Wiring CFL's with cleats (help needed)

[Bottled Cat]

Alright, so I am going to build myself a new cab. I have been using outlet adapters on power strips, but I'm building this cab custom myself and want to mount my lights using cleats instead. From what I understand, I just take an extension cord and parallel wire everything on the single cord right? Cut off the female end, strip wire housing where connections need to be made, and continue on down the line?

For this practice, would you use a 2 pronged (non-grounded) extension cord such as: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM215184928P?prdNo=21 ?

I would assume that finding the correct wire on that would be easier than a grounded extension cord, which has a rounded body and the wires aren't housed separately: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_03474138000P?prdNo=17&blockNo=17&blockType=G17

Any suggestions/help/insight would be great. Thank you.

 

[t33to]

You could use either. But it's always safer to use the grounded cords. To be ultra safe, you should hardwire each ground to each cleat as well. So if one shorts, or gets wet etc, they are all safely grounded to the same breaker and it will pop, possibly saving your life and your house before it burns down.

Safety first, always. You can't smoke or grow if you are dead.

 

[Bottled Cat]

I guess I was under the impression that I could wire up all the lights to one extension cord, and plug it into a surge protector which would be grounded. I always plug all my equipment into surge protectors, but would surge protectors still save me from any problems with this particular wiring setup?

 

[t33to]

I'm no electrician by any means. But I do think I understand electricity correctly in the understanding that you can't ground something unless it's connected to a ground. If only your surge protector has a grounding wire, then only a short in the surge protector would be grounded. The rest of the circuit wouldn't be able to take advantage of the grounding connection ( I mean, how could it? It's not grounded to the grounded wire in the surge protector ).

Inside your walls for every grounded outlet you have on the wall, they are all connected to the master ground that is inside your breaker fuse box (hopefully). So it makes sense to me that if you wire up your cleats with out a grounding wire, they will not be able to take advantage of the grounded safety.

 

[Anti]

not sure what you mean by cleats, but this is how I wired my cab:

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That's a $2, 30amp extension cord from HD.

 

[t33to]

not sure what you mean by cleats, but this is how I wired my cab:

​

That's a $2, 30amp extension cord from HD.

I'm pretty sure he means cleats as in the light outlets. And yours are connected with out grounding safety. As there is no ground wire connected to each light outlet.

 

[Bottled Cat]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM161853639P?prdNo=8&i_cntr=1292376071998
that's what I mean by cleats, basically a smaller version of what you are using anti.

thanks for all the replies everyone! Anti, your setup looks just like what I was planning on doing with mine. Thank you, +rep for all.

**EDIT: Anti, I see that you use a piece of glass under your CFL set up. Does this help a lot with the heat? Also, what do you use for cooling your box(s)? I was thinking of getting some Dayton Axial Fans...

 

[Purple Monster]

2 prong is fine.

peace

 

[Anti]

I'm pretty sure he means cleats as in the light outlets. And yours are connected with out grounding safety. As there is no ground wire connected to each light outlet.

If you have one of these sockets in your own home (lots of times you find them in the basement, if you have one) go and take it off the wall and take a look at it. I think you will find it is not grounded, either.

 

[Anti]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM161853639P?prdNo=8&i_cntr=1292376071998**EDIT: Anti, I see that you use a piece of glass under your CFL set up. Does this help a lot with the heat? Also, what do you use for cooling your box(s)? I was thinking of getting some Dayton Axial Fans...

the glass in my setup acts basically like a sealed air-cooled hood. The lights are in a partition that has it's own intake and exhaust that are separate from the intake and exhaust for the plants.

Believe it or not, I'm using 3 pc fans in my cab and nothing else. If you used some daytons, your cab would probably be a lot cooler than mine is. Mine stays around 80-85 during the day. From what I've read, the 'optimal' temp for indoors is 80-87 or so.

Here's a diagram of how air moves through my cab:

(Click to Enlarge.)​

 

[Bottled Cat]

Woah, thanks for the info Anti. Very helpful, might borrow the airflow design you posted... ! One more question if you don't mind... where did you get the glass you used for the hood? Can you get something like that cut at a hardware store or something? Thanks for all the help.

 

[crazybear]

Hardware shop or glass place!