Need a hand installing a new circuit...

[Dubya]

Hi I'm upgrading to a 1000 watt setup at my friends place, but in order to do so I need to put in a new circuit. I don't know the first thing about electric so my friend is gonna do it for me. He does have experience and did this before to his entire basement but it has been a little while, and I think the setup was a bit different at his old place. So I thought I'd inquire with some of the online talent. Could you help a brother out?


Laying out the wire and box is not going to be a problem, but installing the circuit is the part I'm hoping for some clarification on, like what type to get and what exactly is involved in setting it up.

Here are a few pics of what I'm working with...

 

[Big Brotha P]

If this is all you need then wire a 15 amp breaker using 12 gauge wire. Or you could spend a few extra dollars and wire a 20 amp breaker with 10 gauge wire, ensure the outlet is rated for 20 amps if you chose this route.

I would buy Black and Decker Home Wiring manual from Home Depot when you get your supplies. It saves lives!

Good Luck
BBP

 

[Dubya]

Is there a particular kind of circuit I need to get, or would any 20 amp circuit work? Anything else I need to know?

Thanks I'll definitely get the B&D manual.

 

[Big Brotha P]

Whatever your panel is. That should be the type of breaker.

So. GE, looks to be the brand.

 

[LeeROI]

That GE label has a list of letters (model "numbers") indicating acceptable branch circuit breakers.

The load center is listed under GEIndustrial.com "The PowerMark Plus Three Phase load center is designed for use in commercial or high-rise residential units." Interesting.

 

[N-P-Kali]

Hi I'm upgrading to a 1000 watt setup at my friends place, but in order to do so I need to put in a new circuit. I don't know the first thing about electric so my friend is gonna do it for me. He does have experience and did this before to his entire basement but it has been a little while, and I think the setup was a bit different at his old place. So I thought I'd inquire with some of the online talent. Could you help a brother out?


Laying out the wire and box is not going to be a problem, but installing the circuit is the part I'm hoping for some clarification on, like what type to get and what exactly is involved in setting it up.

Here are a few pics of what I'm working with...

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Hi Dubya. 208v/3∅ is your service from the looks of it, 120/208v, correct? I see a 3-pole main breaker but, I cannot see how many amperes it is. Maybe 150A? 1/0 or 2/0 wire incoming to the 3-pole breaker? Your bringing power to a single 1000watt lamp? A push on type breaker will work fine but, is that all your are you feeding?

Wait a minute, Rives!! Stop tinkering around in the workshop and get over here

A 2-pole 15A breaker, push on type should work.

 

[Dubya]

Hi Dubya. 208v/3∅ is your service from the looks of it, 120/208v, correct? I see a 3-pole main breaker but, I cannot see how many amperes it is. Maybe 150A? 1/0 or 2/0 wire incoming to the 3-pole breaker? Your bringing power to a single 1000watt lamp? A push on type breaker will work fine but, is that all your are you feeding?

Wait a minute, Rives!! Stop tinkering around in the workshop and get over here

A 2-pole 15A breaker, push on type should work.

OK so I need to get a 2 pole 15A? I was going to get a 20A just to be on the safe side. Yes this is just for a single 1000, and now that I think about it, I'll probably hook up my fans to it as well so maybe 1100 or so watts total.

 

[LeeROI]

[I am NOT an electrician, but . . .]

20 amp breaker protects 12 gauge wiring.

15 amp breaker protects 14 gauge wiring.

Continuous load is good up to 80% of the breaker rating.

Volts x Amps = Watts

I forget the efficiency of magnetic ballasts but figure 10% over nominal is safe.

1200 watts (includes fans) / 120 volts = 10 amps

So anyway, you might as well spend a little more and get 12 gauge wire and a 20A breaker.

 

[stoney917]

Go for 20 amp and no worries but personally I'd run 30 amp 240 to a controller and have option to add lights as I wanted if u think u will ever want to run a few more boomers in there much easier to have the power there. Don't forget veg them lights pumps fans take power to...

 

[resinryder]

Go for 20 amp and no worries but personally I'd run 30 amp 240 to a controller and have option to add lights as I wanted if u think u will ever want to run a few more boomers in there much easier to have the power there. Don't forget veg them lights pumps fans take power to...

^^^Yup that!! 30AMP/240 breaker, 30 gage wire, and a controller. You can run 4 1k's off that setup with the controller. I have the same setup for lights in my bloom room. Do it right the first time so you have no regrets later on.

 

[avant gardener]

hold up. wait a minute. if i were doing this job for someone, i'd need more information before i could proceed.

first of all, tell us about your ballast. is it 120v or 240v or does it accept both?
that's going to make a big friggin' difference.

next, what else are you going to run on that circuit? are you going to have to upgrade anything else to accommodate the bigger light, e.g. more AC, ventilation, gadgetry, etc.

finally, are you absolutely and positively sure that this is the last time you're going to want to put in more lighting? because if you plan on expanding again in the future, you may as well save yourself some time and money by putting in more service now.

ps. i was an electrician in another life, but rives is a fucking ace. post in his thread:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=117867
and he should set you straight presently.

hope this helps.

 

[LeeROI]

This is a 208VAC three-phase service, folks!
No easy option for 240V.

 

[avant gardener]

booster transformer.
they're not cheap though.

 

[N-P-Kali]

hold up. wait a minute. if i were doing this job for someone, i'd need more information before i could proceed.

first of all, tell us about your ballast. is it 120v or 240v or does it accept both?
that's going to make a big friggin' difference.

next, what else are you going to run on that circuit? are you going to have to upgrade anything else to accommodate the bigger light, e.g. more AC, ventilation, gadgetry, etc.

finally, are you absolutely and positively sure that this is the last time you're going to want to put in more lighting? because if you plan on expanding again in the future, you may as well save yourself some time and money by putting in more service now.

ps. i was an electrician in another life, but rives is a fucking ace. post in his thread:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=117867
and he should set you straight presently.

hope this helps.

Avant is correct. More information would help clear this up. And yes Rives is a stud.

 

[rives]

Sheesh. You guys are making me blush here! Thank you for all the kind words.

Dubya, I think that you have all of the pieces here, it mainly depends on what you want to do in the future. I have never worked with 208, it is common in commercial work, but not in industrial. However, you do need to make sure that your equipment will run on 208 before you run the circuit - my electronic ballasts will, but they are aimed at the commercial lighting market rather than what we are doing. 240v fans will not last long when wired to 208.

If you want to run 120v though, it is pretty simple. You will need a single pole breaker for each circuit, either 15 or 20 amp. 14 gauge wire can be used on a 15 amp breaker, and 12 gauge on a 20 amp, but personally I never run anything smaller than 12 gauge. As was mentioned above, you cannot exceed 80% of the breaker rating for continuous loads, which are defined as any load over 3 hours in duration. So, figure on maxing out at 12 amps on a 15 amp breaker and 16 amps on a 20. If you have to go an excessively long distance, get back to us with a rough one-way wire length and I can tell you if you will need to up-size the wire to compensate for voltage drop.

You should use either specification or commercial grade receptacles - they have screw clamps for the wires rather than spring-loaded back-stabs, and are much more reliable. Use a 20 amp receptacle for a 20 amp circuit - there are exceptions to this, but it's not worth pursuing.

As LeeROI pointed out, your load is going to be a bit higher than you've calculated because the ballast takes some power to run. If you are running 120v circuits, I would run at least a couple even if you aren't planning on expanding - it is far too easy to add a couple of things and start having problems with nuisance tripping of the breaker.

Hope this helps, holler if you have more details that aren't covered.

 

[Dubya]

Wow thanks for all the advice guys!

Sorry been away from the internet for a minute. Been busy with holidays.

Still have not installed the circuit yet. Thought I'd answer the questions posted and go forth with the current plan.

I do not plan to upgrade my lighting after this. Very limited space and I can't fit anything larger.

My new ballast is a quantum and it's 120 volts.

I do plan on running my exhaust fan on this circuit as well. Veg lights are only about 120 watts and am currently not planning on running them through this circuit, but if it is not too much of a load on it, I may consider that as well. If not it's no big deal.

I plan on going with a GE 20 amp single pole breaker with 12 guage wire, and a commercial grade receptacle.

I will also be grabbing about 50' of the 12 guage wire. Don't know exactly how far it will be, because it's gonna go along the outside walls so I figure 50 just to be safe.

How's that sound to you guys?

 

[avant gardener]

ok. couple things.

first off, you mention an outside wall. you don't mention what kind of wire that you were planning on, but if it's going to be outside or in another wet location, you can't use romex. you need thhn (or similar) in a raceway or uf cable.

you also state that 50' will do the trick, so i'll assume that voltage drop isn't going to be an issue.

you're running 120 so you're going to eat up amps at a ridiculous pace. and you're already expanding, so it's reasonable to expect that you may want to add more toys in the future. and you're already pulling a new circuit.

with that in mind, if this were my job, i would recommend going up to #8 wire, putting in a j box, and making a 40 amp circuit. that way you've got a little room to grow should you need it at a later date.

 

[Zumie]

Call me a sissy, but I am not afraid to admit that electrical work is not my expertise . . . therefor I have no problem paying someone for the peace of mind that it is done correctly and neatly . . . errors in this department tend to be a bit un-forgiving ;-)
good luck!