electric problem. think you can help?

[torealforthcbay]

i just got a c.a.p 4 light controller and 4 1000w nextgens. i have a 100amp service to the house. a sub-panel running from the main box to the grow room on a 50amp circuit. on that sub-panel i have a 20amp, a 2 30amp, and a couple 15s. one of the 30amps was empty so i hooked the light controller to it. the sub was hooked up by an electrician. and the 30amp just had an orange 10-3 coming from it to a receptacle box. i ran the red to red, black to black, copper to ground inside the the controller. just as the directions show. i then capped off the white wire (neutral) on the outside of the controller box as to not get in the way on the inside. then i hooked my ballasts up with 240v cords. pluged in the relay to a 120v outlet. then switched the breaker on and it blew the 50amp running the sub panel. the breaker, a double 30, keeps busting. even when i only try 1 light.

what did i do wrong? and how bad did i fuck up? i hope my ballasts arent toast.

thanks for any help yall.

 

[torealforthcbay]

bump....sorry, its like an emergency for me, bros.

 

[JoeBlunt420]

The white wire is usually a common ground that is hooked up inside the pannel of the breakers. If so this wire needs to be connected inside the controller. The bare copper or green wires are usually for ground fault applications. I'm no electricion so I would get a second oppinion, but that would be my GUESS

 

[torealforthcbay]

yeah no its not supposed to be. just the 2 and a copper or green ground. thanks tho.

 

[JoeBlunt420]

There needs to be a real ground connected inside the controller. If you're running 240v there will be two hot wires, usually red and black, then a common ground, one that is grounded to a water pipe or something like that, from your main breaker box. Usually the white wire is the common ground. Good luck.

 

[torealforthcbay]

its a faulty breaker i think. i unplugged all the lights from the controller and flipped the breaker. the entire panel went out again. im not sure why but with my lumatek they say specifically to not connect the neutral wire. the directions for hooking up the controller also say to just connect the red, black and copper or green. no white. its grounded in my breaker box anyway, i just dont have it hooked up on the controller end. the directions call for 10-2 wire, i used 10-3 without the neutral connected.

 

[torealforthcbay]

???

 

[PharmaCan]

Disconnect the controller from the wires. Cap the ends of the wires to make sure they aren't touching. Turn the thirty amp breaker on. Report results.

PC

 

[torealforthcbay]

.....

 

[torealforthcbay]

it blew the 50amp running the panel.

 

[torealforthcbay]

this should make it a little easier.

the main box, the sub panel, then it shows the connections inside the light controller.

 

[PharmaCan]

it blew the 50amp running the panel.

Okay, now turn off the power to the sub-panel. Remove the cover from the sub-panel and then remove the wires from the 30 amp breaker. Make sure the loose wires aren't touching anything. Turn the power back on to the sub-panel. Turn on the 30 amp breaker. Report results.

Make damn sure the power is off to the sub-panel before doing anything inside of it!!!!!

You have a direct short somewhere. Right now we are finding out where.

When you put everything back together, cut a couple inches off your power wires and shove the wire into the controller so that a little bit of the sheathing is inside the controller. Then tighten your romex connector. You want to clamp on the sheathing, not the exposed wires. Go ahead and terminate the neutral inside the controller. It won't hurt anything in there.

BTW - I doubt you fucked anything up. Electricity never even made it to your controller.

PC

 

[torealforthcbay]

so the problem was that i tightened the brace that holds the incoming wire to much. it broke thru the wire casing and smashed the wires together right before they enter the controler, causing them to arch when i flipped the breaker. i cut the burned wire out and re ran it loose. its all good now. total illimination!! ill post pics of my 12 light grow! im stoked about it! it was a 6 light grow last week!