Hi guys, I need electrical help.

[trueweedsmoker]

I know nothing of electricity. I have a 100 amp circuit panel, and I have a 240 volt meter outdoors. If I wanted to run 8. 1000 watt lights how many more 20 amp breakers would I need? Do i need anything at all?

 

[Snype]

If you run them at 240V instead of 110V, you could use 2 x 30 Amp or 1 x 50 Amp. Each ballast at 240V uses roughly 5 Amps while 110V would use double that. You can only run 80% of the load to be safe. Because you only have 100 Amps in the main panel, you would want to run all your lights at 240V because you would be running out of power with all the AC's, Pumps and Fans on top of the lights.

 

[trueweedsmoker]

This is an existing box that powers the house. Approx. 8000 watts. So I will need to add a few breakers in my free space right? how do I have that wired, how much would that cost?

 

[Snype]

This is an existing box that powers the house. Approx. 8000 watts. So I will need to add a few breakers in my free space right? how do I have that wired, how much would that cost?

If you go to Home Depot, there will be a chart on which wire to use for what Amp breakers. You connect them in your free space in the box. The wire depends on how much feet you are going to use. I'd start looking at YouTube videos to get an idea of what you need to do. It's pretty easy unless you're not good at doing things.

 

[trueweedsmoker]

This is an existing box that powers the house. Approx. 8000 watts. So I will need to add a few breakers in my free space right? how do I have that wired, how much would that cost?

Really trying to find the cheapest way to power my room....

 

[Bud Green]

Is this 100 amp breaker panel the one to your house? If so, you likely dont have enough elec. for any thing more than a small grow closet... Eight 1000 watt lamps are are gonna need almost all of that entire 100 amp service panel JUST for themselves and maybe a couple of small fans and timers...
I'm a retired master carpenter and builder, with a lot of knowledge of residential electrical requirements...
Please don't burn your house down... Bud G.

 

[trueweedsmoker]

If you go to Home Depot, there will be a chart on which wire to use for what Amp breakers. You connect them in your free space in the box. The wire depends on how much feet you are going to use. I'd start looking at YouTube videos to get an idea of what you need to do. It's pretty easy unless you're not good at doing things.

SwEEEEEEEEEEEt so I can do it myself.....

 

[Snype]

Really trying to find the cheapest way to power my room....

It'll be roughly $200 for wire and breakers. A lighting controller costs a few hundred as well. LOL! With 8,000 Watts you'll have no problem recouping your costs.

 

[trueweedsmoker]

Is this 100 amp breaker panel the one to your house? If so, you likely dont have enough elec. for any thing more than a small grow closet... Eight 1000 watt lamps are are gonna need almost all of that entire 100 amp service panel JUST for themselves and maybe a couple of small fans and timers...
I'm a retired master carpenter and builder, with a lot of knowledge of residential electrical requirements...
Please don't burn your house down... Bud G.

I use to run 3000 watts upstairs....but a guy told me i have a 100 watt panel, Each one of my breaker switches says 15 - 20 and there are 17 of them? Yea help me out lol.

 

[Snype]

I use to run 3000 watts upstairs....but a guy told me i have a 100 watt panel, Each one of my breaker switches says 15 - 20 and there are 17 of them? Yea help me out lol.

You have 100 Amp panel. If you run your lights at 240V, then each 1000 watt light only uses 5 Amps. Your lights will only use 40 Amps of power at 240 Volts. You can run 16,000 watts in lights if you run a flip flop. Don't listen to that guy.
Here's 4 lights done by myself:

 

[rives]

If you use 20a breakers, as Snype said you will need to stay at or below 16 amps load on each circuit. This would drive 3 fixtures per breaker, so for 8 fixtures you would need (3) double-pole 20a circuit breakers. Unless there are a bunch of unused breakers in that panel, they aren't going to fit. You may be able to change some of the existing single-pole breakers to the wafer style (half-height), but I would be skeptical of the panel taking that much additional load on a 100a main.

 

[Bud Green]

Is this a sub-panel in your basement or something, or is it the main breaker box to your house? There should be a mains breaker in there .. It is the largest breakeaker in the panel, and it shuts off all the elec. passing thru the panel.. On the switch handle of it, it will be marked 60 or 80 or 100 or 150 or 200... What does it say on it?

 

[Snype]

You gotta run everything at 240 Volts, including your AC because you are cutting it very close and then you still have to account for other stuff you have in your house. You basically won't have many watts left for your personal stuff.

 

[Bud Green]

Snype, while I hold your growing abilities in the highest regards, I believe you may get this guy into some serious trouble in regard to his electrical dilema... 8000 watts of lamps is gonna draw 73 amps of current with 110 volt lamps.. If he has ballasts that use 220 volts, he's still gonna pull 37 amps... If his entire house is already running off this service panel, and he tries this, he's gonna get in trouble... especially since he said in his first post that he hasn't got a clue about electricity....
I believe he needs to get a trusted friend with at least journeyman's knowledge, to look this service over before he goes forward with his plans...

 

[trueweedsmoker]

man thnx guys, im starting to learn something here. skype them ballasts are beautiful, I have a few things running but they should be under 8000 watts total. Its the panel in the basement, but we havent found a breaker yet and ive been here 7 yrs.

 

[Snype]

Snype, while I hold your growing abilities in the highest regards, I believe you may get this guy into some serious trouble in regard to his electrical dilema... 8000 watts of lamps is gonna draw 73 amps of current with 110 volt lamps.. If he has ballasts that use 220 volts, he's still gonna pull 37 amps... If his entire house is already running off this service panel, and he tries this, he's gonna get in trouble... especially since he said in his first post that he hasn't got a clue about electricity....
I believe he needs to get a trusted friend with at least journeyman's knowledge, to look this service over before he goes forward with his plans...

I agree with what you are saying. All I'm saying is that 8,000 watts is doable with what he has. His best option would be to run a flip flop so only 4 lights will be on at a time. One of my houses only has 100 Amp Main Panel and I'm running 8,000 Watts on the grid with no problem at all and it's not a flip flop. I also have a generator for additional watts.

 

[trueweedsmoker]

my uncle does this sort of thing, but I wanted to use him as a last resort, because he's a churchy churchy man.

 

[Snype]

my uncle does this sort of thing, but I wanted to use him as a last resort, because he's a churchy churchy man.

Tell him that you are going to wash laundry for your friends and they are going to pay you per pound of laundry. So of course you want him to install 10 Washers and Dryers!

 

[trueweedsmoker]

wow man i dont think thats gonna fly haha...I'll come up with something? Ok im gonna go through the rooms explaing whats running...is this ok?

 

[Bud Green]

Sorry guys,, I'm outta here... Please be carefull...