Electric (youch!) - 120 to 240 conversion help...

[growvirgin]

I'm running 4 (with a possible 5th coming up) Nextgen 1K W ballasts. I have all four plugged into three separate plugs (each has 20 amp fuses in the circuit box) If I were to purchase the 240 cords to the ballasts - what steps to convert the current plugs to 240? Would this be the same process to convert to 240 for an air conditioner to be more efficient?

Also, how could you get the ballasts to be outside room? Are there "extension cords" for ballasts?

Thanks.

 

[madpenguin]

Looks like they have the extension cords here:

http://www.horticulturesource.com/a...ion=1&osCsid=0115b650516e46737d952655aa42f3cc

It looks like they might use the Sunlight Supply cords. Don't know for sure.

As for the 120 to 240 conversion, you would have to go buy some 240v receptacles and double pole 20A breakers. find the circuit that you want to convert and shut it off at the main panel. Take that circuits white wire and remove it from the neutral bus bar. wrap some black tape around the white wire and then terminate both the white and black wire of that circuit to the double pole breaker. Snap the new DP breaker in but leave it off.

Then go back to your outlet and swap it out for one of the 240v outlets you bought. Wrap a piece of black electrical tape around the wire. The white goes to one side of the receptacle and the black goes to the other side.

You've probably got other receptacles on this branch circuit so that entire run will be 240v now. If it feeds light fixtures, the bulbs in them will more than likely explode and if it feeds other receptacles elsewhere, anything 120v you plug in will be fried.

Your best bet is to run all new wire if you want a 240v circuit.

 

[dtfsux]

Not sure of the ballasts you are using, but be careful. If you mount the ballast too far away, you can have issues with the ignitors not wrking properly and bulbs failing way to early. I had an issue like this and had to mount the ignitors on my hoods.

Typical ignitors are good for around 15 feet. They do make long distance ignitors good for up to 50 feet I think. If the ballast manufacturer makes an extension cord, I assume they have calculated all this in their design.

Just a heads up

 

[madpenguin]

Good point. Thanks for bringing it up. I think it's probably not an issue because they use #14 gauge wire. Look at that 10 footer. It looks exactly the same as the 50 footer but they imply only the 50 footer will work with next gen ballasts. I'd give them a call just to make sure before you order.

And about the 120 to 240 conversion, your almost guaranteed to have outlets downstream of the one you want to use. That means you'll inadvertently make several more outlets in your house 240v when you don't want them to be.

Just best to run new wire if you want 240V....

 

[PharmaCan]

Running your lights on 240v isn't going to save any energy or money, it will only allow you to run more lights on the same pair of wires than if it were 120v. If you have three, 20 amp, 120v circuits available now, it sounds like you have plenty of power at 120v and no need for 240v.

PC

 

[growvirgin]

WOW. Really? I'm not going to have a more efficient light that costs less to run by converting to 240?

Anyone? This may be the new good argument on this thread!

 

[Bud Bug]

You'll save 0 money. You save on amperage but thats it.

 

[growvirgin]

Wow. So I'm getting ready to spend, convert for 0 upside? I'm a novice but thought the increased efficiency of 240's (remember I'm running 4K) would lower the electric bill.

And Madpenguin (why u so mad?) - these outlets are dedicated to the lights. Had them ran specifically for that reason. Guess that's when I should have ran 240 (and again - why run 240 if you do not save $?).

Thanks for the responses.

 

[Hydrosun]

WOW. Really? I'm not going to have a more efficient light that costs less to run by converting to 240?

Anyone? This may be the new good argument on this thread!

One Kilowatt Hour is 1KW it doesn't matter if you use 240 or 120 a 1Kw ballast uses 1Kw per hour.

You will have a more efficient ballast with 240v because it will draw HALF the amps, so both the ballast and the wire will run cooler than with 120v.

Now that the wires are cooler and handling less amps you can run more ballasts.

But as someone else suggested make a new run off your main breaker with huge gage wire and a 60 - 100amp breaker. Then build a new board with 20amp breakers controlling two 240 outlets or so per 20amp breaker in your new box.

Switching over your ballasts to 240 frees up the 120 in the rooms to run fans, scrubbers, res chillers, portable ACs, etc.

Peace,

 

[Hydrosun]

(and again - why run 240 if you do not save $?).

Thanks for the responses.

I run 240v only because it hugely reduces the risk for fire. I know the wires I run to build my panel are more than beefy enough for the load. I would be very afraid to run 4Kw on the house wiring.

However you said you have a straight run to a 20amp breaker for each light. If so you are fine. However if you had a 20amp 240 breaker you could run two lights on the wires instead of one at 120.

Peace,

 

[Bud Bug]

I've always been told that 120V is more efficient at tripping a breaker.

 

[madpenguin]

Anytime you have fault current whether it be ground, arc or short, it will generate well over 1k amps. Doesn't matter if your at 240 or 120, that breaker is going to pop. Now with overload, I don't know. I'd assume it would trip just as quick as a 120. Thay have the same elements that warp out of shape when too much amperage is applied, thus tripping the breaker.


That was a very astute observation PC. I feel stupid for not questioning it. Your right, in the OP's case there is no reason to switch to 240v. A watt is a watt.

 

[madpenguin]

And Madpenguin (why u so mad?)

I'm always very understanding and patient.... Except when it comes to little punk kids who shit on people when they try to help them (such as grow nerd).

That was the first time I lost my cool here and I suspect it will be the last unless someone else like grow nerd comes along...

Madpenguin is an Anti Microsoft slogan... Nothing more. The Penguin Liberation Front. Penguins unite!

 

[dtfsux]

ohms law is Volts X Amps = watts.

OR

Watts/Volts=amps

1000/120=8.333

1000/240= 4.1666

No matter what, you get 1000 watts and that is what the power company charges you by. If 240 was cheaper to run, dont you think every appliance in our house would be 240?


The reason larger growers run 240 is because we can put more lights on a wire. Wires can handle up to 600 volts I believe, but only so much current based on size.

There is an 80% rule for continuos loads. So a 20 amp circuit is really only good for 16 amps when it comes to lights. You can see that 2 lights would exceed the 16 amp rule slightly. Probably would work, may not as different ballasts draw different amounts due to design, etc. But at 240, I could easily run 3 ballasts



No arguement. This is a COMMON myth new growers have, and learn the truth. You arent the first, and you wont be the last. Good luck

 

[PharmaCan]

Wow. So I'm getting ready to spend, convert for 0 upside? I'm a novice but thought the increased efficiency of 240's (remember I'm running 4K) would lower the electric bill.

And Madpenguin (why u so mad?) - these outlets are dedicated to the lights. Had them ran specifically for that reason. Guess that's when I should have ran 240 (and again - why run 240 if you do not save $?).

Thanks for the responses.

No one knows you have dedicated sockets unless you tell them. Advising you of potential problems with your plans Isn't some kind "gotcha" game with the electricians on this forum. It takes time to type all this crap and most of the time we do it to try to help people like you understand the ups and downs of what they want to do. It really is kind of a pain in the ass to keep the uninformed from dominating electrical threads with potentially dangerous advice. But enough of that...

Here's the deal with 240v - 240v is actually two 120v lines working together. The amount of electricity you use with 240v remains the same as with 120v, but with 240v the electricity is carried over two wires instead of over one wire. This increases the amount of electricity you can carry in any one pair of wires.

With your situation, you don't need 240v now. However, with those being dedicated circuits, if the time comes that you want to expand, converting to 240v will be easy, and not at all costly. Like MP said in his original post, just switch breakers and move the white wire and bingo, you've got 240v.

PC