DRYER OUTLET CONVERTER/ CONTROLLER

S

SnipesNL

Member
Hi All,

I have searched for the answer to this question all over the internet and seem to find more arguments than answers. I am a Canadian licensed medical grower. I want to be able to use my four plug dryer outlet to run the equipment in that room ( a couple of 1000w lights, fans etc.) I have seen a product called PowerBox but the trust sites I shop at (such as amazon.ca) show it out of stock. So does some grow suppliers. I also seen step up/down converters but they often lack a dryer plug input or seem too cheaply made to trust a few 1000w on.

Does anyone have a good suggestion for a product /subpanel that I can plug into my dryer plug and run some 120 (or is it 110?) v power bars etc off of ? Thanks in advance!
 
Is this your socket style? And are you capable of doing any wiring...or do you want a ready-to-use unit?
JD
 

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This is my socket style. Ideally I want a plug and play option . I would be capable of building of wiring if necessary I had just hoped to keep the dryer plug for when I wanted to use the dryer (in the future not during grow). But I could convert back when necessary if I had to
 
Damn...lost the link...but ran into a powerbox unit on sale ebay. The dpc 4000 one. Try ebay canada and see if it comes up. He wants $125 for it.
JD
 
Saw that. Its on ebay.com (versus ebay.ca.... not sure if that matters) Also correct me if I am wrong but I dont think the outputs are correcT?
 
You can order the config you want..
monstergardens.com

Powerbox DPC-4000

All Powerbox listings can have a handling time of up to 5 business days though some shipments ship same day. (This item may ship directly from Powerbox) Available Configurations: DPC-4000-240V-4P (NEMA 14-30P, 4-Prong Plug) DPC-4000-240V-3P (NEMA 10-30P, 3-Prong Plug) DPC-4000-240V-4HW (4-Wire...
monstergardens.com monstergardens.com
 
SnipesNL said:
Saw that. Its on ebay.com (versus ebay.ca.... not sure if that matters) Also correct me if I am wrong but I dont think the outputs are correcT?
Click to expand...

sockets and plugs in the us have nema designation. Canada probably uses it too. The one in the picture is NEMA 14-30R style...so you will want a NEMA 14-30p (plug).
JD
 
A lighting controller like the power box or a titan helios can be wired using a dryer cord from the hardware store. Just get one that matches the receptacle you have.
 
Just to bring you guys up to date. I did find a couple of powerbox suppliers who deliver to Canada (Thanks @Jypsy Dog ) but it seems powerbox is retooling and supplies are very limited. I have convertible ballasts so I may switch them to 240v and go that route. Secondly I asked my electrician about building something but he didnt seem to really understand what I was saying!
 
Tell him you want a lighting contactor that you can plug into a timer (120 volt coil) that has a 240 volt circuit piped through it. If he's a sparky he will know what a contactor bank is. Then he will wanna assess the load and he will ask how many lights and what kind. Then you are on your way.
 
One could even ask for two contactors, that way one can run veg and one flower lighting cycles.
 
SnipesNL said:
Just to bring you guys up to date. I did find a couple of powerbox suppliers who deliver to Canada (Thanks @Jypsy Dog ) but it seems powerbox is retooling and supplies are very limited. I have convertible ballasts so I may switch them to 240v and go that route. Secondly I asked my electrician about building something but he didnt seem to really understand what I was saying!
Click to expand...


I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. You wanted to use dryer socket but only wanted to pull 120v from it? Maybe just have your electrician set it up.
JD
 
@Renfro Thank you!
@JohnDee I have a 240 v dryer outlet. My equipment is all 120v. So I wanted to be able to use a converter to plug into dryer outlet and power a bunch of outlets I can use my 120v equipment with. I prefer not to rewire dryer outlet as I'd like to use it as a dryer outlet again in future without rewiring it again
 
SnipesNL said:
@Renfro Thank you!
@JohnDee I have a 240 v dryer outlet. My equipment is all 120v. So I wanted to be able to use a converter to plug into dryer outlet and power a bunch of outlets I can use my 120v equipment with. I prefer not to rewire dryer outlet as I'd like to use it as a dryer outlet again in future without rewiring it again
Click to expand...
Does the dryer receptacle have 3 or 4 holes in it? If it has 4 holes then your electrician can indeed use it make the 120v receptacles for your lights. If it's a 3 prong then you can only use it for 240v.
 
What you need is a dryer cord that matches the receptacle and a lighting controller like a Titan Helios.
 
Cheapest fix is to switch the lights to 240 volt since they are convertible then snag a titan helios, wire the dryer cord and be done with it.

If you want the controller to split the dryer 240 to 120 for lights you can do it since you have the 4th prong (neutral) but it's more custom and unless you DIY it's gonna cost more.
 
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