2 1000w on a 20amp?

[VIganjafarmer]

Hello fellow growers

I was wondering if i could put 2 120v 1000watt ballast on a single 20amp breaker? the lights are the only power I'll be pulling from that breaker.

Thanks

 

[bobcat1963]

Short answer is no.You never want to load a breaker more than say,80% capacity.

 

[astra007]

disagree

disagree

IMHO the answer is YES as you are saying its a dedicated breaker serving only those 2 ballasts. then start up would hit 18 amps and go down with mag ballasts and even lower with digitals. and im talking HPS with MH start up lower.

 

[Snagglepuss]

just the ballasts with no fans or aything else?Probably not..Check and see hw many amps each one draws...The most i can run is a 600 or 400 on each 20 amp plus fans or a/c.And im most certain ,im pushing it...1000 plus the fans or a/c pops the breaker..

 

[rives]

Nope. With ballast losses, you are going to be pulling in the neighborhood of 2120 watts total. On 120v, that is going to result in a loading of 17.7 amps. Code stipulates that for a continuous load (anything exceeding 3 hours duration), you should not exceed 80% of the breaker rating, so in this case you shouldn't be going over 16 amps.

 

[astra007]

i've done it but in canada and 10 gauge wiring from the fusebox to the lightboard; and thus 2 - 1000w HPS hortilux. had too when my 220/240 power blew. 15 amp will not do but a 20 amp will.

i ran 4 - 1000w's on a 40 amp breaker too

 

[VIganjafarmer]

thanks for your replies very helpful....I wont run both lights off one, Im going to split the lights onto two breakers with 20amps each.

 

[rives]

Good choice, VIganjafarmer

i've done it but in canada and 10 gauge wiring from the fusebox to the lightboard; and thus 2 - 1000w HPS hortilux. had too when my 220/240 power blew. 15 amp will not do but a 20 amp will.

i ran 4 - 1000w's on a 40 amp breaker too

Astra, this obviously falls under the decision tree on the side of "can I get away with it" vs. "is it a good idea". As your experience shows, it is something that will usually work and I wouldn't hesitate to do it to get around some catastrophe. On the other hand, if you are planning a new installation and considering doing it this way, it is a very poor idea. As I stated above, it doesn't comply with the NEC and can lead to both nuisance-tripping of the breaker and overheated wiring. You had over-sized wire installed, which I can guarantee you is not the case in 99% of residential installations. If the breaker is in an area where there is high ambient heat, or if the breaker is marginal, then you may find your lights off when you really don't want them to be. Complying with the code assures you that your installation is both safe and trouble-free.

 

[astra007]

i beg to differ as your initial start up will spike 9 amps and then drop to a lower pull. check the power ratings on the hortilux 1000w, i also have a pulse start up so that NOT all the lights fire up at the same time or you can install a dimmer switch to power up and then raise it to full power. never had a problem and never had an inspection of any kind. oh, and i grow in a trailor park on 100 amp service 120v and "hot legs" 240v power.


just to be on the safe side i had the 2 rooms on separate 220v power and ran 1 on a 30 amp and the other on 40 amps to power 6 - 1000w. 4 HPS and 2 MH. havent posted much lately, just lurked as i usually get these kind of replies that im running unsafe, not up to code, ect....... sorry but im an outlaw grower inside and out with over 40 years growing experience.

 

[rives]

Well, I'm an electrician with over 30 years experience and it's fine for you to do whatever your "outlaw" inclinations tell you, but it is piss poor advice to be handing out. As I stated above, the running amperage of the lights will typically be around 17.7 amps, which exceeds the 16 amps allowable for a continuous load on a 20 amp breaker. Good luck.

 

[astra007]

excuse please

excuse please

what part of IMHO do you not understand? i bow to your experience but my set up was certified by my electrian friend as well and as i said, this was done as a "bandaid fix" until my "hot leg" 220v was restored to keep light on my plants.

it took 2 weeks to get everything back to where it should be and then i ran outside 20 gauge 220v wiring from my oven breaker to my lightboard/timer, to which the ballasts were plugged into. the dryer breaker was used for the other room. i could be wrong on the white cord wiring as my memory dims at times.

just a test question: what is your opinion of ozone generators in the crop room?

 

[BennyBlanco]

Complying with the code assures you that your installation is both safe and trouble-free.

well said

my breaker would trip if i tried to run two 1000 watt lamps on one 20 amp breaker

 

[rives]

what part of IMHO do you not understand? i bow to your experience but my set up was certified by my electrian friend as well and as i said, this was done as a "bandaid fix" until my "hot leg" 220v was restored to keep light on my plants.

it took 2 weeks to get everything back to where it should be and then i ran outside 20 gauge 220v wiring from my oven breaker to my lightboard/timer, to which the ballasts were plugged into. the dryer breaker was used for the other room. i could be wrong on the white cord wiring as my memory dims at times.

just a test question: what is your opinion of ozone generators in the crop room?

As I said above, as a temporary fix in an emergency, I would not hesitate to do it . However, you didn't mention your caveats until your second post, after I posted the code requirements. Hopefully your memory is wrong on your last post, 20 gauge wire is only rated at about 3.5 amps and most range circuits are 50 amps. That's not a conductor, it's a fuse!

Regarding your "test question", I've never dealt with an ozone generator, but from what I have picked up along the way, a crop room installation is a poor idea. If I recall correctly, they can be harmful to plants and other living things, and are best utilized where plants, pets, or humans aren't directly exposed. Inside of ductwork or "lung room" installations seem to be the preference.

 

[Aeroguerilla]

depends if you run 240v you could run 3kw. i like running 50amp timer boxes 8 lights per box @ 240v or with a 30amp you could run 4kw. but ive tried 2kw on 20amp 120 and i kept tripping the breaker only 1kw per 20amp @ 120v

 

[BCNeil]

Its such a better idea to run two breakers.
2000watts plus on a 20 is right at the limit.
It would make me nervous all the time

 

[astra007]

i did mine on pulse start; thats when the second light fires up 3 minutes after the first. no worries here

even horts HPS spike at 9 amps then go down

 

[ColoradoOG]

I 100% agree with rives, I would never go above 80% for continuous use above 3 hours.

 

[Zen Master]

why push it if you can just do it correctly from the get go?

rigging stuff to squeak by has always ended up more costly for me than just doing it right the first time.


20 amps x 120v=2400 x .8 for continuous loads=1920watts of continuous draw power, if it has a higher startup spike, you would be treading into 'less than ideal' territory, so why bother?

 

[astra007]

20 amp breaker on 120v, as i said before it was a "bandaid fix" and maybe canadian power supply is better then american eh? what do you think i had a "kill switch" for? i did this when my 240v power supply blew at the transformer. then i went back to 220-240v or hotleg 30 amp - 50 amp. just could not use certain household stuff when lights were running.


you can use 1 of each MH and HPS as well

 

[Bretonston]

i setup a 240v 20amp breaker and ran it to a hot water timer and hard wired my ballast to it..i run fans and etc on the outlet that were in the room..its awesome one timer both lights turn on at the same time..