DIY-Become a DIY home grower Electrical Engineers
- Thread starter Myzz617
- Start date
diesel farmer
New Member
an arc fault breaker is different than a GFCI breaker, the arc fault breaker trips when an arc is sensed, the GFCI breaker trips when there is a difference of potential in amps between the hot and neutral wires of .05
that 20 amp breaker for your A/C in that pic is a 2 pole breaker (240 volt) so the single pole breaker wont work
diesel farmer
New Member
you might try something like this GFCI Safety Cords, Plug and Plug-In Adaptor - Lab Safety Supply easy to install and safe to install, plus you can take with when you move.
G-Dog
New Member
G-Dog
New Member
So far this thread is taking off nicely. We are getting the heads in here that know what is what and identifying each other. No electrical problem we can't solve. Maybe form a company that designs grow rooms.
- Thread starter
- #47
The house is a bit old or shud i say the condo. I am going to buy a book on wiring eventually. I have been learning about telcom wiring a bit so why not read up on electrical wiring. Any good books anyone can recommend? I think i will go with what Df recommended. Seems like the most easy fix and less time consuming
+reps DF. It is taking off just a bit. Glad to have yall here and learning about the issues we encounter in setting up a grow room.Is there a type of extension cord of some sort I could buy to make use of this? I sure wont be using the AC in the upcoming months and would love to make use of it.
Is this the same as what you recommended DF? Does not support 20A, 15a is what i really need.
- Thread starter
- #48
I will deff look for a date when i get home Idk why but 2002 keeps ringing in my head cuz i think i seen an old ass elec comp name on it with that date. Not sure but will deff check again. The person that owns it kind of lived there for like 10 yrs so she never updated it much and it deff shows. If i put any electrical work into the place bet im taking it off my rent. going to let her know the electricity is not up to code cuz i do have kids as well. Not living with me but yea if i am there for quite some time they will be staying over n what not. So its an issue that will need to be addressed @ the right time.
G-Dog
New Member
I have gotten circuit breakers for old old panels before without much trouble. I am not sure where the age of the panel comes in, but maybe someone can enlighten me. If you had a fuse panel you could still get fuses for it. Some modern accessories, like GFCI breakers may not be available, but I have never had that problem. In my line of work I generally engineer new projects and do not experience the kinds of problems that an electrician would, especially those that do retrofits. I know I was able to get every single part I ever needed for my 50 year old car on the internet.
One thing about age is that insulation breaks down and that can lead to current leakage, shorts and fires.
One thing about age is that insulation breaks down and that can lead to current leakage, shorts and fires.
- Thread starter
- #50
Question would be how old do wires wear off to that point to start a fire? If a plug adapter solves the issue at hand then good. Seems that your basically saying that a breaker is the best fit? Does make obvious sense for the PSU (electric panel in this cace) to shut it down rather than a device in between the two. No date on the panel visible.
G-Dog
New Member
Myzz, all I am saying is that it is easier to replace a breaker and know the whole circuit is protected than to look at sheet rock walls and try to figure out which one is the first one in a circuit. There are some tricks that I would use to figure it out, but I am having trouble trying to word them. The breaker would be the easier way to insure the whole circuit is protected from ground fault. A breaker switch-out is very easy, but also a bit dangerous if you are not sure what you are doing. It would be good to have someone looking over your shoulder that knows what it what.
That portable thing that diesel farmer posted was probably the best thing for a renter with a small grow and they are only $44, and you can take them with you when you move. You can use them if you are outside using electrical equipment. A good product.
That portable thing that diesel farmer posted was probably the best thing for a renter with a small grow and they are only $44, and you can take them with you when you move. You can use them if you are outside using electrical equipment. A good product.
diesel farmer
New Member
The house is a bit old or shud i say the condo. I am going to buy a book on wiring eventually. I have been learning about telcom wiring a bit so why not read up on electrical wiring. Any good books anyone can recommend? I think i will go with what Df recommended. Seems like the most easy fix and less time consuming
Is there a type of extension cord of some sort I could buy to make use of this? I sure wont be using the AC in the upcoming months and would love to make use of it.
Is this the same as what you recommended DF? Does not support 20A, 15a is what i really need.
That will work just fine Myzz, and thanks for the reps guys, just be safe, thats what matters, peace!
diesel farmer
New Member
On older panels like that its a good idea to exercise the breakers now and again, switch the breakers off then on again one at a time, two times a year is a good practice.
Just a quick note on how shit happens!!!
One day was down the basement in the dark, stripping a ext. cord end with my Mouth Yup... had made sure the two cords were not hooked together... anyways to make a long story short.. My son was upstairs and took it upon himself to hook up the two cords.. YuP while I had the end in my Mouth Stripping the wire end with My Teeth....
well it was dark down the basement all I saw was Blue flame/sparks shoot out of my mouth and my right arm Jolted back HARD against the door... well I went outside and sat down and just went over what just happened... WOW I`m still here to tell about it ...I guess thats a good thing.
Shit Happeneds ..! and ya ya ya I know how stupid that was to do NoW...!
One day was down the basement in the dark, stripping a ext. cord end with my Mouth Yup... had made sure the two cords were not hooked together... anyways to make a long story short.. My son was upstairs and took it upon himself to hook up the two cords.. YuP while I had the end in my Mouth Stripping the wire end with My Teeth....
well it was dark down the basement all I saw was Blue flame/sparks shoot out of my mouth and my right arm Jolted back HARD against the door... well I went outside and sat down and just went over what just happened... WOW I`m still here to tell about it ...I guess thats a good thing.
Shit Happeneds ..! and ya ya ya I know how stupid that was to do NoW...!
- Thread starter
- #55
Cool DF I have already done it twice over this past weekend lol. And hogs glad your still here to tell that story. I will just buy a book and read up so when i move or if i ever buy a house I will have an idea. after looking at my panel I can see there is no main off switch for it. so I am sure that might be grounds for a reason to switch.
G-Dog
New Member
Good story Hogs, and I am glad you are still here to talk. A damp basement with a concrete floor and a hot wire in your mouth could have caught you. That goes in line with always treating a circuit as charged.
If you took a 7.5kv shot and are still suckin' air, the lease on your meatrack just wasn't up yet....
G-Dog
New Member
High voltages are freaky.
I made an Ozone generator to clean up smells from my grow. What it amounts to is a neon light transformer, and in this case it was 7.5kv.
The thing about higher voltages that is different than the lower voltages is that you need more resistance in the insulation. So if you get a 7.5k transformer most of the insulation that you see in your day to day life is not enough. I know this, and when I used this transformer I just separated the wires apart more. Being a seasoned pro I thought I could control this. Nobody but me went into the grow room.
One day I was moving some things around and put my knee on the transformer and touched one of the wires. WOW!!! Talk about a wake up call. Although the current in that transformer is minuscule it still burned my knee where I touched it and the jolt was incredible.
I am just glad I never developed an addiction to that kind of jolt.
I saw a dude vaporized when he thought he was about to check 480v with his meter....turned out it was 46kv. Didn't even find his shoes, only the shadow he left etched into the concrete floor....
G-Dog
New Member
HD, I am an engineer and have been exposed to just about everything in 30 years. However, my specialties, where I spent most of my time, is in the 480 and lower voltages.
There were times in my career I had to be exposed to the higher voltages. Scary space age shit that stuff is.
One time I was attending a training seminar for some switchgear and the instructor was a vendor rep (Maybe Square D, I forgot now) that traveled all around the country giving away gifts, food, seminars, safety training and trying to get firms to commit to buying his high voltage switchgear. The guy told me he personally knew 19 people that were killed using switchgear. That was 5 years ago, so maybe the number went up. Most of those cases where the huge heavy drawer that are in the switchgear come shooting out because the arc at that voltage is like, "A Stick of Dynamite".
Nothing to be fooled with unless you are 'all in' if you ask me.