Light Safety

[shogan163]

Need some help with first time using HID bulbs.
I have a 400w MH ballast pre-wired and ready to plug in... in Canada.

I have always been concerned with questions like...

What appliance would a 400w light compare too?

Is it safe to plug a 400w light into a standard outlet?

how can I be 100% certain that my wires/circuit can handle the light?

Not a pro with electricity, thanks guys.

 

[dogstick]

compare too, maybe a HD t.v or a computer or small a.c unit.

Yes it is safe to plug into a stantard outlet.

I have a killawatt meter and it shows the volts that the outlet can handle. You should be good to go. Are you using P.l lights, just asking since they are made in canada. good luck

 

[shogan163]

so should I buy a killawatt meter?

Is one 400w light considered a high level of wattage for a 120v wall outlet?
Or to put in comparison...
Say you had a brand new house and did not modify any fuses or anything with the electrical...On a typical wall outlet in the house say a bedroom outlet... could you safely run a 400w light and some fans?

How important is the amps the light draws... compared with the circuit it is on?

on the electrical box, I see the switches with either 15, 30, or 40 on them.

Even if it was on one the the 15s, would that be ok?

It looks like the wires that come in from the outside lead into a box that has 30A on it.

Hope this info helps answer my question.

Thanks again.

 

[dogstick]

I bought a killawatt meter cause I run an ac and it will add the exact total I will owe to my landlord cause I dont pay electric and dont want to stiff him so I am chipping in on it. But they are great, they tell you a lot, tells you cost by hour, day, week, etc. also tells you amps, volts, watts. you name it pretty nice and cheap. I bout the more expensive one at 38$ and only diff is if the power goes off it will keep the total I owe to him.

400 watt is not much for your outlet. I wouldnt be concerned with that. You will be fine. They can take a whole lot more. Mine are on 15 amps and doing fine. I wont go any further cause I only know basics on elec and maybe someone will also help out. But you sould be fine I would start thinking about your grow. goodluck

 

[Hogdady]

so should I buy a killawatt meter?

Is one 400w light considered a high level of wattage for a 120v wall outlet?
Or to put in comparison...
Say you had a brand new house and did not modify any fuses or anything with the electrical...On a typical wall outlet in the house say a bedroom outlet... could you safely run a 400w light and some fans?

How important is the amps the light draws... compared with the circuit it is on?

on the electrical box, I see the switches with either 15, 30, or 40 on them.

Even if it was on one the the 15s, would that be ok?

It looks like the wires that come in from the outside lead into a box that has 30A on it.

Hope this info helps answer my question.

Thanks again.

i'm assuming your ballast is magnetic, which is roughly 85% effiecient. so your formula would go like this......watts (400) divided by power factor (.85) divided by volts (120) = amps (3.9). whatever outlet you are going to use, determine what other outlets are on the same breaker. don't exceed 80% of the breaker capacity and all is good.