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i have'nt seen any posts about particular electrical installation your refering to. but glad to give some yes/no answers about circuits. wire sizes and such. not a fed or a narc. carl05478 at msn dot com.
ps
3000 watts isn't a a real lot. An old household service rated at 230 volts 60 amps can safely handle 12,000 watts (peak rating of 13,800 watts)
Shov
welcome back crispi, aint seen ya round in a while, WH, I would have to agree with opie, either talk to a few co-ops see if they know a "friendly", or read up and DIY, thats what I do...I have popped the shit outta myself a few times, lol...but it was kinda fun:thumbsup: it was only 110 though...if you do DIY, FLIP THE BREAKERS before ya do anything...lol, or, just get shov:jointsmile:
whiskeytango
Crispi uses a 3000 watt power box with breakers and outlets. That might be nice for you, WH. The wiring from your panel to this box would be standard 12/3 romex from a two pole, 20 amp circuit breaker. If you don't have room in your existing panel have it upgraded by an electrician and you will have the room to add this breaker. Watch the electrician and ask questions. <G>
I'm waiting for my harvest before I can let the cable co. in to install phone-TV-internet wiring. Six more weeks???
Shov
Appreciate the info shov...but we're on rotation here so there is no way of clearing the room out. The guy can work OUTSIDE ok.....but not in the room unless we're willing to toss a few good plants (agggggg!!!) and pull the curtains and everything down.....even then we've got seedlings out in the living room.....could slide those into the bedroom but you get the idea......
Is there a way to have someone come out and do some work on the outside panel without him going into the room itself or would that simply be too suspicous to get away with?
WH-
I'm just "anti-extension cord" on principle. I think that they're riskier than they're worth, and it's easier to tell folks " Don't use extension cords" than it is to get them to understand when an extension is and is not appropriate.
If it's just a matter of not having headroom on the circuit that your room has been running off- why not just add an outlet to the circuit that you have the extension cord plugged into now, with the wire snaked over to an outlet box in your room? You may not wanna screw w/ your breaker bok, but snaking some wire and adding an outlet are well w/in the purview of a motivated homeowner.
Then you can start scheduling to have a proper power point installed a cycle or two down the road, when the room is empty.
Yer gonna wanna get that room empty for sanitation once in a while.
Hey WH,
You are doing an awesome experiment! I will be watching to see how you make out! As far as elecrtical....I pay people to turn on lights for me, kinda scared of the juice...hehe. Keep up the good work! My grow log is also in intermission due to waiting for beans. Have fun and be safe, Plant
I like rhizomes idea if you end up not getting an electrician. If you don't mind crawling under the house and drilling a hole or two, it's pretty easy to run a line off an existing outlet and install a new one. It doesn't have to look pretty. I highly recommend the 1,2,3 Home Depot book for reference, or a simple inexpensive electrical DIY book, also available at Home Depot. If you use a little common sense, electric work doesn't have to be scary, especially if you turn off the circuit breaker first. And like SnS suggests, it's fun to get shocked.
On the other hand, if I were in your shoes and wasn't going to DIY, I would probably anonymously call around and ask what electricians would be willing to be open minded and work on room that serves as a legal grow room for a medical patient. I don't think it would be much of a problem, but I might be worried about the electrician either being a thief, or flapping their jaws to their thief friends.
WH please check your email soon.
Ive done workin this field.
if u must use extension cords, u should use the expensive ones AWG12 or even AWG10 if ur running big loads.
u will find this rating on the cord itself and the package when u buy the ones u really need;)
each main cord should go to a separate circuit in the house,
take the time to identify breakers with as little useage as possible.
u should always try to stay at 75% useage on a breaker.
add up the appliances amps ratings on a circuit.
for a 20 amp breaker, try to stay no higher than 15 amps of useage.
do u follow so far?
Do I follow??? :S2: HELL NO! I'm having trouble wrapping my teeny brain around the extension cord thing. (I'm scared of them too Rhizome...)
Hey Rock...your thoughts on the solar thing?
keep cords short. a 14 AWG (american wire gauge cord)- no more than 1200 watts continuous load. a 12 AWG cord- no more than1800 watts. How's that sound?
As far as protecting a residential circuit like this, the new AFCI (arc flash circuit interuptor) is wonderful piece of mind. This is a special circuit breaker that is now required in living areas of all new homes and major electrical upgrades. The breakers for a single 15 or 20 amp outlet circuit may cost $25-30 bucks at Home Depot. Worth evey penny.
Any questions now?