240v 1000w dimmable HPS, but is the newer smaller version

[blazeaglory420]

Hello all. I recently bought a very nice, almost new, 1000w HPS with dimmable ballast. Only problem is, when I got home, I noticed the system was 240v. I really love the compact nature of this light, it fits perfect in 2 in 1 tent. There are no flanges for ducting for exhaust but I can just hang one above it or close. Plus it's dimmable to 600w if needed

So, after some research, I've purchased a "up/down 3000w converter". Seems legit and has good ratings but my question is, has anyone went this route over a typical 110v/120v? Would this be dangerous? And finally, would it be pulling 10v from the wall and converting it to 5v for the 240v, correct?

So I'm not really getting a "lower volt bonus" because technically it's still pulling 10v.

Anyways, all advice and info is appreciated. And thank you in advance!

 

[TorturedSoul]

Oh, my. I'd love to have one of those light setups - if I grew cannabis somewhere inside the Arctic circle . But it's only cold enough to snow here maybe two and a half or three months out of the year. Other than that, I have Spring, Autumn... and Summer. So I wouldn't run even a 600-watt HID here without it being in an air-cooled "sealed" reflector, so that I could bring cooler air in from somewhere other than my grow space, pass it directly through the reflector housing, and then right out of the grow without ever coming into contact with the general environment.

(Some folks would just use one big exhaust fan to pull air into the grow, on into the air-cooled reflector, and then out of the grow space. But that's less efficient in many ways (including generally making the carbon filter get "used up" quicker due to the hot air passing through it). IDK, maybe they can afford more expensive fans/filters and... you know... central a/c. But my input air isn't going to be in the mid-60s this time of year and it sure won't be in the middle of August.)

I wouldn't have a HID ballast inside my grow space even if it was only a 250-watt one, because, well, why would I, lol, there's no point.

At 1,000 watts - and at 3.412141633 BTU per watt - that bulb will be producing a little over 3,400 BTU of heat the entire time it is running, and Lord knows how much the ballast will contribute on top of that. I have a little electric heater that is capable of 5,000 BTU output at its full input of 1,500 watts, but my electrical system was designed in the dark ages (so to speak - 1920s ) so I can only run it, at best, on its 900-watt setting. It probably produces somewhere in the neighborhood of the heat that your HPS bulb produces, and it managed to keep me warm(ish) in my bedroom when the rest of my home was in the mid-40s. I'm just saying.

But that's not your problem. Or not your PROBLEM, major.

Your major problem is that your second picture shows that you have a California zip code and-- well, pause that thought for a second. <SCRATCHES HEAD> I don't know where you got the idea that a 240V device is going to pull ten volts from your wall, but it won't (the amperage that'd involve might involve electrical cables thick as your wrist, lol, IDK).

Anyway, you appear to live in California, but you bought a transformer called an ELC T-2000 from Amazon. I just did a quick search on that website for an ELC T-2000 and found the item. It is mentioned in that item's reviews, the main body of the text description, and quite prominently on top of the page (second bullet-point) that it's intended for... Well, I'll just paste the text from that second bullet-point:

NOTE: This converter is designed only for European/Asian 220V (Single Phase) , it will not Work with American 220 (Dual Phase)

...which might not be a problem if you were on vacation in "the old country" when you bought your HID and then brought it back to the United States at the end of your trip, I suppose. But if you just went to your local neighborhood store and bought your light, it's probably set up for the normal 240V outlets (and wiring!) that are found here.

So that is probably going to be a problem. Another potential problem is that HID (HPS/MH) lighting devices are electrical ones and no electrical device yet invented by Homo sapiens is truly 100% efficient, so you're going to have some "overhead" beyond the 1,000 watts. How much, I don't know. But you'd need to find out. (IF that converter device is even physically usable at your location and IF you decide to take a chance - and I'm not just speaking of whether it will light up your bulb; if your house burns down because of it, your insurance investigator is going to deny your claim due to the fact that it is NOT approved for the use that you are intending to put it to... it's not even UL-certified, although it is CE-certified (European certification agency).)

The reason you need to find out how much overhead your light has, what its total electrical consumption is, is that the fourth bullet-point at the top of that converter's item page is:

MAX - 2000 Watt for 30 Mins Use. For continuous use: 1100W. Make sure you multiply x2 the wattage of your item and get a transformer bigger than that

...so if your light consumes more than 1,100 watts, it'd probably be dangerous even if used with the appropriate cord/plug/light.

BtW, that fifth bullet-point:

WARNING: We do not recommend for high wattage heat producing items such as Coffee Maker, Expresso Machine, Toaster & Welding Equipment ETC

...would have me feeling somewhat concerned, too. 3,400+ BTU/hour of heat - plus the not insignificant heat output from the ballast - might qualify, IDK.

Remember kids, only YOU can prevent forest fires. No, wait... Well, you get the picture.

Your light's ballast might be capable of running off of different voltages, either by simple rewiring or - more likely, since it appears to be an electronic one - automatically, by the use of a 110VAC cordset instead of the 240V one. Maybe, maybe not. Read the instruction pamphlet that comes with it, examine the box, and/or contact the manufacturer.

If this is an option, well, then it is an option. If so, remember that fifth-grade science lesson in which we were taught the simple formula, Watts = Amps * Volts. The wattage wouldn't change, so if you halve the voltage, you double the amperage. So if the electrical information tag/sticker on your light states that it's 4.5 amps @ 240V, it'll be more like 9 amps when run off of a 120V outlet (technically a little less - but some of my outlets only measure 113V at the wall ). I'm just guessing on the actual number; you'll have to look on the tag and double it. Well, more than double it, because you're wanting to supply what you've stated is a 240VAC device from a 220V transformer.

A voltage converter, also having been designed/invented/manufactured by H. sapiens, isn't 100% efficient, either, so you'd have some additional loses when using such a device that would need to be factored in, too.

If you have an auto-voltage ballast, if you can get the correct 120V cord, if you have a nearby 120V outlet (no extension cords, lol), and IF the circuit the outlet is supplied from has sufficient unused capacity, then that's one way.

Assuming I had a modern circuit breaker panel instead of a 97-year old 30-amp(!) fuse box, I'd just add a new breaker of the correct voltage, run a line to the grow space and install a new outlet (again, of the correct voltage). It's straightforward, although it can be a bit of a PITA to fish a new wiring run through existing walls.

But that bit about getting 10V from a 240V outlet, along with the general impression of confusion, tells me to not recommend you run to the corner hardware store to purchase a new breaker, wire, outlet, etc. The good news is that cannabis is legal in California, lol. Start looking for an electrician who works for himself/herself and who'll do the work in exchange for an ounce (or two, or three) of bud at harvest time. Or just pay an electrician up front to do it I guess but if what I heard on NPR several months ago about an average two-bedroom house in California getting advertised for some crazy price like $842,000 instead of $45,000 to $60,000 (and then selling for $1.2M, WtF? I mean... seriously, lol, what the f*cking f*ck?!?! Why don't people just move to a state where there's water and you can buy a house for less than the cost of a decent contract killer, LMAO?), then I'd assume that anyone working for their own self would have to charge a few hundred bucks per hour for their labor in order to make the vig with their local loan shark. So try the barter system, maybe.

Or just take the light setup back and get a 1,000-watt one that's set up for 120VAC. Preferably one with an air-cooled reflector and a REMOTE ballast. Or buy a pair of 600 watt ones, they're more efficient (and you could then take advantage of the "third-light effect" in the area between the two light fixtures).

Good luck!

 

[blazeaglory420]

Great info! Man you really went all out with that post! I think you answered all my questions!

To start, I'm fairly knowledgeable in regards to the basics of electric setups but the voltage always confused me a bit. That's why, to my shock and frustration, when I realized I had bought a 240v ballast, I kinda kicked myself in the butt. Oh yah, i bought the 2000watt converter just to give it some extra room.

I agree about the ballast being in the tent, that's anther thing that was and is bothering me. I was thinking, prior to reading your response, and planning on seeing how hot it actually got with a temp meter and if it got overly hot, I would dim to 600 watts. But I agree, its going to get HOT. I have experience running 1000w, sun system HPS that had glass and ducting and intake/exhaust fans running and during summer the room would get into the low 80s. Not too bad but then again, it was a 15x15' room with fresh cool air being sucked in. This light will be in a 24"x60" closet tent...lol I'll have an intake pulling cool air from under house, into bottom of tent, while exhausting hot air out through top. Just a planning stage tho. After reading your response, I'm going to look for a regular 110/120v.

You're right, even tho I got some skills, I don't feel comfortable messing with my houses electricity (family house). THANK God my uncle works for Edison for the last 40 years and can rewire a house with his eyes closed. I mean, if I ever did decide for a breaker box upgrade or rewire. But I thought the 220V/240v would draw 5 volts (roughly) while the 110/120 would draw 10volts correct? I mean I get the basics and have wired systems before, but have never dealt with anything other than 110/120. I have tons of books on the subject but trying to find, or force, a fix for this purchase is bugging me. So like you suggested,ill just go with 2x 600w with non attached ballast using the standard voltage.

Side note, we do have a 220v plug (I think) in the garage. Its the plug with the two top diagonal prongs. Could run a extension cord? But now that I think about it, my 1000w light has two sideways flat prongs so no, that wouldnt work.lol ALL I WANTED WAS A DIMMABLE 1000W HPS lol

Thanks for the info. I'm going to return to this thread and re- read your response so I can understand better. So thank you so much for taking the time to give that much detail. But now I'm stuck with a light. I'll just send the converter box back to Amazon ASAP

 

[blazeaglory420]

Oh, my. I'd love to have one of those light setups - if I grew cannabis somewhere inside the Arctic circle . But it's only cold enough to snow here maybe two and a half or three months out of the year. Other than that, I have Spring, Autumn... and Summer. So I wouldn't run even a 600-watt HID here without it being in an air-cooled "sealed" reflector, so that I could bring cooler air in from somewhere other than my grow space, pass it directly through the reflector housing, and then right out of the grow without ever coming into contact with the general environment.

(Some folks would just use one big exhaust fan to pull air into the grow, on into the air-cooled reflector, and then out of the grow space. But that's less efficient in many ways (including generally making the carbon filter get "used up" quicker due to the hot air passing through it). IDK, maybe they can afford more expensive fans/filters and... you know... central a/c. But my input air isn't going to be in the mid-60s this time of year and it sure won't be in the middle of August.)

I wouldn't have a HID ballast inside my grow space even if it was only a 250-watt one, because, well, why would I, lol, there's no point.

At 1,000 watts - and at 3.412141633 BTU per watt - that bulb will be producing a little over 3,400 BTU of heat the entire time it is running, and Lord knows how much the ballast will contribute on top of that. I have a little electric heater that is capable of 5,000 BTU output at its full input of 1,500 watts, but my electrical system was designed in the dark ages (so to speak - 1920s ) so I can only run it, at best, on its 900-watt setting. It probably produces somewhere in the neighborhood of the heat that your HPS bulb produces, and it managed to keep me warm(ish) in my bedroom when the rest of my home was in the mid-40s. I'm just saying.

But that's not your problem. Or not your PROBLEM, major.

Your major problem is that your second picture shows that you have a California zip code and-- well, pause that thought for a second. <SCRATCHES HEAD> I don't know where you got the idea that a 240V device is going to pull ten volts from your wall, but it won't (the amperage that'd involve might involve electrical cables thick as your wrist, lol, IDK).

Anyway, you appear to live in California, but you bought a transformer called an ELC T-2000 from Amazon. I just did a quick search on that website for an ELC T-2000 and found the item. It is mentioned in that item's reviews, the main body of the text description, and quite prominently on top of the page (second bullet-point) that it's intended for... Well, I'll just paste the text from that second bullet-point:

...which might not be a problem if you were on vacation in "the old country" when you bought your HID and then brought it back to the United States at the end of your trip, I suppose. But if you just went to your local neighborhood store and bought your light, it's probably set up for the normal 240V outlets (and wiring!) that are found here.

So that is probably going to be a problem. Another potential problem is that HID (HPS/MH) lighting devices are electrical ones and no electrical device yet invented by Homo sapiens is truly 100% efficient, so you're going to have some "overhead" beyond the 1,000 watts. How much, I don't know. But you'd need to find out. (IF that converter device is even physically usable at your location and IF you decide to take a chance - and I'm not just speaking of whether it will light up your bulb; if your house burns down because of it, your insurance investigator is going to deny your claim due to the fact that it is NOT approved for the use that you are intending to put it to... it's not even UL-certified, although it is CE-certified (European certification agency).)

The reason you need to find out how much overhead your light has, what its total electrical consumption is, is that the fourth bullet-point at the top of that converter's item page is:

...so if your light consumes more than 1,100 watts, it'd probably be dangerous even if used with the appropriate cord/plug/light.

BtW, that fifth bullet-point:

...would have me feeling somewhat concerned, too. 3,400+ BTU/hour of heat - plus the not insignificant heat output from the ballast - might qualify, IDK.

Remember kids, only YOU can prevent forest fires. No, wait... Well, you get the picture.

Your light's ballast might be capable of running off of different voltages, either by simple rewiring or - more likely, since it appears to be an electronic one - automatically, by the use of a 110VAC cordset instead of the 240V one. Maybe, maybe not. Read the instruction pamphlet that comes with it, examine the box, and/or contact the manufacturer.

If this is an option, well, then it is an option. If so, remember that fifth-grade science lesson in which we were taught the simple formula, Watts = Amps * Volts. The wattage wouldn't change, so if you halve the voltage, you double the amperage. So if the electrical information tag/sticker on your light states that it's 4.5 amps @ 240V, it'll be more like 9 amps when run off of a 120V outlet (technically a little less - but some of my outlets only measure 113V at the wall ). I'm just guessing on the actual number; you'll have to look on the tag and double it. Well, more than double it, because you're wanting to supply what you've stated is a 240VAC device from a 220V transformer.

A voltage converter, also having been designed/invented/manufactured by H. sapiens, isn't 100% efficient, either, so you'd have some additional loses when using such a device that would need to be factored in, too.

If you have an auto-voltage ballast, if you can get the correct 120V cord, if you have a nearby 120V outlet (no extension cords, lol), and IF the circuit the outlet is supplied from has sufficient unused capacity, then that's one way.

Assuming I had a modern circuit breaker panel instead of a 97-year old 30-amp(!) fuse box, I'd just add a new breaker of the correct voltage, run a line to the grow space and install a new outlet (again, of the correct voltage). It's straightforward, although it can be a bit of a PITA to fish a new wiring run through existing walls.

But that bit about getting 10V from a 240V outlet, along with the general impression of confusion, tells me to not recommend you run to the corner hardware store to purchase a new breaker, wire, outlet, etc. The good news is that cannabis is legal in California, lol. Start looking for an electrician who works for himself/herself and who'll do the work in exchange for an ounce (or two, or three) of bud at harvest time. Or just pay an electrician up front to do it I guess but if what I heard on NPR several months ago about an average two-bedroom house in California getting advertised for some crazy price like $842,000 instead of $45,000 to $60,000 (and then selling for $1.2M, WtF? I mean... seriously, lol, what the f*cking f*ck?!?! Why don't people just move to a state where there's water and you can buy a house for less than the cost of a decent contract killer, LMAO?), then I'd assume that anyone working for their own self would have to charge a few hundred bucks per hour for their labor in order to make the vig with their local loan shark. So try the barter system, maybe.

Or just take the light setup back and get a 1,000-watt one that's set up for 120VAC. Preferably one with an air-cooled reflector and a REMOTE ballast. Or buy a pair of 600 watt ones, they're more efficient (and you could then take advantage of the "third-light effect" in the area between the two light fixtures).

Good luck!

Dude, Ive been here, born and raised, since 1978 and my family since 1965 and in the last 10 years home and land prices have gotten so sickly expensive its disgusting. Places I had my first kiss and would go meet girls as a kid and have great times in general are all getting bulldozed for these ugly mega housing developments or gated track homes, or starbucks. They bulldozed a Tudor style mansion here in Westminster that catered to weddings and parties, etc...for a STARBUCKS! WTF?? Seriously its sad. I manage properties and some of them actually recently kicked out 90% of long term residents and doubled and tripled rents in some cases! Old ladies that I have known for years were crying and hyperventilating because they didnt know where to go and had been living there for 20 years or more!! ITS FLAT OUT GREED! But at the same time people are coming from out of area with money and paying these crazy prices. HELL NO! First chance I get, my house is being rented out and Im taking a 1st out again and buying land in North West/ Idaho or South West/4 corners.

But back to city council meeting... It was the first time in my life that ive ever seen my local city council meeting PACKED with people shoulder to shoulder demanding change. Old folks mobile home parks are screwing people over the same way because the land underneath is worth so much and these greasy developers offer MILLIONS. Money that they got from the 2008 bailout and made BILLIONS from foreclosures and dirt cheap purchases and are now using that money to develop every square inch of southern california. Animals, insects, elderly, EVERYONE but the almighty dollar be damned to them and its starting to annoy me!

 

[TorturedSoul]

Yeah... Packed town halls are nothing new. And for some things, that's the answer. But for (a whopping LOT of) other things... I suppose it's like me blaming WalMart so long for putting local Mom & Pop businesses under. See, it's not WalMart that has done and is doing this - it's the #%!*ing people who spend their money there.

I say let 'em spend their billions buying up land and building businesses and rental properties - then refuse to shop at those businesses or rent the properties. Problem solved.

Stop shopping at ChinaMart. Problem solved.

Stop paying many hundreds of thousands of dollars for a house. Problem solved.

What gets me (okay, many things do, but here's one, lol) is hearing someone gripe about spending so much on a house and then turning around and griping about how on top of everything else it's like 53 miles from where they work... Who in their right mind would want to saddle themselves with that kind of debt just so they could add an extra hour drive time each way to and from work in order to pay for it?

No one.

You're all crazy .

On second thought, y'all stay right there, lol. I have young relatives who'll eventually be trying to buy property of their own and I'd hate to think that they'd have to compete against potential buyers who'd think a quarter of a fawking million dollars for a little crackerbox on a quarter-acre or less is a flipping bargain.

I'm just kidding, of course.

Er... mostly...

Whoops, forgot what I was going to post: Remember, there's a possibility that the HPS fixture you've bought has provisions for 120VAC, too. Some of the cheaper (-built) ones don't, but you won't know until you look at the electrical tag on it. If it only states something like "4.5a @ 240VAC" then no, but it might list dual voltages, or else list a range like a lot of computer power supplies do (or at least used to, IDK about now, I haven't had the budget for a new one in... Well, years.

 

[blazeaglory420]

Yeah... Packed town halls are nothing new. And for some things, that's the answer. But for (a whopping LOT of) other things... I suppose it's like me blaming WalMart so long for putting local Mom & Pop businesses under. See, it's not WalMart that has done and is doing this - it's the #%!*ing people who spend their money there.

I say let 'em spend their billions buying up land and building businesses and rental properties - then refuse to shop at those businesses or rent the properties. Problem solved.

Stop shopping at ChinaMart. Problem solved.

Stop paying many hundreds of thousands of dollars for a house. Problem solved.

What gets me (okay, many things do, but here's one, lol) is hearing someone gripe about spending so much on a house and then turning around and griping about how on top of everything else it's like 53 miles from where they work... Who in their right mind would want to saddle themselves with that kind of debt just so they could add an extra hour drive time each way to and from work in order to pay for it?

No one.

You're all crazy .

On second thought, y'all stay right there, lol. I have young relatives who'll eventually be trying to buy property of their own and I'd hate to think that they'd have to compete against potential buyers who'd think a quarter of a fawking million dollars for a little crackerbox on a quarter-acre or less is a flipping bargain.

I'm just kidding, of course.

Er... mostly...

Whoops, forgot what I was going to post: Remember, there's a possibility that the HPS fixture you've bought has provisions for 120VAC, too. Some of the cheaper (-built) ones don't, but you won't know until you look at the electrical tag on it. If it only states something like "4.5a @ 240VAC" then no, but it might list dual voltages, or else list a range like a lot of computer power supplies do (or at least used to, IDK about now, I haven't had the budget for a new one in... Well, years.

Yep. Just 240v. I've already listed it and started the return process on the up/ down converter. Thing only works on European 240v anyways.

See now, in regards to high properties, landlords get greedy and raise their prices to see what sticks or who bites and every time someone pays the price but they do it by having multiple relatives move in to support the rent/ mortgage. And the cycle continues.

In the last 20 years things have changed so much around here. We had so many fields of strawberries and other great things until the boom through the George W. BUSH years, then 2008 collapse brought some respite but that turned out to create more opportunity and bargain for the developers and flippers, thus creating the climate we're in now. I really don't know how much longer we can sustain such development and prices.

But I admit when I bought my condo for 98k$ in 2001 roughly, in Santa Ana/ Westminster border, I sold it in late 2006 for 180k, then less than 2 years later it busted and dropped back to 98k$. So I am guilty of pushing the upper limits of want/ greed.

But I sure as hell wouldn't pay that much! Lol same exact condo today is almost 300k$ ! f*ck that! For traffic and rude people and high prices on everything? No thanks.

I agree, I try not to shop at mainstream big box places as well. Especially Wal-Mart. I've hated them ever since they bulldozed my local movie drive in Highway 39! It's sad to me how many people now are so consumer driven and they all drive new cars! It's like, how do you support children, have a new car, new clothes AND live in Orange County?? You have to make at least 75k$ per year. Its crazy now.

Gentrification is also ruining all the "cheaper areas" to live. My childhood home no longer feels like what I used to know. Its moving so fast today


Hey, if you could use that 240v light, if you pay shipping, its yours. Ill send it for free or whatever you can pay. If you really wanted something like that and will actually use it. Serious. I sell and ship things all the time. If you have PayPal, its yours