So you wanna be a commercial grower?

[yamaha_1fan]

Notice that all or most of the names are Asian. For some reason I keep seeing one last name in particular, Nguyen, in alot of grow busts. Go figure

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=48009&highlight=nguyen

Its proably cause all the houses were owned by the same people

 

[yamaha_1fan]

I dont think a generator is the answer to your guys problems, I think 24k wouldnt be hard in a commercial space....

But they do make propane conversions for generators, no problem getting a tanker of propane to your house...

Dont know anything about the prices though.

Do you use propane? Do you know how often the gas guy would be there? My gas guy comes evry 3-4 months or less often in summer and he remembers the last time he was out. 2 years later and he till remembers coming out one night when we ran out. Now if I was running a propane powered 25kW genny he would be out every week or two and he would wonder what the hell was going on. Its his territory/route and he knows everything

 

[LiLWaynE]

Detectives first suspected that two illegal immigrants were running the operation for 18 months before a fire broke out on April 5, causing them to flee.

LW

 

[BritishColumbia]

Huh?

Huh?

Why do you need a gen to run 20kw,i know to people that have $1000+ hydro bills on a 2 month billing cycle and were paying seven cents per kwh.Around here the average resident pays $150 for a 2 month bill.Buddy runs 16 lights on a flip has a hot tub 4 kids and another runs 20 light in a vacant house and this is b.c.,i don't know what you guys are worried about,shit my bill is $800 in the summer.Very few judges give warrants for a high bill.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

.Very few judges give warrants for a high bill.

But they do?


Have you been reading the legal section? The police are asking the electric companies to mine their data and give them bills that are out of the norm. This was limited to one city but if one can do it, so can others

I have heard alot of people are getting busted just a couple miles from me. I think I need to dig into it and fine out everything I can from public records

 

[green_tea]

not to mention you are outside the US, Inside the US the police are scumbags (for the most part)

 

[BritishColumbia]

That's what you call thinking only about yourself.. not everyone is in your area...
I even feel stupid for having to mention the fact... geezzz

I'm truly sorry for hurting your feelings but not thinking about internet strangers has nothing to do with understanding privacy laws.

 

[dj digigrow]

I love the idea of industrial/commercial
its just the inspections ect.. that I'm worried about...
but there are places for lease all over..

 

[TGT]

With all that running around town filling up diesel tanks every two weeks, it seems like it would be alot easier to just run four smaller sites. Instead of going for 24,000 watts at one location and needing to be off grid, a grower could just run 6000 watts at four different locations without the need of a generator.

Thats the way I prefer, but I have always dreamed of having one large garden and I think the only way to accomplish this is with a generator. I think it would be much easier purchasing a tank on a trailer and filling that up. I wonder if it's legal to fill up something like this and transport it yourself?

TGT

 

[TGT]

I was looking at properties tonight and found one for sale that has it's own gas well on the property. If you could hook up a generator to gas you would have as much gas as you need to run tons of lights for a very long time! Around my area there are lots of small hobby farm type properties for very cheap that have thier own gas well. Even my fathers friend (not the growing type) has a piece of land and a gas well and he has been using it to heat his home for over thirty years now. Thats a lot of free gas! Anyone have info on converting a diesel generator to gas?

TGT

 

[EasyBakeIndica]

This story is a few weeks old, but it's very relevant to this thread:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080412/NEWS/804120336/1002/NEWS

This is one of the largest grow operations I've ever heard of on the East coast. Multiple locations were running 64,000 watts on diesel generators. I still can't figure out the logistics to something of that scale.

Also, another interesting detail is that it's rare to see Cubans and Anglo-Saxon citizens busted in the same house. It's also the first time I've heard of Guatemalans being found in a US-based grow op.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

^^^^ Stealing power.

 

[THCV]

fun thread!

so, new houses get 200-300 amp service from the electric cos. You could obviously do a 20K grow (or much bigger) on a 200 amp circuit no frikkin problem. If they don't expect anyone to use 200 amps, why do they supply it? I think you guys are freaking out too much about monitoring elec. If you get your electricity through your meter, and pay for it, it is way cheaper and easier than diesel generators! What a nightmare using a genny would be anywhere but in the boonies. Stinky diesel fumes all night long, maintenance, etc. The grid is there, why not use it and pay your share? They like making money too.

If you pay for your electric, then they know your demand level. This is actually GOOD, because they will make sure the local transformers can accommodate your load, and assuming you wired it well internally, there will be no fire. And the fires from stolen electric blowing transformers is a common way in for LEO (read the Nguyen story above), aside from in-house fires due to retard wiring.

And that big cuban/american/guatemalan grow was so obviously too big, too many people, someone snitched (plus gennys AND stolen power). So we are back to the main problems: stealing power and snitches. Limit the crew as much as possible, obviously. But why not run all your lights on your 300 amp service? Shit, they WANT you to use it. Would love to hear the reason everyone is so afraid of that...

 

[swampy_nz]

In Newzealand we have a huge cannabis culture.New Zealand has the highest recorded cannabis arrest rate in the world, at 606 people arrested per 100,000 population per year. The United States is second with 247 arrests per 100,000 population per year.We have a lot of people smoking and growing cannabis in this country.Its not a big deal,except to the feds.I had a friend that worked for a power company and i asked her if they check for high or unusual consumption at the private level.she was a little hesitant to say to much but she pretty much hinted that if the cops suspected that certain locations were being used for indoor cultivation they could get a warrant for the houses power consumption history.Very rare tho.
as far as the power company not caring how much power you use,it is slightly different over here.Newzealand relies on the most part for hydroelectric generation to power our grid.we have no nuclear power,and only a a handfull of coal and gas powered stations.This is all good and well untill winter comes along.If we have had a dry summer and the lake levels are low,then the government and power companies go on the "conserve power or we will have blackouts"crusade.If your seen to be wasting power during these lean times you could come under scrutiny for being a power waster. Every year(i just go mine)my power company sends me a rundown of my consumption and recommends what plan i should be on.So they are checking now and then.I only grow outdoors at the mo,but when i do go back indoors im not gunna worry to much about power use.A couple of lights and i will be fine.Hell my saltwater reef tank sucks up 600+ watt per day in the winter.

 

[TGT]

What someone mentioned above about too many people involved in these large grow ops. Really I don't understand how they expect it to not get busted? I mean you got twenty people taking care of things, all it takes is one of those guys to do one too many lines of blow and start yapping and feeling all sentimental with people he just met. On blow it seems some people trust everyone. If you want to be succesful with a large op you have to stick to the least amount of people possible, and if possible use family. That's why the maphia is so succesful - it's all family.

TGT

 

[EasyBakeIndica]

^^^^ Stealing power.

They weren't stealing power. That's a separate crime and those charges would be listed.

They were using diesel generators (which are mentioned in the article)...So, where they stealing that much petrol?!

 

[ItsGrowTime]

They weren't stealing power. That's a separate crime and those charges would be listed.

They were using diesel generators (which are mentioned in the article)...So, where they stealing that much petrol?!

Reread the article. It clearly says the power feed to the house was bypassed at the meter to make it look like they were only using $140 of power a month. Generators or not they were still stealing power.

Riley and Sullivan also noted that the electric line intended to supply the property had been tampered with so that it appeared about $140 worth of electricity was being used each month, but a device had been installed to divert electricity to the grow operation without having it run through the meter.

 

[rootfingers]

What someone mentioned above about too many people involved in these large grow ops. Really I don't understand how they expect it to not get busted?

I expect the financiers of projects like this fully understand the risks and even expect a bust. As long as their name is far enough away and all they are is an investor I would bet that they wouldn't make a move to start an operation like this unless the reward out weighed the risk. As long as it is profitable for long enough to make it worth while why give a fuck about the people working it?

I think a dark side like this is more than likely in play in many large drug production ops.

Course that is only one perspective on the risk. If you had a property in your name. . .

 

[OriginalyPosted]

You could obviously do a 20K grow (or much bigger) on a 200 amp circuit no frikkin problem.

i thought the most you could fire up at one time with 200 amp service was about 16k.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

i thought the most you could fire up at one time with 200 amp service was about 16k.

do the math. 200 amps X 220 Volts is 44,000 watts. Of course you have the 80% rule and that wouldnt all be lights. But I could see if the house was dedicated for growing, easily supporting a 20K grow.

Just because they put a 200 AMP service in, doesnt mean they expect you to use it all times. Its kind of like a max thing for surges,

If you had a 200 amp service, which supports 44,000 wattsat 220, and you ran 35,000 watts per hour on a flip flop, your bill would be 3500-4000 a month. You would be on SOMEONES radar