Can someone please help me with the electrical?

C

cobra

Member
I want to setup a flower room within a larger room. Everything is set so far except electrical. Could someone please tell me what would need to be done to run 4,500 watt complete system?

-6 600 watt (8-10 plants per light 3 gallon bags)
-3 8" inline fans (2 with charcoal filters)
-2 squirrel cage fans

I will be using soil. already have a veg area setup with multiple t5 fixtures. This will be a 2 cycle grow and I have a crap load of clones available. The proposed flower room has a 12,000 btu split ac unit already installed. Only the cold air will be vented into flower room and this is only during the 12 hours on.

I am also going to setup up co2 system with hoses and a controller set on a timer.

A qualified electrician will be doing the install. I'm not stupid. I also have a home business that could justify the need for large amounts of usage.

I need to know this so when I get an electrician to come out I am ready with a story that meshes.:-D
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
there is a thread by bricktown 73 called bored electrician willing to answer any ?'s.. may want to check it out.
hope that helps you out some....
 
C

cobra

Member
racerboy71 said:
there is a thread by bricktown 73 called bored electrician willing to answer any ?'s.. may want to check it out.
hope that helps you out some....
Click to expand...
Thanks that thread is crowded I posted a question a few days ago and it got buried. I am hoping maybe my own thread might have better results.

Thanks for the reply. Not the first from you:)
 
T

travish413

Well-Known Member
brimon

brimon

Member
cobra said:
What if I run a 240 Volt line into the room and use this:

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/powerbox-dpc15000c-240v-plugplay-12000w-light-control-p-2579.html

If this would work what would I tell the electrician the line is for?
I was thinking something like a wax melter or something along those lines.
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you will need to get a 60 amp, 240 volt line to that room. It should be on a 60 amp breaker with number 6 wire. Other things that use this much power are stoves, ac, tanning bed, jacuzzi and camper plug-ins. Maybe you can tell him you are adding a hot tub. good luck!!
 
Roland

Roland

Active Member
cobra said:
I want to setup a flower room within a larger room. Everything is set so far except electrical. Could someone please tell me what would need to be done to run 4,500 watt complete system?

-6 600 watt (8-10 plants per light 3 gallon bags)
-3 8" inline fans (2 with charcoal filters)
-2 squirrel cage fans

I will be using soil. already have a veg area setup with multiple t5 fixtures. This will be a 2 cycle grow and I have a crap load of clones that I recently got. The proposed flower room has a 12,000 btu split ac unit already installed. Only the cold air will be vented into flower room and this is only during the 12 hours on.

I am also going to setup up co2 system with hoses and a controller set on a timer.

A qualified electrician will be doing the install. I'm not stupid. I also have a home business that could justify the need for large amounts of usage.

I need to know this so when I get an electrician to come out I am ready with a story that meshes.:-D
Click to expand...
6 - 600 Watt lights = 3600W/220V =16.36 amps ... so a 20 A 230 V circuit will cover that...

your other fans and stuff .... you need to look at the wattage and Voltage (prob 110/120 ? ) ..

tell him u have some exercise equip. .. that reqires 20 A 240 circuit
 
C

cobra

Member
Roland said:
6 - 600 Watt lights = 3600W/220V =16.36 amps ... so a 20 A 230 V circuit will cover that...

your other fans and stuff .... you need to look at the wattage and Voltage (prob 110/120 ? ) ..

tell him u have some exercise equip. .. that reqires 20 A 240 circuit
Click to expand...
I would estimate about additional wattage for other things being about 800-1000 if I put the t5 fixtures in the same room.

I don't know sh*t about electrical. With that out of the way so your saying that is the size of the circuit I should have in installed in the breaker then if I did that what kind of line would I run into the room?

I want to buy a plug and play system to avoid mistakes. I want something like the link I put above. That is my starting point then I am working backwards from there. The budget is there so thats not an issue. I am interested in stealth mostly.

Also how would I avoid power fluctuation when the system turns on? In my house now when the dryer turns on you can see it the lights dim a little.
 
C

cobra

Member
brimon said:
you will need to get a 60 amp, 240 volt line to that room. It should be on a 60 amp breaker with number 6 wire. Other things that use this much power are stoves, ac, tanning bed, jacuzzi and camper plug-ins. Maybe you can tell him you are adding a hot tub. good luck!!
Click to expand...
So this is what I need to make the controller in the link I put to work?

What would I tell the electrician exactly? I am going to say something about a wax melter, but what do I say technically to make that controller and my system work.

Also how can I avoid power surges or dimming when the system turns on?
 
Roland

Roland

Active Member
cobra said:
I would estimate about additional wattage for other things being about 800-1000 if I put the t5 fixtures in the same room.

I don't know sh*t about electrical. With that out of the way so your saying that is the size of the circuit I should have in installed in the breaker then if I did that what kind of line would I run into the room?

I want to buy a plug and play system to avoid mistakes. I want something like the link I put above. That is my starting point then I am working backwards from there. The budget is there so thats not an issue. I am interested in stealth mostly.

Also how would I avoid power fluctuation when the system turns on? In my house now when the dryer turns on you can see it the lights dim a little.
Click to expand...
a new room ? as an additon ? if so ....PERFECT !

run a new sub panel to the new room .......

no questions would be asked and you can get all the power u want

50 amp subpanel will give you all the options u could want

hmmmm lights dim .... could be a bunch o' things ... dryer 110V or 240 ?
 
Roland

Roland

Active Member
Yeah .... that controller is made to give u 10 1000 W lamps .. u said only four... right ?.. from the new sub-panel u just need to put a 240/50A receptacle and plug that baby in ... I wish I could afford a controller like that !! SWEET !

if anybody asks ... say u r gonna put a small arc welder in there ...
 
C

cobra

Member
Roland said:
Yeah .... that controller is made to give u 10 1000 W lamps .. u said only four... right ?.. from the new sub-panel u just need to put a 240/50A receptacle and plug that baby in ... I wish I could afford a controller like that !! SWEET !

if anybody asks ... say u r gonna put a small arc welder in there ...
Click to expand...
Yeah it's an extension.

The dryer is 240 I think.

I want to run 6 600 watts lamps. i am going to install a split unit ac. I plan on making a room inside the room with drywall and venting only the cold ac air into it and venting through the lights out the window.

I estimate about a $400 increase in power. Normally power bill is about $300 to $400 a month.

Where I live ac is not an option it is a necessity.
 
Roland

Roland

Active Member
If it's 240 .. there will be a BIG plug with big prongs and matching receptacle.. it takes a lotta' current to warm up a Dryer .. how bad is the flicker ? momentary ? or worse ?
 
C

cobra

Member
Roland said:
If it's 240 .. there will be a BIG plug with big prongs and matching receptacle.. it takes a lotta' current to warm up a Dryer .. how bad is the flicker ? momentary ? or worse ?
Click to expand...
Then definitely 240 has a giant plug with giant prongs that plugs into a big receptacle. The lights dim momentarily when I switch the dryer on.

Do you think a room that is about 4,500 watts is obvious in regards to power consumption. Like I said I have a business license to operate out of my home.

This is my first indoor grow, however I have been reading and planning for years. Planes and choppers are making things difficult outdoors.
 
Roland

Roland

Active Member
cobra said:
Then definitely 240 has a giant plug with giant prongs that plugs into a big receptacle. The lights dim momentarily when I switch the dryer on.

Do you think a room that is about 4,500 watts is obvious in regards to power consumption. Like I said I have a business license to operate out of my home.

This is my first indoor grow, however I have been reading and planning for years. Planes and choppers are making things difficult outdoors.
Click to expand...
one 600 W at 12/12 runs me about 40.00/mo

if I could afford it and had the place .. I'd go Solar electric

I quit growing outdoos becuz' o' @#$%^&* thieves
 
C

cobra

Member
Roland said:
one 600 W at 12/12 runs me about 40.00/mo

if I could afford it and had the place .. I'd go Solar electric

I quit growing outdoos becuz' o' @#$%^&* thieves
Click to expand...
Rippers suck sorry bout that. A benefit of going indoors. It is easier to protect.

I have thought of going solar. I am not sure though if it is an option here locally. I will check, however I have a large construction loan to add the extension and do some remodeling.

Maybe if I do go solar I would just use it to run the air conditioners and the water heater. I am only gonna grow once with two flowering cycles for now. That's all I have planned.

Maybe after that smaller scale once or twice a year we'll see.

I am going to run the flower room opposite the veg room to try and level out power consumption a bit. Any suggestions there?
 
IAm5toned

IAm5toned

Well-Known Member
cobra said:
Also how would I avoid power fluctuation when the system turns on? In my house now when the dryer turns on you can see it the lights dim a little.
Click to expand...
What size is your main electrical service?

if your lights dim from a 20-30 amp load from a dryer you might have serious issues adding a continuous duty load of 60 amps...

you need to make sure your service equipment (main disconnect and service drop from the street) is large enough to handle the additional load before you get in over your head, you might need a major service upgrade. a grow op uses power on a continuous duty cycle, the only other thinkgs in your house rated for continuous duty are the central a/c units, water heaters and kitchen equipment.... the fact that your lights dim when the dryer kicks on says you have problems already... bongsmilie
ps- you havent even begun to spend yet if you go solar.
solar panels and wind generators take battery banks to work right.... a fact often left out by the advertisers/ lobbyists. expansive, heavy, and bulky, the battery banks are also expensive as hell and usually require maintenance and replacement every few years.....
for example a 15amp-hour 12v battery will only put out 180watts for one hour before it runs dead. how many batteries will it take to run your op for 12 or 18 hours? it will take hundreds of them.
 
C

cobra

Member
IAm5toned said:
What size is your main electrical service?

if your lights dim from a 20-30 amp load from a dryer you might have serious issues adding a continuous duty load of 60 amps...

you need to make sure your service equipment (main disconnect and service drop from the street) is large enough to handle the additional load before you get in over your head, you might need a major service upgrade. a grow op uses power on a continuous duty cycle, the only other thinkgs in your house rated for continuous duty are the central a/c units, water heaters and kitchen equipment.... the fact that your lights dim when the dryer kicks on says you have problems already... bongsmilie
ps- you havent even begun to spend yet if you go solar.
solar panels and wind generators take battery banks to work right.... a fact often left out by the advertisers/ lobbyists. expansive, heavy, and bulky, the battery banks are also expensive as hell and usually require maintenance and replacement every few years.....
for example a 15amp-hour 12v battery will only put out 180watts for one hour before it runs dead. how many batteries will it take to run your op for 12 or 18 hours? it will take hundreds of them.
Click to expand...
The dryer is on a sub panel I think. there are two fuse boxes in my house the main inside of the house and one over in the laundry room. The washer doesn't make the lights dim so I don't know what that means.

We upgraded we used to have an electrical stove, now we have gas. our house also has 1 12,000 btu, 2 24,000 btu ac and a crap load of electrical appliances, huge water heater....

Hopefully it's not a problem with the connection. i think it might be that the person we bought the house from was a do it yourself type who's number one priority wasn't quality. Maybe it is just the dryer connection? or maybe it is the sub panel installed in that room? The bank inspected the home though before we got the loan and an electrician came out.

I know solar is very expensive. I was only saying it is a possibility to help lower overall power bill. My power bill without grow runs from $400-$1500 (at the most). With the setup I want to run I estimate it will run around $350-$450 extra a month with ac.

I don't think the increase will be to suspicious especially with a little conserving on power and add the fact I have a home business.

Veg I will be running only about 375-500 watts of t5s. Then a month later I will add the 6 600 watt hps bulbs with 3 8" charcoal filtered fans and a 12000 btu ac.

So total with ac maybe 5,500 or so. So I think it would be a little over 45 amps right? What do you think?
 
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