before is a mystery and yes I feel lucky! Looking into either a heavy duty outdoor model with 2 outlets which is a little spendy or maybe one of those outlet timers I saw at the Home Depot piggy-backed off a dedicated outlet - (also spendy for me I just hobby grow). I love DIY andI am not beyond frying myself, but I do have some experience with electricity as well as a really nice meter and a lot of general construction knowledge - any ideas here are welcome and i love links if anyone feels like posting . . . well thanks! Grow them tomaters big!!

Hey for the light and fan in different sockets question - yes you can put a fan and light on one socket if it has a power strip there. I think our local electrician might recommend a surge protector or something with a little more protection to reduce risk off fire from excessive heat from alot of power (or something like that). For the record - I'm not sure it's safe, but I have had my phone charger/heater/electric guitar/xbox360 all on a standard garage sale power strip with a lot of other things - on the same circuit for several years. I might be reading into this a little far - but, are you trying to set your fan and light on the same little $10 Wal - Mart timer I did? If so - be careful . . . mine melted - and check and make sure you're not exceeding the voltage specified on whatever fuse is in your box (or just ask our man here). In any case, if you are more specific with your questions, some of the wonderful people here at RUI with such varied technical knowledge can answer your question better! Not tryin to be harsh bro - it's all good in this hood! Let us know whats up!

TwinkleToes said:

Okay - to start it off (and yes I answered a guys question on page 1 on my last post - oops!) with my first question: What is a good/economic timer setup to run my fans/150 watt hps/400mh/ and a couple of low voltage doo-dads? I'm looking for multiple on/off times daily and multiple outlets (example: fans seperate time from lights etc.) I pulled off my timer as i put my ladies in a little 48 hour beauty nap before my first harvest and it was a ball of melted plastic and a couple of misshapen prongs - how it had worked before is a mystery and yes I feel lucky! Looking into either a heavy duty outdoor model with 2 outlets which is a little spendy or maybe one of those outlet timers I saw at the Home Depot piggy-backed off a dedicated outlet - (also spendy for me I just hobby grow). I love DIY andI am not beyond frying myself, but I do have some experience with electricity as well as a really nice meter and a lot of general construction knowledge - any ideas here are welcome and i love links if anyone feels like posting . . . well thanks! Grow them tomaters big!!

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let me point you in the right direction-


mechanical time switches/contactors
http://www.tork.com/tork/elecmech.aspx

digital time switches/contactors/cycle timers-
http://www.tork.com/tork/digital.aspx

those are the cadilacs of timers and controls

the digital ones are nice but pricey.
take a look to see what you might want, and if the price range is too high, i might be able to show you a cheaper way of building something that does the exact same thing. just google the model numbers to find prices, you cant buy direct from tork unless in wholesale quantity. although unless you enjoy DIY its usually easier to just buy something complete, both for warranty reasons and ease of mind.

whatsgoinon said:

Ok mate, we're on the same page now.

Basically, I'm going to grow it in a speaker box. Don't worry about how viable that will be etc.

I plan to place a singular, small Light in there, such as a lightbulb (HPS preferably)

If it gets too hot, i'll use another.

I also plan to place a PC fan in there.

All I'd like to know is:

Is it possible to wire a light bulb and fan so they both plug into a wall socket. (seperate sockets each)

If this were to be done, I realise some modifications will have to be made, perhaps adding a series of resistors, a ballast etc

Perhaps I Could buy a light that's usually installed in a roof, and rewire it from there - avoiding having to worry about excess voltage / current etc.

PLan so far :

shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to keep everything where I want it with wires attached to it

Hmm just thinking about it, the light that will come out of the back of it due to the mesh will be easy to spot at night. Speakers dont glow. Perhaps I could position the fan so it's back is facing the actual clothy, mesh type stuff that covers the front of a speaker on the outside, in hope that it can draw air through that.

Click to expand...

you will need to move the fan to the top of the box, and reverse the direction so that it sucks air out of the speaker box, or else your creating a heat trap, which will crisp the top of the plant as it tries to grow up, fan or no fan blowing on it. the basic fundamental of heat managment say that its most efficient to remove heat, not force fresh air in. you will need to leave a hole in the bottom of the box to allow air in, as well. this is called supply/return. the hole in the bottom supplies fresh air to the cab, and the fan at the top of the box returns it the atmosphere, removing heat accumulated at the top of the box. i stress this point because heat is going to be your enemy in that setup.

the lamp position is fine. again, because of heat, the ballast must be mounted outside the box, so you will need a set of wires running from the lamp socket, to the ballast/ignitor-cap combo. honestly, id reccomend a digital ballast both for ease of installation, small space, and less heat. and i really dont care for a digi ballast.

you will need an additional power supply/transformer for the PC fan, PC fans run off of different voltage than the line voltage found at your wall outlets, so your going to have to find one(trans) for it, as well.

so thats the very very basics. and one mor ething- your going to need a timer, unless your growing autoflowering plants. thats critical.

and yeah, that mesh wont work, light leaks. light leaking out sux, it might compromise your op, get annoting, etc etc, but the real hassle is light leaking in... cannabis flowers by photoperiod in other words its the duration of both light and darkness that tell the plant to start flower production.... if light leaks in, it will confuse the plant and cause it to go hermie, and go to seed.......

So I've returned to this post numerous times I've found it to be very useful. I have now another question. I am moving my grow room to a new space and I had new power requirements. Here's a run down of what I've done to this point.

1. 2 new 30amp circuits have been run one to my flower room and one to my veg room. Each of them are connected to a 3 prong dryer plug.
2. I had the guy at my local hydro shop fabricate a power unit with timers.

The last step is where I am unsure. Both units were supposed to be 6 plugs at 240v that are controlled by a timer and 1 plug at 120v that is not controlled by the timer. However, they don't look quite right to me. I have attached photos for review.

I guess they are both technically correct but the first photo is more of what I was looking for. Can I just go down to home depot and swap the plugs out on photo #2 with ones like #1? My 240v plugs all look like #1 or just like 120v plugs.

Now my next question the plugs that look more like a 120v plug, could I technically plug 120v powered items like fans into those 240v plugs and them actually work?

Thanks in advance.

shinedog said:

So I've returned to this post numerous times I've found it to be very useful. I have now another question. I am moving my grow room to a new space and I had new power requirements. Here's a run down of what I've done to this point.

1. 2 new 30amp circuits have been run one to my flower room and one to my veg room. Each of them are connected to a 3 prong dryer plug.
2. I had the guy at my local hydro shop fabricate a power unit with timers.

The last step is where I am unsure. Both units were supposed to be 6 plugs at 240v that are controlled by a timer and 1 plug at 120v that is not controlled by the timer. However, they don't look quite right to me. I have attached photos for review.

I guess they are both technically correct but the first photo is more of what I was looking for. Can I just go down to home depot and swap the plugs out on photo #2 with ones like #1? My 240v plugs all look like #1 or just like 120v plugs.

Now my next question the plugs that look more like a 120v plug, could I technically plug 120v powered items like fans into those 240v plugs and them actually work?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

what you need to do is change the cords... or at least the cord end... cut it off and get a 240v male that matches your outlets.

im really not sure how your man wired it, you might want to take it back and explain to him whats wrong.

and no, a 120v device will not run on 240v, it will burn

In all reality wouldn't it be cheaper to just go to Home Depot and swap out the outlets that are like this - - to ones that are like this -| | Aren't they both 240v? I imagine the wiring is exactly the same.

From what I can tell there is a dryer plug that connects to a timer. Then the wires come out of the timer and to the outlets. They both look identical with the exception of the outlet itself.

the outlets with the vertical slots are for 120v only. its bad enough you have 240v on 120v receptacles.
the reason being, like i stated before, a 120v device will burn and may even explode if you put 240v on it.
thats the reason the 240v outlets have horizontal slots... so you cant plug in a 120v device by accident.
the guy that built your board should have known better, because what you have is not even legal, by any means.
if your bound and determined to use 120v receptacles to run 240v, theres nothing i can do to stop you from doing it, but like i said before it would be best if you changed the cords instead of the receptacles.
sorry if its not the answer your looking for... what I would do is use 240v receptacles, with 240v cords, and not rig up something to 'make it work' like your wanting to.
actually, i would take it back to the guy that built it, and make him do it... and in the process check it all with a meter to make sure that theres 120v where theres supposed to be 120v and 240v where theres supposed to be 240v but thats just me, because i would be pissed if i plugged in a brand new 120v extraction fan or digital ballast into a 240v plug by accident and blew some shit up in my face......

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shinedog said:

So I've returned to this post numerous times I've found it to be very useful. I have now another question. I am moving my grow room to a new space and I had new power requirements. Here's a run down of what I've done to this point.

1. 2 new 30amp circuits have been run one to my flower room and one to my veg room. Each of them are connected to a 3 prong dryer plug.
2. I had the guy at my local hydro shop fabricate a power unit with timers.

The last step is where I am unsure. Both units were supposed to be 6 plugs at 240v that are controlled by a timer and 1 plug at 120v that is not controlled by the timer. However, they don't look quite right to me. I have attached photos for review.

I guess they are both technically correct but the first photo is more of what I was looking for. Can I just go down to home depot and swap the plugs out on photo #2 with ones like #1? My 240v plugs all look like #1 or just like 120v plugs.

Now my next question the plugs that look more like a 120v plug, could I technically plug 120v powered items like fans into those 240v plugs and them actually work?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

YIKES!

Those are 20 amp 125 volt outlets... RETURN ASAP and get your money back, if you can?

welcome aboard!

IAm5toned said:

welcome aboard!

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Thanks, you know your shit, so you are worth following...
And thanks for your contributions too...

Hi, just need some electrical advice!
I would like to know what the maximum load capacity would be for my growroom so that I can determine the safest way to set up my equipment and to avoid the breaker tripping as soon as i get everything going! I could really do with a simple circuit for setting it all up too if you could kindly oblige!

Im guessing you need some info to determine that so il give you what I know!

Im im Ireland, so we have 230V AC here. Im not sure what the amp ratings are, im assuming its the same as in UK and ive collected this info regarding amperage, (although i dont have a clue what it means!):
Ring main maximum am reating 32a
Radial Circuit maximum amp rating 16a
Individual plugs up to 13a

I have 1 outlet with 2 sockets in the room.
I am hoping to run 2 aircooled 1000 watt HPS and ballasts, 4 water pumps, an exhaust fan and intake fan, and 2 oscillating fans. Would all of this equipment combined be a safe load for the circuit?

I also have no clue how to go about setting up some sort of thermostat/RH meter to control fan speed, so any help there would be greatly appreciated too!

I look forward to hearing from you and thanks again for the great service you are doing for your fellow growers!

Peace,
Sadista

i feel like a n00b asking this question but , my grow opp is in my basement and on my fuse-box, the basement fuse says 20amp 10kA 120/240v. now i plan to purchase a 600w hps lamp and proper ballast. question is can i plug my ballast strait into the wall. or do i need to do add something so i dont blow or damage anything

SIB.ANNA.C said:

i feel like a n00b asking this question but , my grow opp is in my basement and on my fuse-box, the basement fuse says 20amp 10kA 120/240v. now i plan to purchase a 600w hps lamp and proper ballast. question is can i plug my ballast strait into the wall. or do i need to do add something so i dont blow or damage anything

Click to expand...

nope, just plug in the ballast, and you should be good to go.

Sadista said:

Hi, just need some electrical advice!
I would like to know what the maximum load capacity would be for my growroom so that I can determine the safest way to set up my equipment and to avoid the breaker tripping as soon as i get everything going! I could really do with a simple circuit for setting it all up too if you could kindly oblige!

Im guessing you need some info to determine that so il give you what I know!

Im im Ireland, so we have 230V AC here. Im not sure what the amp ratings are, im assuming its the same as in UK and ive collected this info regarding amperage, (although i dont have a clue what it means!):
Ring main maximum am reating 32a
Radial Circuit maximum amp rating 16a
Individual plugs up to 13a

I have 1 outlet with 2 sockets in the room.
I am hoping to run 2 aircooled 1000 watt HPS and ballasts, 4 water pumps, an exhaust fan and intake fan, and 2 oscillating fans. Would all of this equipment combined be a safe load for the circuit?

I also have no clue how to go about setting up some sort of thermostat/RH meter to control fan speed, so any help there would be greatly appreciated too!

I look forward to hearing from you and thanks again for the great service you are doing for your fellow growers!

Peace,
Sadista

Click to expand...

first off for safety's sake, i am going to assume that is a radial circuit, and not a main ring circuit, so were going to go with the smaller rating, 16a.
that circuit will run 2944 watts of growing power for your needs. just make sure theres nothing else running on it though before you try and plug in all that equipment.
your lights are going to to use almost 2200 of the 2944watts tho, keep that in mind, that will only leave 744 watts to run everything else in the op.

to control the lights, i would suggest this, in the 20 amp model.

for the pumps- your going to want a cycle timer its a must have.

and for fan/temp control, this

the prices on that equipment are very high, but as im not from the UK/IRL I wouldnt know where to find that equipment at a better price, but that is what you basically need, so if you can shop around and find something cheaper, go for it, just remember the lights will use 11 amps so make sure any lighting controller/contactor is ratred for at least 11 amps or greater.... and ill be glad to help you out on how everything connects together.
you said ur growing in a basement, so im thinking RH is not going to be a problem

Hey there. I read through some pages so I'll go ahead and ask ...

I am moving into a new apartment, and plan to run a 600watt hps there. I want to be sure that a 600w will not cause problems with breakers/load etc. What can I pre-check to make sure that the place is properly rigged up, and that all will function before signing the lease?

Thanks for offering your help.

find the room you want to put the light in, and shut off everything else in the house at the breaker panel. then walk around with a simple lamp or something you can plug in, and see what outlets are still hot. in apts the biggest concern (besides heat) is other stuff on the circuit your wanting to put the light on. by knowing what outlets that circuit is on, then you know what outlets to try an avoid plugging other stuff into besides your op. a 600w doesnt pull that much, but if your trying to run a pc, and tv/ent combo on the same circuit(which happens alot in apts) you run into problems.

IAm5toned said:

first off for safety's sake, i am going to assume that is a radial circuit, and not a main ring circuit, so were going to go with the smaller rating, 16a.
that circuit will run 2944 watts of growing power for your needs. just make sure theres nothing else running on it though before you try and plug in all that equipment.
your lights are going to to use almost 2200 of the 2944watts tho, keep that in mind, that will only leave 744 watts to run everything else in the op.

to control the lights, i would suggest this, in the 20 amp model.

for the pumps- your going to want a cycle timer its a must have.

and for fan/temp control, this

the prices on that equipment are very high, but as im not from the UK/IRL I wouldnt know where to find that equipment at a better price, but that is what you basically need, so if you can shop around and find something cheaper, go for it, just remember the lights will use 11 amps so make sure any lighting controller/contactor is ratred for at least 11 amps or greater.... and ill be glad to help you out on how everything connects together.
you said ur growing in a basement, so im thinking RH is not going to be a problem

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Not growing in a basement, it is a spare room on the 3rd floor of my house.
When you say 2944 watts is that the maximum load for the 2 sockets in that room only or is it the max load for that floor or say 2 rooms?
I ask this because if it is the latter then we might have a problem. My main bedroom is beside the growroom. We have 2 outlets (4 sockets) on the same wall. The 2 sockets in the grow room are on this wall also so im guessing they are on the same circuit.
We have 2 laptops, a 42inch tv, a 23 inch TV 2 xbox 360s,modems and various other small appliances plugged into these sockets, most of which are switched on constantly or for a good chunk of the day. would this be a problem if running all of the other equipment in the growroom? Is there anything I can do/check to figure out exactly how much the circuit can take? sorry if I sound like a retard, i just dont want to go spending lots of money on grow equipment if Im gonna have to give up everything else to allow it to run lol!