DIY-Become a DIY home grower Electrical Engineers

When you see two breakers that are tied together it is the same as what we call a two pole breaker. Each Line or hot wire is protected by a breaker. If either line gets too hot, draws too much current, it opens and the breaker. The tie makes both of them open. Your breaker rating is 20 amps in this case, it is not doubled.

Because the circuit is only 20 amps it is not really worth a darn for a sub panel. You would want a much bigger breaker and wire rated for the breaker to make a sub panel.
 
Oo no i dont want a sub panel. Im renting was just inquiring to see if there is a way I can make use of the 220v connection. If I have to spend 200 on a 50foot wire and thats my only option I will see if that is feasible in my situation after figuring out hw many amps my grow room will consume. All this electrical talk makes me want to just buy a house.
 
Hogdady said:
PrairiePoet said:
Hate to do this again, but I gotta disagree. There is no energy cost advantage to 220v over 110v. The only difference is the amperage. The only significant advantage is the lower cost of wiring the circuit, as the conductor size is smaller for 220v due to the lower amperage.....:)
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You are correct. In my haste I didn't say it as I was thinking. What I meant to say a lot of landlords put in larger units to cool the whole rental, instead of putting in two, three or more small AC units. At least that is why I think this landlord did it, and I've seen it in several of rentals I've lived in.

To me that would be lower cost in energy use, of course depending on the layout of the rooms. And less worry about what the tenets might do to get cool.


Prairie
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Being an Industrial Electician for over 20 years the information above is mostly correct. You can only get 15 amps out of a 15 amp breaker, no matter how many power strips you add to the outlet. The one thing that I have seen many times, and has not been mentioned in this forum is "DO NOT INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE EXISTING BREAKER IF THE WIRE LEAVING THE BREAKER WILL NOT HANDLE THE INCREASE AMPERAGE!!!!" Rule of thumb 15 amp breaker--14 guage wire, 20 amp breaker--12 guage wire. If you run anything off a long (usually 75+ FEET) extension cord you will lose some amperage due to the lenth of the cord (go up one wire size in the cord). If you increase the breaker size and not the wire, a fire WILL happen (you can bet on this) and when the investigation is concluded, not only will they find your grow room, this foolish electrical modification also cancelled your home and fire insurance.
 
Being an Industrial Electician for over 20 years the information above is mostly correct. You can only get 15 amps out of a 15 amp breaker, no matter how many power strips you add to the outlet. The one thing that I have seen many times, and has not been mentioned in this forum is "DO NOT INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE EXISTING BREAKER IF THE WIRE LEAVING THE BREAKER WILL NOT HANDLE THE INCREASE AMPERAGE!!!!" Rule of thumb 15 amp breaker--14 guage wire, 20 amp breaker--12 guage wire. If you run anything off a long (usually 75+ FEET) extension cord you will lose some amperage due to the lenth of the cord (go up one wire size in the cord). If you increase the breaker size and not the wire, a fire WILL happen (you can bet on this) and when the investigation is concluded, not only will they find your grow room, this foolish electrical modification also cancelled your home and fire insurance.
 
Thanks Placerville I plan on using a 50ft extension cord for the 220v socket I have. Then when i settle down into my own him I will figure out the electrical configuration and make it desirable for my grow room. Would rather just use another circuit or make use of the 220v I have than start getting ahead of myself and replacing breakers and re-wiring circuits.
 
The whole idea of an extension cord is to provide power for some power tool or something. It is not meant to be in place of an actual circuit. If you get a robust cord and keep it from physical damage you could use it forever. I am just picturing a cord laying across that house with people tripping over it and doors closing on it.

My father had a very robust extension cord in his shop. It was like 8 gauge wire that was finely stranded and hung in rafters. It was a good cord.

BTW, the finer the strand of the wire the better. It can carry more current than a solid conductor (Romex) of the same gauge and will last longer from bending and what not.
 
placerville said:
this foolish electrical modification also cancelled your home and fire insurance.
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just having a grow room will void your homeowners policy.....
 
Hogdady said:
just having a grow room will void your homeowners policy.....
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Are you certain about that HD?

I mean I know of people that have done some Really Really stupid shit. They pay the damage and then cancel you, but at least you are protected for the initial damage.

Better to be safe than sorry. Smoke detectors or even Heat detectors are a good thing to have. One that shuts down power to the grow op is a simple thing too. If anyone wants to know how just ask. What it amounts to is connecting a relay to a smoke detectors sounding circuit. When smoke is detected it sends power to the sounder, you take some of that power to operate a relay, a switch of sorts, and that turns off the power. That is one of the reasons I like to use contactors on the lights and stuff because they are easy to turn off and on with low voltage.
 
G-Dog said:
Are you certain about that HD?
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the commission of any crime (by homeowner) which results in damage to said property will void your coverage...check it out
 
I just know about a guy that fell a tree into his house and the insurance paid and I heard of another guy that caught his house on fire (I cannot remember how, but it was not MJ related) and in both cases their insurance paid.

But I remember all those catch all clauses like acts of war etc.

It made me wonder that if you got caught in the cross fire of a gang war or if it could be called a hate crime or defined as terrorism if the weasels would try to get out of paying.

Seems that is all an insurance adjuster does is try to find a way out of paying claims.
 
420BHeaded said:
Myzz617,

U
_ _

(the spaces are taken out by post)

the U is ground/netural and each _ is 110v and they are 180 deg out of phase. You could get 2 10 amp lines from this 220v 20amp outlet.

Me I'd get the plug to fit and 3 - 50' 16 gauge xcords and wire up 2 10amp power strips and grow.
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I suggest that you refrain from giving out advice on this topic. The information you are disseminating is not only false, but dangerous. People's lives and property are in the balance when it comes to electrical. Not to mention that every fire that is grow house related gives the opposition something to point at when casting dispersions on the Cannabis industry.
 
HD Is right. People need to stick to code as closely as possible.

What 420Bheaded mentioned is not a safe nor reliable way to accomplish the task.

It is not that hard to run a new circuit. In all the home remodel projects I have done in 25 plus years of owning a home running power was one of the cheapest and easiest things to do.

This thread is about doing it right, not teaching folks to burn up their house or get electrocuted.
 
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