Electrical setup
- Thread starter Hackk
- Start date
One last question..
I know that each apartment unit is on its own meter with the DWP. Also,there is no 'main' switch to kill power to the unit like in most homes. Usually, building maintenance has to go to a room somewhere to cut the power when they are making repairs and want to shut down power to a whole apartment unit.
Does not having access to shut off the main power to the breaker box make it impossible for me to me to add a 220 breaker? I assume one would need to kill the main power source before making any modifications within a breaker box, but hell what do i know...
Thx Again.
I know that each apartment unit is on its own meter with the DWP. Also,there is no 'main' switch to kill power to the unit like in most homes. Usually, building maintenance has to go to a room somewhere to cut the power when they are making repairs and want to shut down power to a whole apartment unit.
Does not having access to shut off the main power to the breaker box make it impossible for me to me to add a 220 breaker? I assume one would need to kill the main power source before making any modifications within a breaker box, but hell what do i know...
Thx Again.
Does not having access to shut off the main power to the breaker box make it impossible for me to me to add a 220 breaker? I assume one would need to kill the main power source before making any modifications within a breaker box, but hell what do i know...
Thx Again.
While I am sure that you are capable of installing a breaker on a live panel, unless you are experianced and know 100% what you are doing, I would advise against it. Unless you can find a way to kill the power, it isn't worth a trip to the hospital or morgue.
tronix
New Member
I second Hogdady's motion...leave that one to the pro's Chipz..
you have to understand, that if you do make a mistake, it wont just pop and shoot alot of sparks, it will also explode, and possibly take your hands/fingers with it, besides be showered with molten buss bar, which would melt instantly..all in all, if you must change your lights to accommodate the 120v lights you have, that's definitely the much safer route, unless you have access to an electrician who's cool.
In my time in the field, I found most electricians burn anyway, so it's not impossible to find one that knows whats up and is willing to help you out...just don't do it yourself.
you have to understand, that if you do make a mistake, it wont just pop and shoot alot of sparks, it will also explode, and possibly take your hands/fingers with it, besides be showered with molten buss bar, which would melt instantly..all in all, if you must change your lights to accommodate the 120v lights you have, that's definitely the much safer route, unless you have access to an electrician who's cool.
In my time in the field, I found most electricians burn anyway, so it's not impossible to find one that knows whats up and is willing to help you out...just don't do it yourself.
Its pretty dangerous to do it without killing the power first. Does your apartment have a drier? If it does you might be able to tap into it by killing the power to the drier first.One last question..
I know that each apartment unit is on its own meter with the DWP. Also,there is no 'main' switch to kill power to the unit like in most homes. Usually, building maintenance has to go to a room somewhere to cut the power when they are making repairs and want to shut down power to a whole apartment unit.
Does not having access to shut off the main power to the breaker box make it impossible for me to me to add a 220 breaker? I assume one would need to kill the main power source before making any modifications within a breaker box, but hell what do i know...
Thx Again.
You guys are funny.. of course i wouldn't attempt to do anything myself!!!
But seriously, thanks for the warning
Could you explain how the dryer has anything to do with this? Yes, the unit does have a dryer hookup but in all the units the electrician has to change the outlet to 220 by request, they come stock with a 110 outlet hoping that you will buy one of those funny all-in-one washing/drying machines that break down all the time. Wah wah..
So i could have this done, but it wouold only solve 1/2 to 1/4 of my problem depending on how many lights a choose to run. Am i right in this line of thinking 420..?
But seriously, thanks for the warning
Could you explain how the dryer has anything to do with this? Yes, the unit does have a dryer hookup but in all the units the electrician has to change the outlet to 220 by request, they come stock with a 110 outlet hoping that you will buy one of those funny all-in-one washing/drying machines that break down all the time. Wah wah..So i could have this done, but it wouold only solve 1/2 to 1/4 of my problem depending on how many lights a choose to run. Am i right in this line of thinking 420..?
tronix
New Member
actually it would depend on the amperage draw again, just like 110, but neither here nor there, in an apartment, stealing power from something like that is a quick way to get caught, too many maintenance men snooping around to risk that. I'd just find some 110 lights, myself.
Cupla questions....is the dryer outlet common to your unit only? Do you know what the breaker amperage is?
Typically they are 30 amp breakers. That gives you thirty amps @ 220v (24 amps usable) or 60 amps @ 110v (48 amps usable). More than enough for your project.
Yep. Thats what I was thunking.Cupla questions....is the dryer outlet common to your unit only? Do you know what the breaker amperage is?
Typically they are 30 amp breakers. That gives you thirty amps @ 220v (24 amps usable) or 60 amps @ 110v (48 amps usable). More than enough for your project.
I'm actually running 5600 watts of light from my 30 amp dryer circuit....
Maybe i haven't given enough details. I'd like to run as much wattage as possible from this breaker box. I have at least 4 1000's and 2 600's and can easily buy more. All my lights are currently wired for 110. I was asking about the 220 option simply because i had heard that it was 'more efficient', which i suppose it is when you consider amps/breaker capacity vs. draw. My thinking was that i could do two 1000's on a single breaker at 220 vs. only one 1000 at 110. Two 1000's would blow a 110 breaker because its capacity is 18 something right..?
My original questions was posed to find out if i could run two 1000's at 220 to allow max wattage without messing with the box, since i can't shut the main power very easily. Well i obviously could, but that would be violating the ninja code bigtime. So i've realized the since i can't install a new breaker because i cant kill the power, i can't even do 220 because i would need to install a new breaker! Please, if i'm missing something let me know but i think i hit a dead end.
Hog, tell me more about your situation, i'm very interested..
Ill get back later with full specs on the box and breakers that are there.
My original questions was posed to find out if i could run two 1000's at 220 to allow max wattage without messing with the box, since i can't shut the main power very easily. Well i obviously could, but that would be violating the ninja code bigtime. So i've realized the since i can't install a new breaker because i cant kill the power, i can't even do 220 because i would need to install a new breaker! Please, if i'm missing something let me know but i think i hit a dead end.
Hog, tell me more about your situation, i'm very interested..
Ill get back later with full specs on the box and breakers that are there.
My dryer circuit is 220v with 30 amp breakers. I have 4-1kw lites and 2-600w lites. I ran power from the dryer plug to my light timer. The lites draw about 26 amps. That's 2 amps over the recommended 80% of breaker rating. Of course, the dryer can't be run when the lites are on.
How exactly did you run the power from the dryer 30 amp breaker to a light timer? What does the wiring look like, and what diameter cable etc.
This is exactly what i want to do with mine, funny you already have it
Can you look at your dryer plug and tell me if there are 4 slots or 3.
Currently the outlet that is located where the washer/dryer should go is a standard 110 outlet with two plugs. I think via extension cords i've got it worked out now, even running an additional 15000btu a/c in the loop. I'm going to run 3k plus two additional 600's for a total of 4200w. I've let everything run for about six hours so far (lights, ac, apartment ac, fans, can fans, exhaust fans, etc. and no trips on the breaker so far. I think my highest load is 2k on a single 20 amp circuit.
I have a question about the breakers. Some of them are dual/split 20's and regulate separate things like 'kitchen receptacle' and 'bathroom light' on the same breaker. These are different from the others in that they have two toggle switches that each say 20, one on top of the other, but they are the same size as the others that only have a single toggle.
Does that mean that each of the two outlets they supply can each support 20 amps, or is it still 20 amps combined between the two? And is it safe for me to put 2k on a single 20 amp breaker..?
I have a question about the breakers. Some of them are dual/split 20's and regulate separate things like 'kitchen receptacle' and 'bathroom light' on the same breaker. These are different from the others in that they have two toggle switches that each say 20, one on top of the other, but they are the same size as the others that only have a single toggle.
Does that mean that each of the two outlets they supply can each support 20 amps, or is it still 20 amps combined between the two? And is it safe for me to put 2k on a single 20 amp breaker..?
BWC BayArea
Member of the Month: 3rd Place Winner
Be careful with the extension cords, try not to over do it. The longer the run, the greater the voltage drop (if I remember correctly). Maybe there's an experienced electrician that can better explain this.
Ray Gunn
New Member
FYI sometimes you can find circuit breakers that are narrower in width which 2 breakers fill the space of one regular sized breakers. They are rated at different amps too. You can run a 15 amp breaker on a 14 gauge solid wire and 20 a amp breaker on 12 guage wire. So if you remove a regular sized breaker(probably 15amp breakers in there already) and install a 20 amp double breaker and run 20 gauge solid wire to those circuits (3wires per circuit Hot, Neutral and Ground) in grow area, you will now have 2ea 20 amp circuits in your grow area which would accomodate at least 2ea 1000watt lights per circuit and extra amps for fans and pumps. Just make sure your panel is rated for the max amps your are using in the whole house. Hopefully this helps. Yea a pic would help.
Keep your extension cords as short as possible and use at least 12ga. FYI - most residential outlets are rated at 15 amps.
A good 1kw ballast and bulb (high efficiency) will draw roughly 10 amps @ 110v. (cheaper ones draw more) Obviously, 2 - 1kw's will put the breaker at or near it's trip rating. You should keep your electrical loads below 80% of circuit breaker ratings. Most electrically induced fires come from the heat of circuits pushed to their limit. Watch the news and see how many growhouses have gone up in flames.
So what's my alternative, have an electrician come install a 30 amp dryer breaker? How would i then use that breaker to run power to my lights? I've only seen subpanels, i'm not too familiar with wires coming directly out from an actual breaker. What would this setup look like, and would i be able to make the connections ex post facto if i have him run the 30 amp breaker to a 220 outlet? I assume i would then just find a 220 'power strip' style timer into which i could plug my lights? I've used a Green Air 8-light timer at 220 in the past, and i've also seen depot-style gray box timers. My question is, if the electrician connects a 30 amp breaker is there anything specific to ask him to do or can i wire the rest diy? Keep in mind i won't be able to kill the main power after he leaves..
