Need a Electrician....

[DonkDBZ]

If you strip the romex sheathing with a razor blade check for nicks. Also check that when you put the plugs in you did not screw the 6/32 into a wire since you may have jammed the wire into the handybox.

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[Tilt]

small pocket meters at radio shack for $20.00 bucks. they come in handy

 

[Tilt]

If you strip the romex sheathing with a razor blade check for nicks. Also check that when you put the plugs in you did not screw the 6/32 into a wire since you may have jammed the wire into the handybox.

A pair of romex strippers makes life easy http://www.google.com/products/cata...GZH4OYiQT3-9mbCw&sa=title&ved=0CDYQ8wIwBDgA#p

This is good advice I have found these to be problems in the past. esp when you take it apart the 6/32 screw comes out and the problem mysteriously goes away.

 

[Panama Red]

Poopy, that is in fact 12/2 not 12/3.

The 4 wire info I gave was based on your 12/3 statement.

Let me ask a question.

From left to right in pic 1, were the problem outlets numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6 and corresponding junction boxes 2 and 3?

 

[Dislexus]

I fucking love you electricians on this forum. I just wanted to say that I appreciate ya.

 

[el Dream Reader]

In running a 240v ballast you don't use a neutral wire, those are for special outlets that use two hot a neutral and a ground wire. For ballast use both the black and white should be hooked up to a double pole single throw breaker so they both come on at the same time and you have 120v running through each wire. The green wire is for earth ground, I wouldn't ground the boxes just the plugs.

Here's a great alternative: DIY 4 light grow light controller

 

[rives]

I wouldn't ground the boxes just the plugs.

The boxes need to be grounded for both safety and code compliance. Did you happen to read the part where he had the box heated up?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

Poopy, that is in fact 12/2 not 12/3.

The 4 wire info I gave was based on your 12/3 statement.

Let me ask a question.

From left to right in pic 1, were the problem outlets numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6 and corresponding junction boxes 2 and 3?

problem out lets were 1-4 and the first two junction boxes... the 3rd junction box and fifth and six plug were all fine....

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

In running a 240v ballast you don't use a neutral wire, those are for special outlets that use two hot a neutral and a ground wire. For ballast use both the black and white should be hooked up to a double pole single throw breaker so they both come on at the same time and you have 120v running through each wire. The green wire is for earth ground, I wouldn't ground the boxes just the plugs.

Here's a great alternative: DIY 4 light grow light controller

you confused the shit out of me i know it probably makes sense but i cant wrap my head around that atm...

 

[el Dream Reader]

The boxes need to be grounded for both safety and code compliance. Did you happen to read the part where he had the box heated up?

What if he had plastic boxes would those need to be grounded?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

What if he had plastic boxes would those need to be grounded?

no i dont believe plastic ones would have to be grounded...

 

[el Dream Reader]

you confused the shit out of me i know it probably makes sense but i cant wrap my head around that atm...

I'm not sure if you have it hooked up this way already, it's hard to tell because the wires are capped and taped. It looks like your running three separate circuits? Or are the lines tied together somewhere else?
The white and the black wires of each circuit should go to a breaker that has two outputs (double pole) so they are switched on at the same time (for safety, they should also have a piece of black tape on the white wires so they are known to be hot at first glance) then the bare (I see you are using bare wire for ground) wire should be used as ground, going from the lower grounding prong to the grounding bar in the breaker panel.


Here's a good walk thru. http://www.nojolt.com/basic-220-circuits.shtml

 

[el Dream Reader]

no i dont believe plastic ones would have to be grounded...

Exactly, there is no need to ground the box because that only makes it easier to accidentally touch the hot terminals to the box and get a short circuit. The ground wire should be going to the lower grounding plug on the outlets and directly back to the grounding bar in the breaker panel itself.

 

[el Dream Reader]

A picture of the back of your outlets would be a big help.
The outlet should be like this:

And in no way should these circuits be connected to the neutral bar in the panel.

If you already have it hooked up this way I would check the outlets and make sure one of them isn't faulty.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

A picture of the back of your outlets would be a big help.
The outlet should be like this:

And in no way should these circuits be connected to the neutral bar in the panel.

If you already have it hooked up this way I would check the outlets and make sure one of them isn't faulty.

everything is hooked up this way... In the main panel the white and black wires are hooked up to a double pole breaker and the ground is hooked up to the nuetral bar in the panel.... why wouldnt the ground be hooked up to the neutral bar...? and where would it be hooked to if not the nuetral bar>/???


i have pictures of my setup on this thread i have metal plug boxes and metal junction box's...

 

[el Dream Reader]

The ground needs to go to the earth ground that the rest of the ground wires in your box go to (maybe all the other outlets only use the hot black wire and the white neutral wire (old style)), I can't see the top part of your breaker box but the grounding bar would be directly connected to the breaker box which would be wired (with a very large guage wire) to a copper rod driven into the ground.

 

[Tilt]

300.10 Electrical Continuity of Metal Raceways and
Enclosures. Metal raceways, cable armor, and other metal
enclosures for conductors shall be metallically joined together
into a continuous electrical conductor and shall be
connected to all boxes, fittings, and cabinets so as to provide
effective electrical continuity. Unless specifically permitted
elsewhere in this Code, raceways and cable assemblies
shall be mechanically secured to boxes, fittings,
cabinets, and other enclosures.

from the National electrical code book. El dreamer please don't give bad advice. I am an electrician those boxes need to be bonded to the ground to protect him his home his grow and his freedom. It is not safe as he has allready proven by being shocked once. If the ground bond had been in place it would have tripped the breaker instead giving him a bad hair day

 

[el Dream Reader]

300.10 Electrical Continuity of Metal Raceways and
Enclosures. Metal raceways, cable armor, and other metal
enclosures for conductors shall be metallically joined together
into a continuous electrical conductor and shall be
connected to all boxes, fittings, and cabinets so as to provide
effective electrical continuity. Unless specifically permitted
elsewhere in this Code, raceways and cable assemblies
shall be mechanically secured to boxes, fittings,
cabinets, and other enclosures.

from the National electrical code book. El dreamer please don't give bad advice. I am an electrician those boxes need to be bonded to the ground to protect him his home his grow and his freedom. It is not safe as he has allready proven by being shocked once. If the ground bond had been in place it would have tripped the breaker instead giving him a bad hair day

You'd be better off using plastic boxes than going thru all that bullshit. Metal boxes are used in concrete and metal buildings where metal conduit is joined to each box and the wiring and boxes are all exposed, That is what this code is referring to. I don't see any conduit being used at all and his boxes are exposed and none of them are joined with metal conduit so none of it is truly code.
But you knew that already because your an electritian, I only went to college for Electronics engineering.

 

[Tilt]

I agree he would be better off using plastic boxes. But the statement still stands. They need to be bonded.It is truly code. A very basic code every apprentice knows

 

[el Dream Reader]

I agree he would be better off using plastic boxes. But the statement still stands. They need to be bonded.It is truly code. A very basic code every apprentice knows

Thinking about it, you are right about the safety factor. Having the boxes of each circuit attached together is code. Here is how they should be joined, flexible metal conduit would be acceptable as well. You can also see the earth ground running into the 240 box in the sub-panel picture.